As expected, I haven´t been able to keep up properly with all the days...so here´s a recap of the past few days. We´ve done a bit of walking around the city, in places like La Macarena, La Candelaria (by day this time), in the Parque Nacional and other parts of the city which I can´t remember the names of (my guide is asleep as I write this, so I can´t ask him). I´ve eaten huuuuge tamales accompanied by aguapanela, a sugarcane drink that is drunk either hot or cold, gone to the Museo Botero, a little handicrafts market, been told I look like a cat and received strange remarks on my nose, escaped to the bathroom and had a chat with the cleaner when lunch in a very posh restaurant got a bit too surreal, attended a birthday party, had drinks in Usaken (a part of town that reminds me a bit of Gracia in Barcelona), met lots of lovely people, including most of JP´s closest relatives from his mum´s side...the list goes on.
I don´t know if I´ve had culture shock as such, but I think the other day I reached a point where the information overload and the number of new people felt a bit overwhelming. Everyone here has been so good to me - that in itself is something that I find a bit perplexing at times. There is also a strong tradition of what I´ll call servanthood for lack of a better word. As the Bogotá I´ve experienced so far has been predominantly upper-middle class, the class differences are something that jumped out at me straight away. I knew to expect extreme social stratification but it still makes me somewhat uncomfortable. I find it strange and embarrassing when C, the lady who helps JP´s mum with general housekeeping, addresses me "su merced" - something along the lines of "your majesty" or "your honour". And at the handicrafts market we went to, all the vendors were calling out "a la orden", meaning something like at your service, waiting for your orders. Again, having lived in Pakistan and Mexico and knowing what colonial legacy produces, it didn´t really surprise me as such, but I think it´s surreal and absurd and even sad.
I also feel a bit uncomfortable with all the "security". The best way to illustrate this is probably with the example of the building I´m staying in. JP´s mum´s flat is a lovely ground floor apartment in a nice part of the city. The building is a big apartment building made of - you guessed it - red brick. :) It´s like living in a hotel. There is a man in uniform who stands outside the building, acting as something of a guard, and noting down the license plate of the taxi you get into. Then there is a man or two men who open the front door of the building for you when you buzz - or actually, before you buzz, as they can see you through the security cameras. I suppose it is kind of comforting to know there is someone looking after the building you´re in, but it is also a little discomforting to know that, to an extent, the same someone is watching you. I don´t mean to be paranoid here, but it is quite obvious that the person who opens the front door for you has a lot of information about you: they know your timetable, who your friends are, who you enter and leave the apartment with...
Anyway, onto happier things. Yesterday JP´s mum´s side of the family got together to celebrate JP´s grandmother A´s 80th birthday. It was a very special occasion because it was the first time in many years that pretty much all of the closest family and relatives got together. So you can imagine the amount of photographs that were taken, and the amount of delicious food and coffee and rum that was consumed. I felt extremely privileged to be able to be part of the celebration and everyone made me feel so, so welcome. Although I am obviously eager to see as much of Colombia as possible, it´s moments spent with JP´s family and friends that I think are the most important part of this trip for me.
Speaking of which, in true Colombian style, our itinerary keeps changing. Tomorrow we´re off to Barichara with the siblings, and then on to Mesa de los Santos in the department of Santander. After that I think we´ll go to Cartagena but after that it´s a mystery...
Sunday, 20 December 2009
Friday, 18 December 2009
Day 1
After the hearty breakfast I mentioned in my previous post, JP and I were treated to a lovely lunch of bandeja paisa with some of his immediate and extended family. It was wonderful to meet JP´s uncle H and his family who had flown down from Mexico the same day as I. H and I bonded by sharing bouts of jetlag/tiredness/mountain sickness in between coffee and dessert. We then took the transmilenio, a speedy bus down to the centre of Bogotá, where it was drizzling down with rain. We had a walk around near one of the universities, went to one of JP´s favourite bakeries for a little bite to eat, walked around la Candelaria, a more traditional part of town with lots of colourful little houses and entered one of the not-so-traditional hard rock bars for a sip of chicha, which, much to my surprise, I really liked. By this time it was getting dark, so we wandered town to the Centro Cultural Gabriel García Marquez where they have among other cultural amenities a beautiful bookshop. As you can imagine we spent a good amount of time there...Then onto Plaza Bolivar where they had a Christmas tree in the middle of the square, and on to La Septima street where we had corn and fruit called mamoncillo (vahan kuin lokaatti). The street was packed and full of Christmas lights and vendors. I think we were all pretty tired by that point and decided to take a buseta home. The good thing about busetas is that you can get on and off pretty much anywhere. The bad thing is...well, the same. :) It was great to come home to some ajiaco...mmm...
