Looks can really kill...even a flower

It's 6:12am on Friday morning...to be honest I had to recheck my watch to tell what day it was...see we have been on the most amazing hike over the past three days in the mountains of Colombia and at this very moment I am looking at a flower called Burundanga. This particular flower is one of the most poisonous in the world, in fact if you approach it and take deep breaths it will cause you to faint and on occasion induce a coma!!
It's no joke, and is often used by thieves to incapacitate a victim, robbing them of everything up to they're very underwear!
If I look down beyond the flower there is the most precious river that we swam in yesterday afternoon after yesterday's grueling 6-hour hike.. The water here flows like a speeding train and only gets diverted with the 10 ton, 40 foot rocks that line the river bed. Even so the massive boulders are etched with the water's constant collision that has created grooves so deep that they appear to be doorways into these tremendous stones...
If I look left there are bananas littering the ground and huge trees that still have the fruit intact...ya think to yourself..."Does chiquita banana company ever think about making deeper acquisitions of they're banana empire and if they did would they ever try to enter this paradise and steal these pure fruits that have naturally grown here for centuries giving life to animals of all sorts, indigineous passers by that have walked these lands time and time again"
If I look behind me there are jungle trees as high as the sky , literally because the clouds actually swallow them up before you can see the tops of the trees...the cloud forest gives such a magical and mysterious air to everything around...to the point that you cannot help but imagine all of the stories that have occurred in this landscape or the countless regions that appear as virgin as this very one!
You see we are on the 5 day hike and as a result we know that so many other people over the past 25 years have passed so very close to here, each with they're very own tale to tell...I love the fact that I can keep mine secret and that only the trees, water, air, rocks, ground have overheard me talking aloud as I sit here just thinking about life for a while...a tear rolls down my cheek now and my throat feels a lump as big as the frog that was singing earlier, as I imagine how good life is and how lucky I am to be here with all of this....

Sent by Jeffrey via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Resending without pics...we are nearing the end of civilization...hiking starts soon

For the next two hours we'll be driving up the mountain with a few other hikers...the trek for 5 days begins at that point...in about 3 days we'll have arrived at the lost city then we have to chill there and make it back a different way...
If your curious doing a search on the web for "ciudad perdida" and you'll get a better idea of what we're doing.

REMEMBER in about two hours we'll be so remote that there is no cell phone coverage thus no blackberry service and that means no blog updates here until about Sunday!
If anybody wants to get me a satellite phone well send it down!! We'll be in the Amazon jungle next monday!

Here's a picture of dave, pat (australia), barbara (USA), carol (Ireland), Alberto (colombia):

Resending without pics ...since the first did not go through
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Leaving to the lost city in 3 hours

Hi there...I need to let all of you know that Paula and I will be nearly out of communications starting later this morning, we'll be on a 5 day jungle trek into a truly lost and virgin Indigenous culture in the mountains of Colombia.
The trek was originally 6 days but due to some "social" disturbances in that area our trip was delayed. We hope things are back to normal up in the mountains because otherwise it could get kinda crazy.
I'll try to write again before we lose total communication until Sunday when we get back.
Before we forget:
We want to thank a few people that helped make our wedding a success...first and foremost we want to thank Martin Caballero who has been the most helpful person here in Santa Marta Colombia. His son Edson and wife were also critical in the dress, video, general support, etc. Thank you guys all very much.
We do want to thank the hotel Decameron led by Rafael T. and Rocky who made sure all their staff were with us. Thanks Belhani and the other women on her team. Thank you to all the wait staff, chefs, logistics people, support personelle ,etc.
Special thanks to Enrique who helped Paula and I out all day Saturday.
Adella deserves a special thank you for being the wedding coordinator who conducted it all. Although in the end she missed a few details, partly because she waited till the very end to iron out details like the music, priest, torches , etc...we know that in the end she worked very hard and we want to thank her for that.
Overall we were pleased that we were able to get married in such a special place like the Decameron, and that we spent it truly with people who Paula and I care about very much. Milena we have missed you so much here!
Until we talk again...enjoy the wedding video!!!
It is about 9.5 minutes so get some time and watch it!

