I am alive and well! Time to catch up on my blog.
The first week of my year-long worlwide and self exploration began in Colombia. Things started off great when my 3.5 hour Avianca flight from Miami to Bogota offered a half glass of wine with a warm meal! I arrived late at night, so I cabbed it from the airport to The La Pinta Hostel and retired to bed. I slept in and enjoyed the free breakfast, then ventured out for a while in La Zona G, but even Ironman’s breathing labored a bit in the thin air at 2,200 meters, so I allowed myself to acclimate more and searched the internet to lay out a plan of action for my week in Colombia.
RUNNING THROUGH THE CAPITAL OF COLOMBIA
I woke up early the next morning, laced up my running shoes and ran out the door for a 4 hour running tour of Bogota. I climbed La Quebrada Vieja on which I stopped to rest and pray at the cross and icon dedicated to The Virgin Mary with a panoramic view of the city below.
I ran back down to Bogota’s Central Park Simon Bolivar, a.k.a. ‘Parque de los Novios’. During my quick pass through the park, it seemed to offer something for everyone; soccer fields, rock climbing wall, courts for tennis, squash and basketball, Velodrom, BMX circuit, skate park, track, pool, lake, botanical garden, library and children’s museum. I could spend all day there!
Thanks everyone for the warm send off these past few weeks and helping me get things ready for this trip of a lifetime. It would be much harder to embark on this trip without your thoughts and support and I hope I can bring y’all along for the trip through this blog. Mom and dad took me to the airport this morning to say our goodbyes and make sure I cleared security. The first leg of the journey was delayed 2 hours out of Houston but I eventually made it to Miami where I soaked up the World Cup atmosphere at the airport. You’d never know the Heat were in the NBA Finals! Without further adieu I owe y’all my itinerary of what countries I will be in when. Colombia: Monday June 9 – Tuesday June 17
Brazil: Tuesday June 17 – Tuesday July 15
Argentina: Tuesday July 15 – Monday 18 August
Peru: Monday 18 August – Wednesday 3 September
Ecuador: Wednesday 3 September – Wednesday 10 September
Panama: Wednesday 10 September – Saturday 13 September
Mexico: Saturday 13 September – Wednesday 17 September
Home: Wednesday 17 September – Monday 22 September
Nigeria: Tuesday 23 September – Friday 3 October
South Africa: Friday 3 October – Saturday 1 November
Kenya: Saturday 1 November – Wednesday 26 November
Ethiopia: Wednesday 26 November – Monday 29 December
United Arab Emeries: Monday 29 December – Friday 9 January
Turkey: Friday 9 January – Monday 12 January
Home: Monday 12 January – Monday 9 February
Turkey: Tuesday 10 February – Monday 16 February
India: Monday 16 February – Sunday 12 April
South Korea: Sunday 12 April – Sunday 19 April
Canada: Sunday 19 April – Thursday April 30
Home: Friday May 1
If I were to relive one day of my life over and over again it would be Saturday, the 17th of May 2014. Now after a few days to recover I can finally stay awake long enough to put my memories of this day into words. But first, here’s a picture taken by my mom at the hotel that is worth 1,000 words. 
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The Village People run the Bayou City Classic
Steve Maliszewski navigated our centipede line through the streets under construction in downtown Houston. It was a fitting role for a construction worker running in jorts, a reflective vest and a construction hat. Our Indian was next in line, for which Cody Blazek put together a feathered headband, body paint markings and accented shorts to bear the likes of a bearded chieftain. Heidi Zimmerman borrowed Luis Armenteros’ (thanks!) Reno 9-1-1 outfit to run as our police officer and keep us in line. Jesus Sifuentes got lost going to the rodeo and ran as our cowboy in a hat and buttoned down shirt. Joseph Schwieterman switched out his cycling commuting outfit for a biker jacket, gloves and bandana. Rodrigo Gomez kept the end of our line afloat, running as our sailor in a white naval cap and coat.
We pooled this talented cast of runners from different clubs to make up The Village People Centipede Team at the 2014 Bayou City Classic 10k, yet still faced tough competition from a strong contingent of teams fielded by BARC. But by sacrificing some extra sweat and chaffing, we had fun running a quick pace while chanting Y-M-C-A along the 10k course, and maintained a commanding lead. We were beyond
Steven from the Duck Dynasty Centipede gives a resounding thumbs down upon hearing of The Village People breaking the course record
belief when Roger announced the final results as The Village People having set a new course record for centipedes Grant it, race organizers did a great job to make an emergency change in the route of the certified course because of a construction crane blocking the access through one of the beginning streets, but we graciously accept the honor! Cody and Heidi even managed to beat out individual racers to place in their respective age groups!
It does take a village to put on such a great race, so thanks to everyone who participated, volunteered and supported the event to make it a success in its 37th year benefiting trees in Houston. The Village People are grateful for it to have been our first experience running in costume and we enjoyed every stride. We’d like to extend congratulations to all the well deserved winners of the various centipede categories, age groups and finishers. Good luck in achieving your future goals and as a final note;
‘Let’s hear it for the Y-M-C-A!’
The Schwiet Life 