Colombia

You know that christmas-time urge you get to rummage through those rickety drawers or boxes tucked in the back of your old room's closet or down in the basement?


Yeah the ones which hold your pre-historic yellow walkman (which you simply can't justify getting rid of) underneath a pile of old high school pictures and "Certificate of Merit" awards from elementary school? Why is it that it never gets old looking through all that stuff? Maybe we expect to find something we missed when we last looked but in the end, the same stuff is always there.


Yet, no matter how many times we lay eyes on those trinkets and however long it has been, they always make us feel good. Well my month-and-a-half experience in Colombia was filled with similar feelings. I re-connected with family I haven't spoken to in over 25 years,


saw pictures and videos of myself I didn't know existed, and was left breathless multiple times at Colombia's beautiful green landscapes.


Anywhere I went there were tall, wild, picturesque mountains filled with wildlife eager to be explored one way or another.


I always knew this stuff was there but it just needed to be dug up so I could once again appreciate it.

Asia and South America are pretty different continents so after 4 months of having my name butchered in the far East


it was nice to come back West to see and hear my name pronounced and spelled correctly...everywhere.


I almost forgot how common my name is around here. No more Undree, Handrei, Andy, or Andruu. Just easy common 'ole Andres.


I knew I'd be seeing a lot of family here in Colombia but I wasn't expecting to be able to travel to 4 of its largest cities and see a total of 16 cousins, a handful of aunts and uncles, and one very special grandmother.


I saw more family around the country this trip than I've seen in the last 24 years and even with over a month it still almost wasn't enough.


Every trip was filled with beautiful sights that at times left me trying to compare to others I've visited but usually failed.


There's really a unique type of landscape here in Colombia that is still very raw and virgin for a pretty developed and up-and-coming western country.


There is still a LOT to be explored and as a professional traveling bum it's exciting to find these countries which have so much natural beauty to offer (Laos and Indonesia also fall in that category.)


Eating is always an important part of the day and with an array of dishes I hadn't tried in years I was spoiled being served whatever I wanted by my unwavering family members.


A lot of things have stayed constant the past 9 months such as the ragged clothes I've worn, my lack of hair cuts, and random backflips.


One thing that has NOT stayed constant is my weight and with the exception of Turkey (dessert heaven) I've plumped up the most here in Colombia.


At times some meals were obscenely large and sinful but well worth the small risk of irregular heart palpitations. This didn't stop when Michelle came to visit me in Bogota.


Along with taking a cool road trip to Villa de Leyva and getting lost around Bogota, eating/drinking anything and everything was an obligatory part of our routine. I think I'm good on certain dishes for a year or two.


Although I did see a lot of great views of Colombia throughout this month-and-a-half, my real reason for coming to here was to re-connect with my loved ones whenever and wherever.


At times I'd find myself talking in the kitchen or in the living room with an aunt, uncle, or cousin letting the day go bye. No big deal in my book.


If there's one thing I've learned this trip is that relationships, real and honest relationships where people are genuinely and unselfishly interested in what the other person has to say, is what life should be all about.


It's not just about traveling to a cool mountain, catching a big wave, or a taking in a stunning beach. If we don't take the time to connect with the people we care about during those small windows in our day we are cheating ourselves of good energy.


Now that I've left Colombia motivated to work on a project that I'm passionate about and become overjoyed with opening those tucked-away family memories, it's time to continue accepting and planning for the end of this incredible journey.


Just one more stop to the island of Oahu where this chapter ends for me and for our good friend Tyler, another one begins.