As you can see food has been pretty much the most important part of my trip so far. I have to make a list of all the food and drink I have tried...but before that I need to consult my ominscient tour guide, just to check I have it right. But some of the things I´ve noticed is that the corn kernels are much bigger here than anywhere else I´ve been. :) A very important fact...
About the architecture - they use red brick here. A lot.
And about tiredness - either jetlag or mountain sickness is getting to me a bit. Bogotá is at 2600 m above sea level and although I lived at 2000 m in Pakistan and have been to 6000 m, I feel a bit of a pressure on my chest, especially when going up hill (and it´s VERY hilly here!) or racing down the street with JP´s 5-year old cousin (she let me win a couple of times, otherwise I wouldn´t have stood a chance). I´m surprised it´s affecting me as much as it is. Hmm...
I´ll try and post some photos here soon. Coming up soon...hopefully later today...Day 2. Because as I write this it´s actually Day 3 already.
As you can see food has been pretty much the most important part of my trip so far. I have to make a list of all the food and drink I have tried...but before that I need to consult my ominscient tour guide, just to check I have it right. But some of the things I´ve noticed is that the corn kernels are much bigger here than anywhere else I´ve been. :) A very important fact...
About the architecture - they use red brick here. A lot.
And about tiredness - either jetlag or mountain sickness is getting to me a bit. Bogotá is at 2600 m above sea level and although I lived at 2000 m in Pakistan and have been to 6000 m, I feel a bit of a pressure on my chest, especially when going up hill (and it´s VERY hilly here!) or racing down the street with JP´s 5-year old cousin (she let me win a couple of times, otherwise I wouldn´t have stood a chance). I´m surprised it´s affecting me as much as it is. Hmm...
I´ll try and post some photos here soon. Coming up soon...hopefully later today...Day 2. Because as I write this it´s actually Day 3 already.
Wednesday, 16 December 2009
Day Zero 15.12.2009
It´s a glorious morning in Bogotá.
I´d much rather be sleeping than writing this but I should get Day Zero over and done with. It was 3 C in Barcelona when we left, -5 C in Paris when we arrived, and after a long, non-drug induced 10ish hours we got to a 29-degree Caracas! JP was in good spirits considering he hates flying, and I didn´t get as bored as I had thought, even though I didn´t watch a single film on the plane and barely read. I did have a browse through the Bradt guide only to discover that it´s poorly written and inaccurate. Other than one of our fellow passengers fainting due to too much alcohol, the flight was pretty uneventful.
I loved seeing the mountains literally grow out of the sea as we were approaching Caracas airport and the humid air wash over me when I stepped off the plane. Reminded me of Karachi, something that has already been mentioned more than once during my half a day stay here...but more about that soon. On our arrival at the somewhat austere Caracas airport main building, we were greeted by Hugo Chavez himself! So there was no need to buy any Hugo Chavez memorabilia, which had been my original plan. Unfortunately, Hugo was merely a picture on a big banner, stretching out his arm to us, welcoming us to Venezuela and claiming: "¡Venezuela está liberado! Ahora y para siempre." (Venezuela is free! Now and forever.) It was very considerate of Hugo to greet us in such a lovely manner.:) It was also great to see JP jokingly complaining about how expensive and primitive everything was at the airport...:)
The flight from Caracas to Bogota was a bit more eventful than the previous two - as expected. The Guardia Nacional in Venezuela has been making things difficult for Avianca, the Colombian airline we were flying with, for a few days now, making the planes wait in random places and double checking all luggage...As a result, we were over an hour late. When we got to Caracas I was joking to JP about how the boarding gate for Avianca was at the far end of the airport with all the American airlines...seems it´s more than just a joke.
