The Many Blessings of Semana Santa!

For those of you who think it's miraculous that I actually made it out of the 'highly dangerous' country of Colombia, here's a list of other wonders just to make you think (in no particular ranking):

I encountered ZERO violence, neither toward me nor anyone else.

The music choice of the bus drivers on all the long trips (>3 hours) was excellent and mainly included salsas and vallenatos, and nothing too dreadful.

When the music choice was poor, the rides were relatively short. I only had to endure 80's and early 90s hits for about 2.5 hours, including Bright Eyes twice in English and once in Spanish, and the Titanic theme song only once!

I never once got sick from street food, which is virtually all I ate.

There were no landslides, especially on the road notorious for them. My tutor once got stalled by one that took 3 days to clear!

Every person I met was helpful and kind, not only giving me the needed information, but personal recommendations and the much-needed human contact that traveling alone lacks.

I remembered to buy and take my first malaria pill on the EXACT day I needed to for the following week's beach travels.

I only had to endure 2 kung-fu movies on a 9 hour bus ride, when clearly we had time for 3.

Of the 2620 km I traversed in 10 days, not one of the drivers got in an accident, even with all the mountain curves and high speeds involved.

I did not get cankles, even though I was not vigilent about my heel and toe raises 100% of the time!

I had enough money for all of my entirely unnecesasry travels and purchases when millions don't have enough for food and housing.

My tutor lent me his Lonely Planet guidebook so I didn't have to buy my own. It was a lifesaver.

It was raining during the majority of my long Bogotá bike ride which would have otherwise certainly turned into a huge thymine-dimer nightmare (=sunburn)

I got to spend the whole time speaking spanish with natives and non-natives alike (with the exception of one Canadian traveller)!

My journal ran out exactly as I finished my last Colombian adventure entry. On the very day it ran out, I arrived in Cununyacú where I could start my next one with my beach adventures.

For some unknown reason, el Banco Pichincha in Ecuador does not charge me the 3% international fee that all other banks do. Hopefully this anomaly will continue until I can get my Galápagos money out.

I had just enough time to put all my pictures on the family computer here in Quito, making room for travels to come. I would not have had enough room otherwise.

I did not have to spend Easter morning in a bus terminal!

I was not late for the church service, though by all norms I should have been!

I got to spend time in fellowship with others who really know how to praise God and encourage godly living.


So that's all I can think of right now, but every day was undoubtedly filled with invisible blessings and protection for which I am grateful and humbled.