Bogota, Te Quiero

El 5 de agosto

I enjoyed a nice walk this morning with Gloria after my 2 breakfasts.  Colombians like to cook, and so I didn’t have the heart to tell Cecilia or Gloria that I was eating in two places.  Fortunately, both breakfasts were delicious, so I didn’t mind at all.  During our walk, Gloria informed me that many streets in Bogota are closed to cars on Sundays from 6:00 am to 2:00 pm.  This is a way to cut down on pollution while also promoting exercising.  

Gloria and I walked to her friend’s house where I met her friend’s daughter, Dani, and her two friends, Sandy y Edna. 

The four of us took a trip to a barrio in Bogota called Usaquen.  On Sundays and holidays, there is a market called La Feria de Pulgas (Flea Market).  

Because the streets were so crowded, we decided to take a taxi to Alimentarte, which is a smaller and cheaper version of Taste of Chicago.   

We enjoyed crepes de jamon y queso, helado y malteado de ariquipe, y un tinto tambien.

El 6 de agosto

I woke up this morning to cafe tinto, jugo de naranja, y huevos (eggs).  After a nice chat with Cecilia about how she is going to pray for me to bring me back to the Catholic church, I went on a day-long excursion with Nydia.  Today was my first day on a Bogota bus . . .

I wish I knew the bus drivers didn't close the door or wait for you to get your entire body in the bus before moving.  Fortunately, I learned my lesson: MOVE FAST!

The bus ride itself took about an hour.  It was actually pretty nice to see a large portion of the city while the driver blasted salsa music :D

Nydia took me to a barrio in Bogota que se llama "Candelaria," which reminded me a lot of "La Boca," a barrio in Buenos Aires, because of the bright colored buildings.  

It also had very strong Spanish influence in some of the older buildings, especially in the plaza.

Nydia also took me to the president's home.  Ironically the president himself was entering the grounds right as we were walking by.  Of course I wouldn't have know this, but his car was followed by several police motorcycles and an ambulance.  Nydia says the president always has an ambulance on hand, just in case.

Nydia also took me to "El Museo de Arte del Banco de la Republica" . . .

and her son Ricardo's blacksmith shop.  Ricardo is incredibly talented.  Several buildings in Bogota have his iron artwork in their walls.  

After touring his shop and listening to him sing and play the guitar, the four of us (Ricardo's daughter, Fabiana came along too!) took a trip to Monserrate.  For anyone who has been to Barcelona, this reminded me very much of the Catalonian Montserrat, although it was much smaller.  Nevertheless, we saw a great view of the city at almost 10,000 feet above sea level.  

 

After a much needed nap, I went out again with Dani to a fun area full of great restaurants and clubs.  I am definitely going to miss the culture and friendly faces of Bogota.

Adios!

~Quique

Mi Dia con Gloria

4 de agosto

The scariest moment of my life was getting kicked by a horse in the water.  Well, that was true, until I rode in a car with Gloria.  Gloria is a friend of Carlos, the husband of Jeanette.  She have been so accommodating and enthusiastic, but WOW is she a crazy driver.  According to Jeanette, all Colombian drivers are like this, and so now I understand why she gave me motion sickness medicine.  Loca!  

This morning, one of the workers on the farm drove me down the mountain where Gloria was waiting.  Along the way, the following slowed us down a bit:

Once we arrived at the main road, Gloria greeted me with an enthusiastic hug and beso.  I’ve talked to Gloria on facebook many times before coming to Colombia, and so I already felt like I knew her well.  My first stop with Gloria was to a cafe for some empanadas y un cafe:

This machine is called "La Greca," and it makes very strong black coffee, which they call "un cafe tinto," or simply "un tinto."

. . .

Our first visit of the day was to La Laguna de Guatavita. Originally, the city of Guatavita was in a valley, but in 1967, the people flooded it and rebuilt the city next to their new lake (Laguna de Guatavita).  When the water level is low enough, you can still see the top of the original city’s church steeple.  

Our next stop was the Laguna de Dorado.  In this lake, which is about 10,000 feet above sea level, the chief would cover his body in gold dust and submerge himself in the lake while the indigenous people threw gold objects in the water as an offering to the gods.

Before la cena, Gloria took me to El Catedral del Sal, which is an underground cathedral built in a large salt mine.  Each station is equipped with a massive cross carved in or outside of the stone and salt wall, and each station is lit by bright colored lights.  As we walked through the stations, you could even see the salt mixed with stone on the walls.  It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before.  After the final station of the cross is what appears to be a stationary waterfall of salt.  At the conclusion of the tour, we came across the cathedral decorated by the biggest cross in the salt mine.  This cathedral, like all others, holds mass every Sunday.

Gloria and I finished the day with a fantastic meal at El Andres Carne de Res in Chia, Colombia.  This restaurant was fantastic.  Words cannot describe it, but the conclusion of the following video will give you an idea of what one can expect.

Adios!

~Quique  

Un Caballo Malo!

El 2 de agosto

I rode a horse, then the horse rode me. 

