Living in Colombia

Villa de Leyva

by chrisinbogota @ Saturday, 13. Sep, 2008 – 19:24:06

Mum and dad came back from Cartagena on Friday evening. Just in time to get ready to leave at 7am the next morning for Villa de Leyva. Villa de Leyva, if you don't remember from my previous blogs, is a pretty colonial village about 3.5 hours drive from Bogota. This time I wasn't driving a Narcoyota, but an equally large Mitsubishi gas guzzler. We weren't stopped by any military road blocks, but the journey did take 5 hours, due to seemingly endless contraflows because of construction work to expand the autopista.

We stayed in La Molina de Mesopotamia, a 16th centruy water mill now converted into a hotel. The guide book really raved about the place, but it is clearly now being run as a "cash cow" and the accommodation was decidely basic.

First port of call was an authentic French Restaurant just off the main plaza...here the chef chatting to his mate...

The weekend before had seen a kite festival in Villa de Leyva...but there was still a kite flying competition going on the main plaza...

I've been to Villa de Leyva before, but haven't really explored the countryside around, some of which is semi-desert. The town was set up by the Spanish because of the abundance of fossils...so they were interested in something other than gold. So, the trip took in a couple of monasteries, one working, the other now a museum, an enormous butterfly, or is it a moth? And also some amzing houses like this one that looks like a "gingerbread house".

One village near Villa de Leyva is famous for handicrafts, especially pottery. I picked up these two for less than a fiver for the two!! And mum and dad bought me the arty artificial flowers. The photos are taken back in my apartment.

So that's an abridged story of my parents visit to Colombia. I had a good time with them - the longest I've spent with them for what must be 25 years. It was great for them to meet Franklin and see why I've chosen to live in Colombia. They escaped without being robbed, drugged, kidnapped, or blown down by a hurricane (another thing they were fearful of - but hurricanes blow in the other direction!)

The university is on a week's recess, so I must pack my weekend bag as Franklin and I are off to San Andres tomorrow for some R&R.

Take care,

Love from Chris xxx

Parental visit to Colombia Part 2 - The Coffee Zone

by chrisinbogota @ Friday, 12. Sep, 2008 – 11:45:09

Franklin was worried that we wouldn't get a seat on a plane to Periera, because it was a Puente, or bank holiday weekend, and we travel standby. So we got up at 4am to try to get on the 6am flight. We did get on the plane, but it was delayed because Pereira airport was closed first thing in the monring due to a heavy rain storm. Pretty normal for those parts. So we arrived in Pereira in time to pick up the hire car, find the hotel and have breakfast. Time also to squeeze in a bit of negotiation by phone on the price for the apartment I'm buying.

We also checked out a restaurant for lunch, and in the process got a little lost trying to get back to the airport, but mum and dad were last off the plane, so they had no idea of our little panic that we mightn't have been there in time to meet them. We set off to a typical Colombian restaurant specialising in beans, or frijoles, a bit like red kidney beans. Here's mum tucking into a dish of beans, meat, rice and avocado...dad had his first Colombian churacsco steak. Then back to the hacienda for a beer on the veranda and a siesta.

The hacienda was beautiful. Here are a few more pictures...

Touring The Coffee Zone in a Narcoyota

On the Saturday, we set out to the pueblito of Salento to see the Cocora Valley. Thanks to Franklin's navigating, we failed to find the new autopista and drove along the old road which winds its way through villages on the way. Mum freaked when we were stopped at a military road checkpoint. The soldier, all dressed up in army camoflage and with a rifle over his shoulder asked to see my ID. He also asked to see Franklin's gun, as he thought that Franklin was our bodyguard! Franklin asked why we had been stopped - it was because I was driving what is nicknamed a Narcoyota! A big gas guzzling white Toyota 4WD with tinted windows, typically used by local mafioso!

$Dad\'s shoe shine$

Back on the road, we meandered along the country road, stopping in a small town that rarely sees foreigners. Mum and dad ( Franklin and I referred to them as "los ninos" needed a loo break, so we stopped in a cafe on the square. Dad had a shoe shine, and the girls working in the cafe wanted their photo taken with tall white foreigners. I've entertained all my Colombian friends with the stoty.

Onto the Cocora Valley, where it was about to rain, and then to a restaurant with an amazing view of the valley. Los ninos were fascinated by the preparations for a Colombian wedding...and on the next table was a group of nuns on their day out...wearing their habits and baseball caps!

Oh, how could I forget my dad's fascination with cows being milked by hand, and of course the hacienda dog, so dosile that you tripped over it!

It was time to drive back to the hacienda, this time on the autopista which took 30 minutes instead of the three hour journey that morning. After a siesta, we had dinner outside under a tree with orchids growing on it, lit up by oil lamps.

Chris x

Parental visit to Colombia

by chrisinbogota @ Friday, 12. Sep, 2008 – 09:56:36

Hello everyone,

It's been a while since I've written a blog. As my dear friend Per said, I'm not on holiday or travelling, so there are not so many stories or photos to share with you.

I have been busy though. In July, I started a new job, teaching English at a private university here, La Unversidad Externado. I'm really pleased to get the job, not least because it is very well paid, but because the university has one of the best English Language departments in Colombia. I hope to be working there for a very long time.

I'm also in the process of buying an apartment in Bogota, not far from where I'm living now, in fact less than 5 minutes walk away. I'll tell you more about that if and when it finally goes through. In fact, I received a call from the vendor offering to sell me the apartment the day my parents arrived, and signed the first contract the morning they left.

So, after weeks of preparation, mum and dad finally arrived safely in my apartment, without being kidnapped, robbed, or drugged. I was teaching when their plane landed, so Franklin met them at the airport. Maria, my homehelp, had prepared ajiaco, the Bogotano potato and chicken soup for our supper.

In between teaching, I showed my parents around La Candelaria. Here are some family scenes...

On Friday night we had dinner in Donostia, a really good spanish restaurant next to the National Museum. It's only 10 minutes walk from my apartment...but we took a cab. Once back home, Franklin and I hurriedly threw some clothes in a weekend bag as we were leaving early the next morning to get a standby flight to Periera in the Coffee Zone.