Just five short years ago, I came out of the doctor’s office
with a cancer diagnosis. Life has been all about living life since then. (I
appreciate each and every day, that’s for sure.)
I had the amazing opportunity to visit my friend and her
family in Colombia for 10 days in the beginning of February. I am still overwhelmed
with all the beautiful people, lasting impressions, amazing sights, melodic
sounds and tasty food of the beautiful country of Colombia. The pictures, the videos
I have on my go-pro or my words here will not be able to fully express the
effect this country has had on me. I will try, but please understand that I
can’t convey everything I feel in words. (I will gladly talk more about it if
you ask me a question.)
Colorful. Vibrant. Happy. Resourceful. Hot. Mountainous. High
Altitudes. Coastal. Island life. Latinas dancing. Smiles. Food. Laughter.
Friends. Contrasts. Beauty everywhere. Passion for Life. Passion for Living.
The Places.
The People.
The Language.
The Food.
The History.
The Friends.
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| Bogotá, morning view |
THE PLACES
Colombia: Bogotá. Villa de Leyva. Raquira. Cartagena. Islands
of Rosario.
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| Colorful. Happy. Bogotá |
Bogotá, Capital City – We visited the Gold Museum, the Botero
Museum, a hidden Emerald store and Monserrate at 3,152 meters above sea level
with funicular railway.
El Museo del Oro or the Gold Musuem “displays a selection of pre-Columbian gold and
contains the largest collection of gold artifacts in the world in its
exhibition rooms. These items, made by the indigenous cultures testify to the life and thought of the different societies,
which lived in present-day Colombia before the Spanish
conquest of the Americas.” (Wikipedia) Each of the display cabinets had amazing gold
pieces. I was amazed by the detail of each piece, the beauty of it and the
history of people from long, long ago. The El Dorado myth is part of the reason
why the Spanish came over to South America. Just think how much history
occurred here and how it affected the rest of the world.
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| This is not bigger than my hand. Nice details. |
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| Gold that tells a story. |
The Botero Musuem visit was just me and the driver, Vinny D.
We had a great time looking at this Colombian artist and his portrayal of
humans. “Fernando Botero is
a Colombian figurative artist and sculptor. Born in Medellín, his signature
style, also known as "Boterismo", depicts people and figures in
large, exaggerated volume, which can represent political criticism or humor,
depending on the piece.” (Wiki) It is always amazing to see how an artist views
life through his paintings and sculptures. I loved this museum and the different themes in his paintings.
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| Adam and Eve, sculpture |
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| I love his version of the Mona Lisa. |
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| Mother and Child. |
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| After the earthquake. |
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| Is it waving hello or giving me the finger? Art. |
During our
first full day in Bogotá, we walked around La Candelaria, which is Bogota’s
vibrant heart. We walked through the Bolivar Plaza and along the streets to a
shop selling emeralds and handicrafts. It was an interesting experience because
we walked into the store and it was tiny and just had what I would call nick
nacks or touristy stuff. Then Z said to the shopkeeper that we were interested
in the Emeralds. That’s when things got a little James Bondish. A secret door
opened and we were led into a little corridor room, with the doors locked on
both sides and our “tour” started. This little room showed a large diorama of
how and where mining for emeralds happens in Colombia. Then we were led further
back into the most fantastic showroom with so much emerald jewelry, it became
evident why it was like Fort Knox to get in and out of. It was hard to choose
something, but in the end I bought some simple emerald earrings, a meaningful
piece of Colombia to take home.
I had prepared
for the high altitude of Bogotá, already before I left London with a
prescription for altitude sickness pills that I started two days before my
flight. The pills don’t take the feeling completely away, they just lessen it. They
were a lifesaver for me. I still felt it, but not as bad as when I was in Taos.
We arrived at the base entrance to Monserrate and I was relieved that the only
way up was via the funicular railway and not the cable car. Monserrate, at
3,152m is 512 meters higher than Bogotá at 2,640m. The funicular railway opened
in 1929 and it climbs straight up the side of the mountain. Then it’s a bit
more walking to get to the top for the awesome view and the monastery/church
perched high amongst the clouds. It was late afternoon when we arrived and we
were really just below the clouds that hugged the mountain. Bogotá looked
amazing and magical with the sun shining through the clouds. Then we had an
amazing lunch at one of the restaurants at the top before we took the railway
down the side of the mountain again.
