The girl at the ticket counter sold me a ticket to return to Jardin and told me the bus was around the corner. What she did not tell me was that the 'corner' was at a different terminal, 10 miles away. I would not have been at this terminal if the hotel clerk had not told me to come here. This is very typical for Colombia. Do your own homework and trust nothing anyone says. As I was waiting for the bus that was NOT going to Jardin, I met three girls also going to Jardin. They had been working in the Peace Corps in Guatemala. After raising a fuss, which I am very good at, We were given 15,000 COP to take a taxi to the correct terminal. It was a 4 hour wait for the bus and we got to know each other. Very nice, intelligent ladies in their twenties. We arrived in Jardin late in the afternoon. I went to my hotel and collected my bags. I met up with the girls a few times for drinks. Guillermo and Alejandro also came bHey. The girls moved on to Salento and I stuck around Jardin for Christmas. In Ecuador and Peru there were frequent parades for children during the holiday. Not so in Colombia. A few lights strung up and that is about all they do to celebrate. Nothing for kids. Very dissapointing. Jardin is just a place for Colombians to drink small amounts of coffee from china cups and listen to terrible music before they get drunk. The same music over, and over. The horses became an annoyance. Alejandro and Guillermo's mother and brother were coming from Venezuela. At first I thought they were fleeing the country but they were just coming for a visit. The border is opened and closed at Maduro's whim.
Alejandro and I took many birding walks together. He has become a very good friend. I wish it could have been a life-long friendship.
I added a eBird Hotspot for Jardin. It was up to 190 species last I looked. He and I also took a trip to Ciudad Bolivar to go to Las Tangaras Reserve. I got us rooms at the better hotels and it was very enjoyable. We got rained out at the reserve but still managed some good species. Alejandro can hear faint calls and identify the bird. Very smart and a pleasure to be with. His visa is set to expire soon and I am not sure what he is going to do. He is an excellent bird guide and I mentioned that he might enjoy Ecuador and maybe I could help him find work and accomodation. We'll see what he decides. A friend from Ecuador (Canada) and her friend came to visit Jardin. A catastrophe. These two came without pin numbers for ATM cards and then left their money and cards behind when they left Jardin. They don't speak Spanish though they have been living in Ecuador for a long time. Just plain stupid and I pushed them away from me. I don't have much time left and I refuse to let others drag me down.
I said my good bye's to my buddies and I am now in Guatape. Another little vacation spot for Colombians. It sucks. Very loud music and drunks. Very inconsiderate people. Pablo's hacienda Napoli is near by but I have no desire to visit. I watched Narcos and that was enough.A few days here and I will go to Rio Claro where ablack oropendula was recently seen. I will look for beautiful woodpecker and white-mantled barbet. I have not given up on white-faced whistling ducks yet. I might re-trace my path and revisit the places I have enjoyed. Mompos, Bucaramanga, Minca. Go after some of the birds I have missed. Alejandro has helped me add more than twenty new species, including black-billed mountain toucan. That wraps up all the toucans for me- I have seen them all. Now I have to make my way back to Cartegena for my January 26th flight home. When I left Ecuador the first time I was very sad to go. When I left the second time it was even harder. I didn't want to leave Peru either. I am ready to return home from Colombia.
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