Jardin

I am in Medellin right now having just extended my visa until mid-March. It is a quick 3-hour jaunt to Medellin from Jardin. They stamped my passport in just a little more than an hour. There were only about 10 people in the Migracion office and most, it seemed, were Venezuelan. The idiot bus-driver Maduro was on TV and all were watching. I feel very sad for them. When the US goes to war with China, as we surely will with Trump Tweets, we could end up like.....well..
 I have added 153 new species since I arrived in Colombia. I have missed too many that should have been checked off. Here in Jardin I can be birding within a 5 minute walk and there are trails in every direction. I still am looking for the black-billed mountain toucan, which lives in the mountains around me. I have been very fortunate to have met Guillermo and Alejandro Nagy, brothers from Venezuela who have started a tour company here-Aramacao Tours. Alejandro is the birder and has an excellent ear for far-off bird calls. Guillermo has a local wife, Patricia, and a beautiful, happy little girl, Eva Luna. They have become very good friends. Alejandro takes me birding around the area and I enjoy his company. There is a little black dog that follows us and I named her Blackie. She shows up everywhere. I take Alejandro to lunch or dinner and we sit at the cafe in the evening and chat about birds with a few beers and maybe an aguardiente, or two. His English is excellent. It is so nice to have a friend here who likes what I like. Some mornings we take off around 6 am and walk the mountain roads. I lent him the extra pair of Minox binoculars I brought with me. He used them everyday. I know they are better than the pair he has so I gave him an early Christmas present. I told him to keep them forever and he gave me a hug. No one in my family has bird interests so I know they will always be put to good use. He now has a damn good pair of binocs!
We sit and watch the Jardin elite come in their fine boots and leather. Then the stable boy brings their horses. They ride tall in the saddle doing the Paso Doble. Alejandro calls them the Jardin Kardashians. Long blond silky hair, perfect makeup, Colombian money. It's fun to watch them. Unfortunately Jardin has no good restaurants. I am eating great food here in Medellin. Nothing is as good as in the USA, but a few people here do enjoy cooking. I had a rack of ribs for the first time last night. Usually they are cut short and are gristley.
The girls at my hotel in Jardin treat me very well. I stayed 5 days at another place but they never cleaned my room so I returned to Hotel Dorado. They do my laundry and give me good advise. A friend from Ecuador is visiting Colombia and we will meet somewhere around Medellin in a week, or so. I still think about going to Ecuador and just might pop down. The Guayacanes trees are starting to bloom and the ones here have been covered in hummingbirds. Ecuador has an area that turns yellow with the blossoms. Beautuful trees. Also known as Tabebuia. But, for now, I am glad I have found Jardin and the good brothers Nagy. There are areas north where I will go birding but I am not in a hurry. There is a large lake area near Medellin called Guatape which is probably my next stop. I am still going strong. Ama La Vida.

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