Pasto a Popayan

In the Pasto bus terminal, a man is carrying a rack of roosters. It´s the loudest sound in the entire terminal. One rooster crows, then another, sometimes in tandem, sometimes together. But they aren´t stuffed in a cage as I would have thought. Each is zipped up in an individual pouch side by side by side the others. There are 8 or 10 in the carrying case, a rooster farmer´s briefcase, I guess. I wonder if they´re for cockfighting!?!

In Colombia, you don´t travel in the same types of buses as in Ecuador, same as Greyhound. They have Supertaxis, large vans that fit 20 people and can zip muck more quickly through the mountins. The occasional bit of English is always a delight! Today a truck´s mudflap read, ¨Beep, beep? My ass!¨ Foul language is always the first thing taught and learned with a new language, isn´t it?

On the back of the bus seat, a no smoking warning is written in 5 different languages. The funny part is that the usual no smoking emblem has an apple as the outer ring instead of a simple circle, and says, ¨Consuma frutas.¨ Not only do they not want you to smoke on the bus in Colombia but they encourage eating fruit. Smart for your health and for the health of the fruit vendors alike.

The forces of tourism and the paramilitary have interesting effects in Ecuador and Colombia respectively. The people are somewhat paralyzed by and yet need tourism in Ecuador. It provides a living for so many of the people, from those running tourist agencies, bar & discoteque owners, to people begging in the streets. If there were no tourism in Ecuador, I wonder to what people would turn their attention and energy. At the same time, those living off of tourism sometimes seem to despise it, as though they are stuck and don´t have anther option. I can understand. I´ve felt tied to my job before with great uncertainty about how to make a change, if any. There are lots of people in Ecuador all the same who have money and work the typical jobs, whether in graphic design, telecom operations, in a travel agency. I guess I´ve encountered more those living off of tourism and tourist dollars. The guerillas and paramilitary have a looming effect on Colombians but in a different manner. The threat of paramilitary and guerillas violence seems to inhibit Colombians from living in peace. Almost like the mafia, I´ve heard stories of the paramilitary demanding money for your family´s protection. If you don´t pay, your family is at risk. It you do pay, you´ll continue to pay forever. They´re stuck just the same, but only from forces exerted from their own countrymen. This in combination with a reputation for being good at bad things (creating counterfeit money, drugs & arms smuggling) prevents a lot of travelers from entering the country. At the same time, it makes Colombians that much more interested in speaking with outsiders who have chosen to enter the country. People talk to me loads more in Colombia but not where I´m from or what am I doing so much, but about soccer or coffee or where to buy the best clothes. Both countries have pressures, while different, they are pressures nonetheless. Whether in the forefront or very back of their minds, they never seem to dissipate.