JP´s dad JR and sister and brother M and S came to meet us at the airport - it was great to see their familiar faces after the long trip. They took us to JP´s mum L´s house where we were met by L, JP´s twin brother JJ and L´s partner P. It was lovely to see them all and eat some tortilla española with them before going to sleep.
About the comparison thing - I have decided not to make more comparisons between Colombia and Pakistan, and will limit my comparisons between Colombia and Mexico, too. Besides, I´m sure I´ll find Colombia to be quite different from both. Other than the trip from the airport to L´s house, I haven´t seen anything yet. But anyway, sometimes you need some point of reference, and for me, in my head, those points of reference will be Pakistan and Mexico.
So, it´s the morning of Day 1, which I will tell you about in more detail soon. But I can tell you that I had the loveliest breakfast of arrepas with queso de savana (???) and scrambled eggs...and coffee...and freshly squeezed orange juice...and now we´re off for a little car tour before going to eat bandeja paisa in M´s mum A´s house. I am sure I will put on about 10 kilos on this trip if today is anything to go by! :)
I´ll try and put up some photos as soon as I have some. Maybe I´ll even find a website with the picture of Hugo´s warm welcome - I couldn´t find my camera quickly enough to take one in Caracas.
I´d much rather be sleeping than writing this but I should get Day Zero over and done with. It was 3 C in Barcelona when we left, -5 C in Paris when we arrived, and after a long, non-drug induced 10ish hours we got to a 29-degree Caracas! JP was in good spirits considering he hates flying, and I didn´t get as bored as I had thought, even though I didn´t watch a single film on the plane and barely read. I did have a browse through the Bradt guide only to discover that it´s poorly written and inaccurate. Other than one of our fellow passengers fainting due to too much alcohol, the flight was pretty uneventful.
I loved seeing the mountains literally grow out of the sea as we were approaching Caracas airport and the humid air wash over me when I stepped off the plane. Reminded me of Karachi, something that has already been mentioned more than once during my half a day stay here...but more about that soon. On our arrival at the somewhat austere Caracas airport main building, we were greeted by Hugo Chavez himself! So there was no need to buy any Hugo Chavez memorabilia, which had been my original plan. Unfortunately, Hugo was merely a picture on a big banner, stretching out his arm to us, welcoming us to Venezuela and claiming: "¡Venezuela está liberado! Ahora y para siempre." (Venezuela is free! Now and forever.) It was very considerate of Hugo to greet us in such a lovely manner.:) It was also great to see JP jokingly complaining about how expensive and primitive everything was at the airport...:)
The flight from Caracas to Bogota was a bit more eventful than the previous two - as expected. The Guardia Nacional in Venezuela has been making things difficult for Avianca, the Colombian airline we were flying with, for a few days now, making the planes wait in random places and double checking all luggage...As a result, we were over an hour late. When we got to Caracas I was joking to JP about how the boarding gate for Avianca was at the far end of the airport with all the American airlines...seems it´s more than just a joke.
JP´s dad JR and sister and brother M and S came to meet us at the airport - it was great to see their familiar faces after the long trip. They took us to JP´s mum L´s house where we were met by L, JP´s twin brother JJ and L´s partner P. It was lovely to see them all and eat some tortilla española with them before going to sleep.
About the comparison thing - I have decided not to make more comparisons between Colombia and Pakistan, and will limit my comparisons between Colombia and Mexico, too. Besides, I´m sure I´ll find Colombia to be quite different from both. Other than the trip from the airport to L´s house, I haven´t seen anything yet. But anyway, sometimes you need some point of reference, and for me, in my head, those points of reference will be Pakistan and Mexico.
So, it´s the morning of Day 1, which I will tell you about in more detail soon. But I can tell you that I had the loveliest breakfast of arrepas with queso de savana (???) and scrambled eggs...and coffee...and freshly squeezed orange juice...and now we´re off for a little car tour before going to eat bandeja paisa in M´s mum A´s house. I am sure I will put on about 10 kilos on this trip if today is anything to go by! :)
I´ll try and put up some photos as soon as I have some. Maybe I´ll even find a website with the picture of Hugo´s warm welcome - I couldn´t find my camera quickly enough to take one in Caracas.
