More Photos: Days 9, 10 & 11

Waterfall fun.

The real, FINNISH Papa Noel brought presents on Christmas Eve.

Traditional Christmas delicacies:
Buñuelos and natilla (and a Mexican chili-mango lollipop)

Chess.

Photos: Days 9, 10 & 11

Buñuelos a la Maria Clara


Giant ferns

Finca

Christmas Eve Breakfast

Day 8 - Swimming and More Family Time

Chicamocha, Santander

Chicamocha

Fat-ass ants

My lovely travel companions (left and centre) and my
handsome tour guide (right) enjoying a well-deserved
Aguila beer.

From Guane and Barichara our journey continued to Mesa de Los Santos, Santander, where we´d spend Christmas with JP's dad´s side of the family. It was another reasonably lengthy drive, so we decided to treat ourselves to a swim in the river in Pescaderito, in a village called Curití. We rented out some inner tubes and had a relaxing few hours swimming and sunbathing, followed by a hearty meal and Aguila beer (Colombia´s most advertised beer).

Our drive to JP's grandparents' holiday home took us through an impressive canyon called Chicamocha. With the number of trucks and careless drivers along the sinous road, JJ, M and I munched on a Santanderian culinary specialty, hormigas culonas, "fat-ass ants", to calm our nerves while JP mastered the turns and curves of the road. I have to say that, although definitely an acquired taste, this expensive delicacy that was sold on the roadside didn't taste all that bad.

When we finally reached Mesa de Los Santos we were met by JP's grandparents and the rest of the clan, who made sure we were well-fed with the Santander version of tamales, beer, aguardiente, accompanied by lots of hugs, questions, laughter and the joy of reuniting with family.

Days 6 & 7 - Christmas Carols at 4 am.

Barichara

Años viejos: Alvaro Uribe, Piedad Cordoba, Hugo Chavez.

Changua

Hotel Santa Lucia in Guane

Near Iguaque

Our trip to Guane and Barichara in the department of Santander got a slow start: we got stopped by the police even before we got out of Bogotá because our car wasn´t supposed to be out and about that day until after 8 pm - because of heavy traffic, there are restrictions as to what day you can drive your car at peak time, and, well, that day wasn´t ours. But after a fine and some bickering with the police, we moved on. One of the most spectacular images en route near Tunja just north of Bogotá was a huge Taj Mahal-like building that is used as a concert venue. I couldn't believe my eyes - it was like from a Disney film. It was truly bizarre seeing a building like that in a region where people wear ponchos and hats.

The drive up was lovely and a little bit emotional for me. It was dry season but I was blown away by the greenness of the landscape nevertheless. During rainy season the mountains are, according to my guide, "like emeralds". It was a trip JP and his family have made a million times, but for me the 8-hour drive was a first and I couldn't take in half of what I saw along the way. I kept staring at the humble, multicoloured houses embellishing the emerald and wondering what kind of lives the people living in them lead. It was frustrating not to be able to capture the beauty of those little bright things on film, but more so to realise that the distance between me and them was greater than that from the roadside to the car window I was glued to.

Many of the houses, restaurants and shops we passed along the way had año viejos, "old year-dolls" sitting outside, waiting to be burned in the new year. The figures ranged from Mae West-esque women to political figures, some of whom are featured in the photos I´ve put up in this post.

Another highlight of that day was trying out guanabana juice. I have no idea how to describe this fruit, but it tasted beautiful.

When we reached Guane it was already dark. We had a walk around the square and came to the conclusion that the village consisted of just that: a square, with a church and a tiny museum. In the centre of the square there was a pillar where slaves had once been chained and punished. It was now embellished by a nativity scene.

We stayed as the only guests in a charming guest house in Guane. At 4 am we got woken up by a loud repetoire of "Silent Night". I thought it a little strange but kind of nice, seeing as it was almost Christmas and that particular Christmas carol can be quite soothing. After 3 rounds of "Jingle Bells" and an overly chirpy "Feliz Navidad" it was still quite funny but after that it all got a bit too much. We first thought someone had simply decided to get a little festive in the middle of the night, but it turned out that the blast of Christmas carols was a call to mass that lasted for an hour. "Los curas son unos dictadores!" my grumpy guide cursed, accusing the local priest of being somewhat Hitler-like. Even the stars got a little scared by all the caroling and disappeared and we could see flashes of lightning in the sky as we waited for mass to end so we could get some sleep.

The following morning our distressed and sleepy souls were soothed by a portion of delightful changua, a potato/cheese/egg soup and arepas for breakfast (see photo) - tastes better than it sounds! We then went to the museum where we saw a lot of fossils and found out about Guane´s indigenous people, who were all apparently tall, white, clean and learned Spanish with ease. This description became the answer to even the smallest questions we asked the museum guide, and became something of a joke between us. However, there was a different answer to my question about the number of visitors the Guane museum received annually: a million.

We took a little bus to Barichara, the neighbouring town, and walked around and ate and walked around some more and ate some more as one does in a beautiful but sleepy little town. We then took the Camino de Lenguerke, a road constructed by a German in the 1800s, which took as back to Guane, where we played 20 questions and got woken up again at 4 am, this time by Christmas carols and by fireworks...

Photos: Days 1-5

Plaza de Bolivar, Bogotá

Bogotá city centre

Ajiaco

A portrait of Hector Labo, "el rey de la salsa" in a fast food
restaurant in La Candelaria, Bogotá

Days 2, 3 ,4 and 5 - ¡A la orden!

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...

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.