El 3 de agosto

I woke up this morning at about 8:45 with a slightly blue lip, a bruised upper thigh and a swollen right hand.  I iced my hand last night, but everything swelled a bit more overnight.  I don’t think I will ever forget falling off a horse into the water and watching that same horse frantically turn around and basically beat the crap out of me.  I’ve never in my life thought I was going to die until I saw that horse come down on top of me.  As worse as it might sound to have been in the water instead of on dry land, I actually think this was a blessing.  The water slowed the horse down, and when he made contact with me twice, once with his hoof and once with his face, the water softened the blows.  My body hitting the ground would have been much worse.  

To make things even worse, after the underwater battle, I was forced to get back on the same horse and ride him back to the farm.  Have you ever heard that animals sense fear in a person?  Well, it’s true.  Equs (the horse) was much more agitated and nervous.  I really don’t think he was shaken up from trying to get out of the water; however, he sensed my nervous energy.  He started neighing and rearing.  But oh, it gets better.  As if riding an agitated horse that just showed you who’s boss isn’t bad enough, Equs caught wind of a beautiful mare whose mane was blowing in the wind.  Have you ever seen a horse in heat?  If Ricardo (our tour guide) hadn’t been there to break them up, I would have been a part of a horse mating ritual.  (Seriously, I’m not making this stuff up.)

When we returned to the farm after the adventure, Nydia (the sister of Cecilia who was with us at the farm) told me she was a “bruja” (this translates to “witch” in English; however in this family, “bruja” is someone who practices natural medicine).  To calm me, she rubbed scented oil on my forehead and behind my ears.  She then treated my hand with ointment followed by ice.  

BUENO . . . today is a new day :)  I’m moving a bit slower than yesterday, but I am alive with no broken bones to tell the story of losing a fight with a horse.  HA.  And I was worried about getting kidnapped by a drug-lord.

Here's a video of the past two days:

And I dedicate this one to Equs:

Adios!

~Quique

Buenos Dias, Colombia!

Buenos dias, todos!

Here are some pictures of the view this morning:

And here was our breakfast this morning.  Huevos con tocino, Mango, Jugo de Naranja, y Chocolate Caliente.  

. . .

Last night, I got to meet a few of Cecilia's grandchildren, who are both child actors in Bogota.  Here is a yogurt commercial that Gregorio was in.  (He's the blonde chico. Maybe he could hook me up with his agent. Haha.)

That's some raw talent :).  

Well, we are off to la finca (the farm) now for a few days.  There is not internet there, so I will post the next blog as soon as I get back to Cecelia's place!

ADIOS!

~Quique

Bienvenidos a Colombia!

Well, I made it to Bogota!  Here is my trip thus far:

Upon my arrival, Jeanette and Nic picked me up at the airport.  (I just realized I haven't said anything about the Cabreras in this blog yet!)  Last year, Jeanette worked as a paraprofessional at OHS.  After getting to know her a bit, I found out she is married to a native Colombian and that their family owns a farm just outside of Bogota.  It took all of one 10-minute conversation to convince me I needed to make Colombia my next destination.  That week, I bought my ticket and started planning this trip.  


And now, I am sitting in the living room of Cecilia (Jeanette's mother-in-law) with Jeanette and her son Nic.  For my time in Bogota, I will be going back and forth from Cecilia's house to Santa Ana (the family farm) with Jeanette and Nic.  


Here is the current view from Cecilia's casa:  

I can't wait to see the city in the daylight!  

Cecilia made a wonderful dinner (cena) of bistec and platano con bocadillo, which is a mashed plantain with egg and flour formed around a sweet marmalade.  Que rico :)


After la cena, I decided to put my water purifier to the test:

As was Jeanette's recommendation, I made sure to buy this before my travels because of the poor quality of water in Colombia.  Here's what I found:

Tap water before the purifier.  I'm not sure if you can tell, but it's pretty cloudy and yellow!

Same tap water after the purifier.  MUCH BETTER. 

Well, I think it's about time I get some rest before we make our way to the farm in the morning. 

ADIOS!

~Quique

El Dinero de Otras Personas

"I love spending other people's money."

I would like to thank the following friends and family:

Stephanie Ho

Joseph Dougherty

Andi Dalzell

Pam Feltes

Kim Whitson

Melissa Hedlund

Grace Calkins

Cindy Wrenn

Joy Sobczak

Allison Sperling

Without you, the following donations would not have been possible:

12 Window Clings

10 Coloring Books

15 Dozen Pencils

6 Boxes of Crayons

4 Boxes of Play-dough

40 Wrist Bands

3 Jump-Ropes, 2 Footballs, 2 Softballs

4 Decks of Cards

20 Stencil Sheets

5 Packs of Paper

9 Puzzles, 4 Slinkies, 2 Sticker Books, 1 Paddle Ball

6 Leis, 12 Necklaces, 90 Hair Ties

354 Erasers

6 Kazoos

12 Pencil Sharpeners

4 Trucks

155 Glow Bracelets

 30 Rulers

60 Folders

56 Creepy Crawlies

14 Cross Necklaces (Thank you, Amanda Srail!)

I can’t wait to see your generosity in action.  Continue to follow the blog, as I will post pictures of the trip including photos of the children using these items.

Gracias por tu generosidad.

-Eric “Enrique” Feltes