Monday, 14 December 2009
The Day Before Day Zero
I´m now in Barcelona, almost ready for our early morning flight tomorrow. We´ll be flying to Bogota via Paris and Caracas, so it will be a looooooong haul flight, with a few too many take offs and landings for JP´s liking (you could say he's not a fan of flying).
After much contemplation I finally decided to buy a guide book to keep me occupied on the plane while JP has his long, drug-induced sleep. I went to the lovely little travel bookshop on Travessera de Gracia, and had the Lonely Planet guide and the Bradt guide to choose from. The shop owner confirmed that, as I had been told before, the author of the Lonely Planet guide had never even been to Colombia, and so Bradt was clearly the right choice.
Not much else to say at this point...just cramming last minute purchases into my bag and trying to decide which of my two novels to read on the plane when I get tired of the guide book and what sweets to munch on.
So, with a smile as wide as the ocean I´ll be crossing tomorrow, I´m happy to say that my next and the first official post will be from COLOMBIA!
After much contemplation I finally decided to buy a guide book to keep me occupied on the plane while JP has his long, drug-induced sleep. I went to the lovely little travel bookshop on Travessera de Gracia, and had the Lonely Planet guide and the Bradt guide to choose from. The shop owner confirmed that, as I had been told before, the author of the Lonely Planet guide had never even been to Colombia, and so Bradt was clearly the right choice.
Not much else to say at this point...just cramming last minute purchases into my bag and trying to decide which of my two novels to read on the plane when I get tired of the guide book and what sweets to munch on.
So, with a smile as wide as the ocean I´ll be crossing tomorrow, I´m happy to say that my next and the first official post will be from COLOMBIA!
Thursday, 10 December 2009
The adventure begins tomorrow!
The title of this entry is a bit deceiving, as I'll only be flying to Barcelona tomorrow, not to Colombia. Colombia will have to wait until the 15th. We'll arrive on the evening of the 15th and leave on the 8th, so if that doesn't add up to 23,5 days, please don't tell me as I don't want to have to change the title and the address of this blog. Maths never was my forte...
I'm all packed and even have a day spare in case I need to add something into my backpack. YES, I have some empty space in my backpack, for once! I have opted for JP's bag with wheels as my hand luggage to fit in all the presents. :) So, today, after writing this entry, I'll try and get going with my research proposal, clean, return some books to the library, go to my Masters course Christmas dinner, and...well, wait for tomorrow. I have to lug my bags with me to tomorrow morning's lecture, and rush off to the coach a bit early. Ahhhh...Can't wait to be in Barcelona again. Don't get me wrong - I've been happy enough in the UK so far but...ah...just can't wait to get away!
I've been waiting for this trip pretty much ever since I met JP, so just over 2 years now. I remember a time when we used to start pretty much every conversation with "In Finland..." and "In Colombia..." and proceed to explain how things were in our respective countries. Since then, JP has been to Finland, so he has something of an idea what it's like there (although he is yet to experience Finnish winter...buahahahahaaa...). I've met a good part of his family and a few of his Bogotano friends on their visits to Spain. But now it's finally my chance to see the country he can't stop talking about (in the best sense of the expression), experience a bit of what it's like to live there, meet the rest of his family and his friends, and learn more not only about Colombia, but also about myself and most importantly about the man I love. I think the trip will be a learning experience like no other(again, in the best sense of the expression). And it will of course be a wonderful holiday.
I've tried to do some background reading on Colombia but have failed pretty miserably. I've been reading David Bushnell's "Colombia - A Nation In spite of Itself" but haven't got very far (my fault, not Bushnell's) and now I have to return it to the library. I'm also toying with the idea of buying a guidebook so I can read up a little on places when I'm there, but the idea of carrying a brick of a Lonely Planet with me when I'll be accompanied by a handsome tour guide with a background in anthropology and storytelling skills that are second to none, it doesn't seem to make sense. Hmm...maybe I'll buy something from Barcelona, if just to fill up the space in my backpack.
