Back with a new challenge

Finally back to let you all know that I have been in Bogota all year 2007 :)
It is good to be back in Bogota now with new good things in life:

- ENTREPRENEURS COLOMBIA www.entrepreneurs-co.com. Time to really face a challenge with our company.

Just a small update about what is happening around here.

Cheers

HIMALAYAS!

Just a small post about one of the most beautiful landscapes I have seen so far.
We first went to Delhi which Ori has already described very well in her blog.

Then we moved on to Himalayas where we visited two towns: Manali and Dharamsala.


Manali:

Manali is a popular Himalayan tourist destination and accounts for nearly a quarter of all tourist arrivals in Himachal Pradesh. It is visited by many trekkers who follow the hashish trail. Manali's charas is considered to be the best in India. It also offers hot springs, spectacular religious shrines and temples, Tibetan Buddhist temples, and trekking in the surrounding mountains.



Dharamsala:

Dharamsala has been connected with Hinduism and Buddhism for a long time, with many monasteries having been established there in the past. In the 8th century, however, these monasteries are believed to have declined, with traditional Hindu building styles experiencing a revival. The local Gaddi people are now almost all Hindu, and for the most part worship many gods and goddess (such as Durga).

In 1848, the area was annexed by the British, and a year later, a military garrison was established in the town. Dharamsala eventually became the administrative capital of Kangra District in 1852. It became a popular hill station for the British working in or near Delhi, offering a cool respite during the hot summer months.

However, the town was virtually destroyed in a massive earthquake in 1905, which killed an estimated 20,000 people. Not only the town was devastated, but the nearby town Kangra was also ruined. Dharamsala falls in seismic zone five, may have earthquake more than VIII MSQ. After this, the British moved their summer headquarters to Shimla (also written Simla) which, though not far away, is off the main fault line and, therefore, less likely to experience a serious earthquake. Dharamsala still experiences frequent minor earthquakes.

When the Dalai Lama left Tibet, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru offered to permit him and his followers to establish a "government-in-exile" in Dharamsala. Since that point, many Tibetan exiles have settled in the town, numbering several thousand. Most of these exiles live in Upper Dharamsala, or McLeod Ganj, where they established monasteries, temples and schools. The town is sometimes known as "Little Lhasa", after the Tibetan capital city, and has become an important tourist destination with many hotels and restaurants.

Since 2002, Dharamsala has hosted a Miss Tibet beauty contest.

If you want to see the complete set of pictures go to this link

Rangoli / Happy Diwali!!!

Diwali is coming next week, one of the most important festivals in India, one of the most attractive traditions during Diwali is Rangoli, it is what Wikipedia says about it...

Rangoli is one of the most popular art forms in India. It is a form of decoration that uses finely ground white powder and colours, and is used commonly outside homes in India. Rangoli can be wall art as well as floor art. The term rangoli is derived from words rang (colour) and aavalli ('coloured creepers' or 'row of colours').

The origin of rangoli painting is traced to a legend recorded in the Chitralakshana, the earliest Indian treatise on painting. When the son of a King's high priest died, Brahma, Lord of the universe, asked the king to paint the likeness of the boy so that Brahma could breathe life into him again. This is how, it is believed, the first painting was made.

Some designs made outsite my office:

HAPPY DIWALI!

GOA!!!

GOA is India's second smallest state in terms of area (since it attained statehood in 1987) after Delhi and the fourth smallest in terms of population after Sikkim, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh. It is located on the west coast of India, in the region known as the Konkan, and is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the east and south. The Arabian Sea bounds it to the west. Panaji(Panjim) is the state's capital, and Vasco-da-Gama (Vasco) its largest city. The second largest and most historic city is Margao with the most western Portuguese culture. Portuguese merchants first landed in Goa in the 15th century, and annexed it soon after. The Portuguese colony existed for about 450 years, until it was liberated in 1961


Internationally renowned for its beaches, Goa is visited by hundreds of thousands of foreign and domestic tourists each year, and has become one of the most popular holiday destinations for European travellers.

Besides beaches, Goa is also known for its world heritage architecture including the Bom Jesus Basilica. Goa also has rich flora and fauna, owing to its location on the Western Ghats range, which are classified as a biodiversity hotspot.

It is better to go to GOA and feel and look like a LOCAL :) I think I got a good approach...

Much better not even look, even wear as a LOCAL :), the approximation is even closer :)

And even much better if you are with the BEST COMPANY :)

Rappelling!!

In the dictionary you can find it as " lower oneself with a double rope coiled aroound the body from a mountainside".
It is another of the sports I am doing now, I still do prefer Trekking, but just for the change last weekend we did Rappelling.

Just starting it is a bit complicated, mostly when you have 30 meters to go, but after some time, it becomes just cool.


At the end, as it is in Trekking, you got it :)

Together in India! :)

Finally after some time we are having a great time together!

In the picture, together in India in Nov. 2003.


Last weekenk trekking together in India.

Hiking!!!

This is one of the sports I really like nowadays, just a brief of it.

Hiking is a form of walking, undertaken with the specific purpose of exploring and enjoying the scenery. It usually takes place on trails in areas of relatively unspoiled wilderness.

Off-trail hiking is often called 'bushwalking', 'bushwhacking', 'bush-bashing' or 'cross country hiking'. Overnight hiking is more specifically called 'backpacking'. The word 'hiking' is understood in all English-speaking countries, but regional terms also exist. In the United Kingdom, the activity is often simply called 'walking'. Australians use the term bushwalking for both on- and off-trail hiking. New Zealanders commonly employ the word tramping, particularly for overnight trips. Hiking in the mountainous regions of Nepal and India is sometimes called 'trekking'. Hiking a long-distance trail from end to end is often referred to as thru-hiking.

Hiking is one of the fundamental outdoor activities on which many others are based. Hiking is the only way to reach many beautiful places overland. Enthusiasts regard hiking as the best way to see nature. It is seen as better than a tour in a vehicle of any kind (or on an animal; see horseback riding) because the hiker's senses are not intruded upon by distractions such as windows, engine noise, airborne dust in large quantities, and fellow passengers. It has an advantage over standing in one place because the hiker may cover a wide area.

On the other hand, hiking over long distances or over difficult terrain does require some degree of physical ability and knowledge, as well as a backpack to carry food, water and essential equipment. Hikers may be caught in inclement weather or suffer mishaps. Some jurisdictions (for example, New Hampshire) now require inadequately prepared hikers to pay for their own rescues.