A Parting of Forces

This morning the lodge owners found me hiding in a dark closet eating barbeque sauce covered ants and beef jerky and politely told me its best that I leave. So I now find myself back in Quito with every intention of waking up early and taking a bus to the Colombian border. All this noise up north with FARC and the Ecuador/Colombia/Venezualan governments has taken my interest and prompted me to head out on an independent fact finding mission. Armed with a machete (a parting gift from the lodge owners) and a pocketful of bribe money I am fully prepared to resolve this latin-american crisis single-handedly. My only concern is that I will be doing it without my comrade in arms, Petro.
Today was a sad parting of ways for myself and Petro as he gets to stay at the lodge another couple weeks until his May 20th out of Bogota back to the states for our buddy, Chris Clarkson`s, wedding. As for myself, I am going to spend 6 days in Colombia before my flight back in time for Mike Tiehen´s beer drinking competition and possible wedding. As of yesterday, I have a flight booked back to Bogota on May 27th for reasons we will talk about later....
It was a trip for the books for Petro and I and if you are unlucky enough to find yourself in our company in the next few weeks you can hear all about it. Or for a more coherent and sober summarization of this journey read the last 52 posts. Hopefully this is just the end of the first leg of a greater expedition for both of us.
The whole lodge experience was for me one of the best things done in S.A. as we made lifelong friends with the ever-interesting and generous owners Tom and Mariela, which has led to our informal adoption as there only children. It has also led to the reason for my return back to South America at the end of May.

If you don´t hear from me within 2 days please send the ransom money to:

FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia)
c/o Hugo Chavez
Caracas, Venezuala

Northern-bound once again,
Q