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| Can't get much steeper than this. |
The next morning we headed north towards Villa de Leyva - On
our way to Villa de Leyva, we stopped at El Sisga Dam for a coffee and a cake
and then it was to Puente de Boyaca. This is where the battle for Colombia’s
independence from Spain was won on August 7, 1819.
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| It is possible to ride a mountain bike all the way around the reservoir. Next time!!! |
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| The battle for Colombian independence from Spain happened here. |
When we finally made it to Villa de Leyva, Z knew of a cool
place to eat. It’s called Restaurant Casa San Pedro. We sat in the restaurant
of up-cycled décor that had a roof over our heads but no real walls and was
really outdoors. The food was excellent. My pasta was finished off by being
twirled in a giant cheese round of parmesan. The atmosphere here was magical
and unique. After a leisurely lunch, (please note: all lunches and dinners in
Colombia are leisurely), we checked into the hotel. The hotel porter showed us
our room and told us the do’s and don’ts of staying there (in Spanish). The
funniest was when we are all standing in the huge bathroom and he points to the
washcloths and says that we are not allowed to steal them. I thought it was
funny because I wouldn’t steal them but obviously it’s a problem because he
felt the need to say it. (If you are not chuckling now, then I guess you had to
be there, sorry.)
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| Lunch. |
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| Yummy! |
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| Great atmosphere here. |
We walked on the beautiful small streets of the town to the
La Plaza Mayor and into the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary and sat in the
back of the church during a wedding. Vibrant. Loud Music played by a DJ. Love
on display. La Plaza Mayor is the
largest plaza in South America and is still made of cobblestones today. We had dinner in a courtyard that had a
stage and was surrounded by 4 restaurants and you could order from any of them.
We enjoyed the Gold Colombia beer, the food, the music, the laughs, and the
friendship.
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| La Plaza Mayor |
Raquira - The next morning, we drove back to Bogotá via
Raquira, a very colorful town that sold typical Colombian artisan
products. We found many things to
like and buy, including (multiple) colorful hammocks and La Chamba black clay
pots. Haggling for each purchase to save a few pesos was expected and luckily Z
is more fluent than me in Spanish.
Vinny D. - always smiling.
The traffic back to Bogotá on a Sunday afternoon is a slow
drive that meant we arrived closer to dinner time.
Cartagena here we come. Our flight from Bogota to Cartagena
was early Monday morning. We flew over the Andes mountains which run along the
eastern side of South America. Bogota is located on a plateau between the
mountains at an altitude of 2,644 meters above sea level. It means a bit of a
steep take-off and of course turbulence as we cross over the Andes and head
towards the coast.
Once you get off the plane in Cartagena you notice
immediately that there is a different vibe in Cartagena. Color is everywhere.
Color is everywhere. Color is everywhere. The bright colors of the houses, the vibrant
colors of the clothes, the smiles on everyone’s faces and the hot weather
helped by a gentle breeze. The old town of Cartagena is a walled city. Within
the walls is all the colonial history you could ask for. One night we took a carriage
ride with a history lesson included and got some “insider information” about
Shakira’s house in Cartagena. (sorry, we can’t tell you where it is……) Our
apartment during our stay here was right in the middle of the town, in a house
that was probably more than a couple hundred years old.
One day we took a private boat charter to the Islands of Rosario
that are about an hour from Cartagena. We were in the Caribbean Sea and it was
a beautiful ride there. The sun was shining, the light breeze kept us cool.
Colombia showed us another side to life, again. We motored past a few amazing
islands and houses on the way there. One of the houses once belonged to Pablo
Escobar, it is now owned by the state and in a state of disrepair. Lunch was
amazing at one of the Islands. Then the wind picked up and the captain came to
us and said we need to leave as soon as possible. That’s when we saw that the
waves were huge. We hopped onto the boat, put our life jackets on and held on
for the next hour. An amazing captain knew what to do and made it safe,
although bumpy and a bit wet for those of us that sat in the back of the boat.