My understanding of Colombia is largely based on what JP has told me, the books I've tried to read, and the conversations I've had with Colombian friends. The closest I have been to Colombia is Mexico, and so in my mind Colombia is, to put it very crudely, Mexico with more mountains, rainforests and fruit I have never heard of before. Some of the things that I hope to see and experience include:
-The crazy traffic on La Septima in Bogota
-La Candelaria district in Bogota
-Trying lulo juice, tinto (black coffee), bread from JP's local bakery, amazing mangoes 10 times the size of the ones I'm used to, dried ants, bocadillo (really bad at explaining this one so I won't even try), yage (okay, maybe not this time), drinking aguardiente (literal translation: "burning water"), a very strong alcoholic drink which I've actually already tried but never in Colombia
-Breathing in the Andes air (and probably running out of breath!)
-Colombian art and handicrafts
-Colombian music (especially vallenato!)
-Playing Robaregalos with JP's family at Christmas (like Secret Santa but you can "rob" the other person of their present)
-Witnessing the general mayhem of a Colombian family reunion
-Going up and down winding mountain roads
-The beach
-Tairona National Park and La Guajira (if we can go to both)
-Listening to JP and his brother's banter
-Sleeping in a hammock
-Doing a lot of peoplewatching (possibly also known as staring)
-Seeing JP with his family and friends
And many more...
I'm all packed and even have a day spare in case I need to add something into my backpack. YES, I have some empty space in my backpack, for once! I have opted for JP's bag with wheels as my hand luggage to fit in all the presents. :) So, today, after writing this entry, I'll try and get going with my research proposal, clean, return some books to the library, go to my Masters course Christmas dinner, and...well, wait for tomorrow. I have to lug my bags with me to tomorrow morning's lecture, and rush off to the coach a bit early. Ahhhh...Can't wait to be in Barcelona again. Don't get me wrong - I've been happy enough in the UK so far but...ah...just can't wait to get away!
I've been waiting for this trip pretty much ever since I met JP, so just over 2 years now. I remember a time when we used to start pretty much every conversation with "In Finland..." and "In Colombia..." and proceed to explain how things were in our respective countries. Since then, JP has been to Finland, so he has something of an idea what it's like there (although he is yet to experience Finnish winter...buahahahahaaa...). I've met a good part of his family and a few of his Bogotano friends on their visits to Spain. But now it's finally my chance to see the country he can't stop talking about (in the best sense of the expression), experience a bit of what it's like to live there, meet the rest of his family and his friends, and learn more not only about Colombia, but also about myself and most importantly about the man I love. I think the trip will be a learning experience like no other(again, in the best sense of the expression). And it will of course be a wonderful holiday.
I've tried to do some background reading on Colombia but have failed pretty miserably. I've been reading David Bushnell's "Colombia - A Nation In spite of Itself" but haven't got very far (my fault, not Bushnell's) and now I have to return it to the library. I'm also toying with the idea of buying a guidebook so I can read up a little on places when I'm there, but the idea of carrying a brick of a Lonely Planet with me when I'll be accompanied by a handsome tour guide with a background in anthropology and storytelling skills that are second to none, it doesn't seem to make sense. Hmm...maybe I'll buy something from Barcelona, if just to fill up the space in my backpack.
My understanding of Colombia is largely based on what JP has told me, the books I've tried to read, and the conversations I've had with Colombian friends. The closest I have been to Colombia is Mexico, and so in my mind Colombia is, to put it very crudely, Mexico with more mountains, rainforests and fruit I have never heard of before. Some of the things that I hope to see and experience include:
-The crazy traffic on La Septima in Bogota
-La Candelaria district in Bogota
-Trying lulo juice, tinto (black coffee), bread from JP's local bakery, amazing mangoes 10 times the size of the ones I'm used to, dried ants, bocadillo (really bad at explaining this one so I won't even try), yage (okay, maybe not this time), drinking aguardiente (literal translation: "burning water"), a very strong alcoholic drink which I've actually already tried but never in Colombia
-Breathing in the Andes air (and probably running out of breath!)
-Colombian art and handicrafts
-Colombian music (especially vallenato!)
-Playing Robaregalos with JP's family at Christmas (like Secret Santa but you can "rob" the other person of their present)
-Witnessing the general mayhem of a Colombian family reunion
-Going up and down winding mountain roads
-The beach
-Tairona National Park and La Guajira (if we can go to both)
-Listening to JP and his brother's banter
-Sleeping in a hammock
-Doing a lot of peoplewatching (possibly also known as staring)
-Seeing JP with his family and friends
And many more...
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