Último Día en Colombia

"All Aboard!"

30/06

El Tren de la Sabana

This morning we walked to the nearby train station, Usaquen. There we all got our tickets and grouped up. Mrs. Burlison had invited some of her family to go as well, so we were 12 altogether.  

On the train, foods were offered and different musical groups performed in the coaches. One of the bands that played was a typical Colombian band, called Papayera. 

It was nice and added to the enjoyment of the train. It was a scenic ride. The mountains and landscape were nice, but there were also some views not so nice- like seeing the homes of the poor in Colombia. 

The area we passed by reminded me of the Favelas in Brazil. 

When the train reached the last station, Zipaquirá, we disembarked. There, passengers who had bought the ticket previously, like me, could go visit the Salt Mine Cathedral. I boarded a bus with Mrs. B's daughter and two of her nieces, and we set off to the salt mines.

Once there, we only had an hour to explore. Unfortunately we weren't able to see it all because we had to be back at the bus stop by a certain time. Once inside the mine, there were carved out sections with large crosses. 

As we walked along the big underground tunnel, we passed the different sections that each represented a station of the cross. After the last station, the tunnel opened up in to a big room with various levels. There was an even bigger cross against the end wall, and statues of angels. The colored lights added to the beauty of it all.

The Cathedral is known here as the "Primera Maravilla de Colombia."

After making it back to the bus and joining back up with the others, we went to lunch in this restaurant that had live music. The name of the place was "Donde el Pollo Canta," which means "Where the Chicken Sings." In this case, the chicken was a man who sang upstairs, where the tables were situated. 

He sang some classic Colombian tunes, and it was very much like a karaoke. It was a great cultural atmosphere, and the food was really good as well. 

From my time here, I have seen and eaten a lot of avocado. Some pieces were served with the salad at this restaurant. Colombians like their avocados! I do too.

There was more music for the trip back. This time, we heard from a new group. Two guys: one with a drum and the other with a stringed-instrument and pipes. They played some music of the different countries represented by the passengers, Brazil, Mexico, and of course- Colombia.

Before reboarding the train to head back to our original station, I was standing by a statue where a daughter and mom were taking photos. Waiting for my turn, I overheard them speaking and recognized the language as Portuguese! We began conversing (in Portuguese don't you know) and turns out not only are they Brazilian, but they also know the city where I'm living, and the mom is living in Pouso Alegre, a city I myself have visited various times! The daughter also knows about AIESEC and participated in an exchange previously. She now is living and working in Colombia as a Portuguese-Spanish translator. Cool stuff! Man, it's a small world. 

4o Día en Colombia

28/06

In the morning I went to the central Market with Mrs. B's mom. There, she bought a variety of vegetables and fruits to carry to Linda's house (her daughter- Mrs. B's sister). Linda had invited us over to watch Colombia's match versus Uruguay later in the afternoon. 

In the market I saw a few foods I had never seen before. 

There was a vast variety of things.

Back at the house, I watched the first half of the Brazil versus Chile match, and what a way to start the knock-out phase... with a penalty shoot out! After Brazil squeaked by, I'm not so sure about their chances of making it to the final. Chile nearly had that one. But I know my Brazilian friends were happy and relieved.

We ate lunch at Linda's and watched the Colombia vs Uruguay match. 

Colombia played well! James Rodriguez had 2 goals. The first one was a beaut! A volley off of his chest that grazed the keeper's finger tips before deflecting down off of the crossbar behind the goal line. The second goal was also great, an excellent example of teamwork with nice passing. I wore my Colombian jersey and rooted for Colombia today.

3o Día en Colombia

27/06

In the morning we went to play tennis. The court we played at is located in the neighborhood where Mrs. Burlison's sister lives, up in the mountains. 

On the way there, the road runs along the cliff side and had some nice views of the city.

Before heading down to the court we stopped by the house, and O-M-G. Did I say house... I meant more like a mansion. Not that it was as huge as one, but the design, interior, and location was very over-the-top. I felt like I had walked in to an episode of MTV Cribs. 

So Mrs. B's sister married a Spaniard who is the owner/boss of a Home Depot-like company. They are definitely living the life of luxury and I am privileged to experience a little of it. 

After Mrs. B gave me a tour of the house: all the bedrooms, bathrooms, maid's rooms, kitchens, patios, jacuzzi, grill, etc, we had brunch. 