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| Pablo's old house |
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| View from the beach. |
The Passion of the PEOPLE
and of the LANGUAGE
“Colombia is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse countries in the world, with its rich cultural heritage reflecting influences by indigenous peoples, European settlement, forced African
migration, immigration from Europe and the Middle East. Urban centres are
mostly located in the highlands of the Andes mountains and the Caribbean coast.” (Wiki)
My impressions of the Colombian people are happy, helpful,
resourceful and beautiful passionate souls. I really studied my Spanish in the
months before the trip because knowing the language helps to understand the
people. OK, so I have a good vocabulary in Spanish but my speaking skills were
a bit rusty and this showed when I attempted to ask for something like small
plates and instead asked for some secret compartments to my bra. The look on
the waiter’s face said it all. I can’t understand everything when two other
people are conversing but I did notice that there is never a one-word answer
for anything in a conversation. Conversations always start and end with
pleasantries, with a lot of details and emotion in the middle. You can see and
feel the passion in the discussions even if you don’t understand the language.
I was quite fascinated with this. It is the passion for life and the human
connection that is so evident here between each person in the conversation. It
could be any conversation. I was always spoken to in a polite manner: Si,
signora………..
A short conversation was never had. One-word answers are not
allowed. The details in the language make it more colorful. The waiters, taxi driver in Cartagena, the shopkeepers, the
hotel personnel and all the people that we met were always glad and happy to
converse about anything and everything in Spanish. I really wanted to stay
longer and just speak Spanish so I could be a part of this passion.
Our driver Vinny D, is a compassionate person who always has
a nice word (multiple words and conversations) for everyone he meets. He smiles
and his whole face lights up. He is an excellent driver and if he comes to
London, I will let him teach my hubby a lesson or two about driving. (true.) As a driver, especially in Bogotá,
which has a lot of cars and not enough road, patience is a virtue, courtesy is
a must. There are cars, yellow taxis, motorbikes that weave (quite safely
compared to London motorbike drivers), buses and bicycles all vying for a place
on the road. Surprisingly, it all works there and hardly anyone beeps their horn.
Vinny was also smiling each morning when we came down to get into the car; he
smiled every time we got in and out of the car. Smiling does make a difference.
I should do it more often.
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| "Look at the sky"says Vinny D. |
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| Always smiling. |
The Colombians are resourceful and hard working and I
noticed this in many ways. The traffic was pretty bad whenever we needed to
drive downtown. It meant that slow-moving vehicles also created a perfect
environment for resourcefulness. There were individuals along the roadway (and
sometimes on it) that sold all sorts of different things as they walked between
the cars. They sold water, drinks, ice cream, fruit, sandwiches and windshield
washings from what I could see. It was different things at different times of
the day and in different parts of town. A lot of hard work but they were
providing a service. When it was
really slow moving on smaller streets there were even people with one arm or
one leg missing that were asking for money. I asked Z, how come so many people
are missing a limb and it was most likely because they had worked in a factory
and worker’s safety was not at its best. This also meant when they lost a limb
they also lost their job.
A very well used app called Rappi solved every problem for everyday living. Through the app you can order anything and have it delivered anywhere. Food, a t-shirt from your favorite store, money from the ATM, eggs or diapers if you need them in the middle of the night, you name it- Rappi will bring it to you. It was a lifesaver a few times. They rode around on their motorbikes. They were everywhere.That's resourceful and convenient.
I was impressed with their hard working ethics. The street
vendors in Cartagena were in place from 10 am until 9 pm every day to sell
their handicrafts. There were even groups of guys who would sing and rap for
the tourists as they were walking down the streets or were on a carriage ride-
they were good and were earning money doing something that they loved.
Not all of these street sellers had taken any marketing
classes though. One night, we sat in a plaza in Cartagena eating dinner. During
the meal, numerous vendors came past us and tried to sell us something or tried
to serenade us. When I am eating, I am not really in the shopping mode. I am
more into the eating mode. So, there was singing and small handcrafted articles
being sold. Then this pair of guys comes past, carrying a rather large hammock
and tried to sell it to us. C’mon- how many times have you been eating dinner
and thought, Gosh, I wish I could buy a hammock right now? I so wanted to ask
these guys how many hammocks they sell each night but Z wouldn’t let me. My
guess is they don’t sell that many and would have been better off staying at
home during dinner or selling something else. But, I did admire their
resourcefulness and determination.