Sent by Jeffrey via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Si Machu Pichu es dificil, ciudad perdida es tres vces mas dificil.

El viaje hacia la ciudad perdida estaba programada para hoy en la manana pero segun la persona del tour habia un motin de desplazados iban haber unas protestas y no podiamos subir. Verdad? No sabemos el caso es q manana salimos a primera hora.

Todavia me siento un poco cansada por los dias anteriores, no hemos tenido mucho tiempo de descansar y lo de manana se q va a ser duro.

Como viajamos para el Amazonas el dia lunes tenemos q hacer el viaje en 5 dias y no 6 como siempre es, osea mucho mas duro.

Ya les estaremos informados de lo que pasa o lo q paso si no tenemos comunicacion. Por favor envienme mucha suerte porq si Machu Pichu es duro Ciudad perdida es tres veces mas dificil.
Sent by Paula via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

VIDEO - after the wedding...they're all gone

Our first broadcast for the past couple days. We've been trying to entertain the friends and family that came down to our wedding and they all finally left between yesterday and today. It was a great time and we should have video and pics up very soon. This clip is from blogtv.com as we broadcast live on Tuesday Feb 12. The low energy is because we are exhausted....but we'll be back strong in the next couple days!!!
I think our next trip is tomorrow into the lost city of Colombia. It's basically a 6 day hike into the moutainous jungles of northern Colombia. We'll talk more about it soon.

Everybody left....we're free again to jumpstart our adventure down here

So all the family has finally left..that means we're back on track to move from here and start our adventure into South America...sorry for the delays... I never expected there to be so much to do with a wedding and family and friends visiting..
We're off in 15 minutes to do a blog tv...
Sent by Jeffrey via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Buscado zapatos por todo Santa Marta

Despues de todo el tragin del fin de samana, la familia, el matrimonio, el cansancio estamos buscando tennis en Santa Marta.
Estos paises de Suramerica son muy bonito pero no se descuide porq todo se pierde. Jeff no podia ser la exepcion se le llevaron los tenis.

Ahora estamos aqui buscando unos tenis, salimos manana a las 6 de la manana, para 6 dias de camino, 9 horas diarias y no tenemos tennis.

Disculpenos q no hemos tenido tiempo todo ha pasado tan rapido y ahora nos tenemos q desconectar de todo porq es selva profunda.
No hay acceso a nada, no telefono, no internet es mas no hay ni carreteras.

En fin nos comunicamos cuando podamos y una vez mas mil disculpas.
Tan pronto tengamos tiempo y las facilidades estaremos en contacto.

Sent by Paula via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

24 hours later ...this is married life...

We got married on the beach exactly 24 hours ago....Paula and I are tired..sleepy....hungry... But with this type of sunset...LIFE IS GREAT.
Thanks Sean for taking this picture...later
Sent by Paula via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Al fin casados

Ayer fue un dia muy emocionante, un poco de estres, ya entiendo porq todo el mundo se estresa tanto, la razon es que hay muchas cosas pasando, la comida, la decoracion, las flores, la musica etc. Pero definitivamente fue la boda de mis suenos.

Siempre me imaginaba casando frente al mar, con la brisa, el mar y una caida del sol espectacular y asi fue. Rodeada de las persona q mas quiero mi familia y amigos. Pero como la felicidad no es completa me falto uno de las personas q mas quiero mi hermana Milena.

Jeff estaba precioso, esperando por mi, fue un momento muy emocionante, cuando uno va camindo y todo el mundo esta pendiente, me dieron muchas ganas de llorar, estaba muy feliz.

El matrimonio fue muy divertido teniamos varias sorpresas, los bailarines con musica africana, el show de diferentes bailes, los ballenatos con musica tropical. Todo estuvo muy bonito, una combinacion del cielo, el mar, el jazz y nosotros. Definitivamente pude decir q tuve la boda de mis suenos.


Sent by Paula via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

The wedding was perfect

Woke up without a hangover!!!!!
I'll write more in a bit...and upload pics and vids...
We love you Milena....we thought about you all night!!!
Sent by Jeffrey via BlackBerry from T-Mobile