(Arrepa de yuca, huevos con jamón, cebolla y tomate, y chocolate caliente)

After the tennis and the visit, we headed back to mom's apt. On the way, my stomach got upset- either bc of all the curves in the road, the hot chocolate I had just drunken, or a combination. So when we arrived at the house, I had to lay down for a while.

Next destination was Monserrate. We took a cable car up to the top of the mountain. On top was a church, souvenir shops, food stands, restaurants, and the stations of the cross. It was all very scenic and you could see a lot of the city below. Bogotá is huge!

Afterwards, we descended and headed to the centro histórico. We passed by a house where Simon Bolivar used to live. Once in the historic district, we walked around. 

We entered in to the Plaza of S. Bolivar where we saw the cathedral and the palacio de justicia. Further back behind the justice building, I caught a glimpse of where Colombia's president lives (kind of like the Colombian White House). As we proceeded, the next block up contained the house of a girlfriend of Simon Bolivar.

 

Also there was a copy of Colombia's Declaration of Human Rights posted on the walls.

Before returning to the car, we passed by a library, the Casa de Moneda, and an art museum (Museo Bortero). Unfortunately we arrived too late to be able to enter any of the buildings, as they were already closed.

2o Día en Colombia

26/06

The second day in Bogotá started with a visit to the elementary school of Mrs. Burlison's niece, Sara. Every year the school has an event that commemorates the graduation and advancement of the students from one grade to the next.

The elementary school, colegio, is private and the students have the option of studying French or German. The language teachers are native speakers from Europe, which is better for the students. There were a few teachers retiring and others moving to other places. The director for example, is transferring to another like sister school located in Barcelona, Spain. 

The event included a show from the students. We went off to the gym to watch Sara and her classmates perform. The show had a circus theme, so there were balancing acts, acrobatics, and the like.

Following the performance, we gave our congratulations again to the proud mom and dad of Sara, and headed home. On the way, we stopped on a street corner where a man was selling some Colombian national soccer team jerseys. I got one! I was then prepared for the game Saturday against Uruguay.

But before that game, there was a crucial match to watch: the USA vs Germany. It was tense as Germany went up 1-0 on the second half, and Ghana and Portugal were playing simultaneously. Thankfully we still qualified for the round of 16 although we lost to Germany. I like our chances as we look to play Belgium next and one of our key players Altidore may be back from his hamstring injury. 

After watching from the edge of my seat, I had a delicious lunch with the family. Sara and her mom, Linda, came over to join us and visit along with one of Mrs. B's nephew, Geronimo. They are 8 and 3 years old respectively, and a fun bunch. 

We went to a mall that afternoon and the kids played in the arcade. I walked around and explored some. 

On the first floor there was a multi-screen display of the World Cup match between Belgium and South Korea. 

When I returned to the arcade though, I noticed that they had a DDR Extreme Arcade game there, and I had to play! I used to have the very same game at home for the Playstation 2, and it was fun dancing along to the familiar songs. Mrs. B recorded a bit. (Hopefully I can get a copy of it soon). 

Before leaving, the kiddos wanted some icecream from McDonald's. Nom-nom-nom.

How many McDonald's do you know that deliver?!

Primer Día en Colombia

Bogotá 

25/06

After a 6 hour flight from São Paulo, I arrived in Bogotá, Colombia! My high school Spanish teacher (Mrs. Burlison) invited me to visit her and her family while she herself was visiting during her summer break. Thankfully, my boss back in Brazil allowed me to take a two-week vacation to travel and visit more countries in South America. I plan to visit two more countries before returning to Brazil to finish my internship :D

The first day in Bogotá, I met some of Mrs. Burlison's family. Her mom has a very nice apartment with ample space. They converted one of the rooms in to a guest room for me. It has a tv and a big, comfortable air mattress inside- bigger than my bed in Brazil! Ha.

I enjoyed a delicious lunch after arriving at the house. 

Later, we went by a money-exchange place and a bank so that I could convert and withdraw my money for Colombian pesos. I quickly noticed how thick and congested the traffic gets here. There are buses, taxis, motos, and bikes in the streets simultaneously. Another thing that struck me, was the amount of pollution all these cars, and especially trucks, emit in to the air. I do not like how the big puffs of black smoke billow out from the buses and trucks. If I can get on a tangent- we've got to address this problem in order to help preserve the environment and begin to lessen the affects of global warning. Unfortunately throughout Latin America, the situation is the same in the big ciities.