The PASSIONATE FOOD:
Juan Valdez Coffee. Limonada de coco. Alfajores. Coconut rice.
Chorizo with lime. Coconut pie at Vitrola. Ceviche.
I grew up in a time when the commercials for Juan Valdez
coffee and the man always talking as he stood next to a donkey in the Andes was
on TV. It was cool to be in a Juan Valdez coffee shop and recognize the logo. I
also tried the alfajores, which are two small shortbreads with caramel between
them with coconut around the edges. I must have eaten about a thousand of them
when I was 16 years old and I spent the summer in Peru. So, it was so cool to
try them at any place that had them in Columbia. They taste best when they are
fresh.
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| A coffee and an alfajor |
Every restaurant we ate at prepared the food fresh and that
took longer for them to serve it, but it was always served with passion. It was
passionate presentation on the plates, passionate taste combinations that looked
weird but tasted awesome. It was
eating dinner at 9 pm at night and enjoying every minute of it with friends.
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| Even the detox juices were presented with passion and color. |
Arroz con coco (coconut rice) was brown in color, just right
in texture and the taste of coconut and rice was sweet and smelled delicious. It
was a horizontally sliced dark-red chorizo that was served with half of a fresh
lime. The lime juice was then squeezed over the chorizo and made the taste exquisite.
This is how I will eat all of my future chorizos until the end of eternity. Ceviche,
Colombian style equals yum yum yum yum yum. Didn’t think I would like it, but I
surprised myself and really enjoyed it!!!!!
Limonada de coco is a refreshing mix of lime juice and cream of coconut with crushed ice. It can be served with or without alcohol. Whoever thought of this combination deserves a big thank you!!!!! Yummy!
There are a lot of dishes with coconut. The most delectable was
the piece of coconut pie served after our amazing dinner at the Vitrola in
Cartagena. We only ordered one piece and the three of us shared it. OMG. OMG.
OMG. It was light, airy, coconutty, served warm and just the right texture. It
was served with a scoop of ice cream. Perfect! It was so perfect that two days after, we went back to the
Vitrola at lunch time and each of us ordered our own piece of pie for lunch.
OMG, my mouth is watering right now thinking about it. It was heavenly.
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| Best ever!!!!!! |
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| Through this door is the best coconut pie ever. |
The Passionate HISTORY:
Did you know that Colombia is named after Christopher
Columbus? Did you know that there are 49 million people in Colombia? The
history of Colombia is amazing and each thing I learned impressed me. I won’t
teach you any more history, you can read up on it yourself or visit as soon as
you can so you can also experience this passionate country!!!!
The FRIENDS:
Being in Colombia with a native made this experience special.
Z planned everything for the trip and allowed us to get a real-life experience
by sharing her life with us during these days. Very thankful!!! We all met and
became friends in London, a foreign country for the three of us. It was awesome
to see the Colombian Z- in her element she was speaking the language,
understanding, explaining and letting us experience the culture and then her dancing
like only Latinas can because she was raised on this music. M and I were visiting Z and her family,
which includes her son and her 2-year-old twins who have become more and more
adorable since we last saw them. Every moment with these kids was amazing, I
couldn’t get enough of them, by the end of the week they even let me read them
Brown Bear, Brown Bear ,What do you see?
Doing all these things with friends, sharing the food, the
laughter and each of the places is maybe the best part of having friends from
many different places in the world. M flew all the way from Amsterdam, I flew
from London and Z will live in Colombia for the next few years. Our friendship
started in London but it continues anywhere and everywhere we meet up in the
world.
I am honored and grateful to call these two ladies my
friends. I can’t wait for our next adventure!
So, 2019 will be the year of living passionately in
everything I do. Time to get back on the bike because I am doing the London to
Paris in September for Bloodwise Charity (again). Between now and then there is
a lot of passionate living to do, who is going to join me?
