...drum roll, please...

Finally, a chance to catch you up on the first few days in Bogota! In short, they have been wonderful.

WEDNESDAY 8-8-07

I arrived safe and sound Wednesday night, and was immediately greeted by Julian, his mom Edith (who brought me two dozen beautiful pink roses), and his oldest brother Milton. Milton drove us home while Edith and Julian narrated the passing scenery. I have to say, I am very glad that I don’t have to drive anywhere here in Colombia; as Julian put it, driving here is very Darwinian: only the strong survive. Also, this city is massive! I am writing this entry on my fourth full day in Bogota, and I still don’t have the slightest grasp of the city’s layout.

When we arrived at Julian’s mother’s house, I was quite struck by how similar it appeared to the apartment where I stayed in Barcelona. Edith’s apartment is impeccably decorated, with beautiful tile floors, ornate furniture and lovely big windows. Edith immediately sat me down to have something to eat before bed. Since I didn’t want to have anything too heavy after such a long day of flying, she made me a beautiful fruit salad. I can already tell that it is going to be really hard to give up the fruit that they have here! The mangoes, papayas, and other assorted fruits, are so sweet, juicy, and delicious! After dinner, I was wiped out and excused myself to go get some much-needed sleep.

At the end of this first day, my overall impression of Colombia was very positive. From the nice people at customs who complemented me on my Spanish and warmly welcomed me to the country, to Julian and his incredible family, it was hard to feel anything but very happy to have finally arrived!

THURSDAY 8-9-07

My second day in Bogota, Julian and I were scheduled for a lunch with his dad, his brother Dario, and Dario’s wife Maria Jose. Luckily, that meant we could sleep in until it was time to get ready for lunch!

Dario picked us up at around 1:30PM, and we went to a restaurant called El humero. The restaurant was located in a suburb of Bogota called Chia. (In the indigenous language, Chia means “moon”). I have to say, the landscapes here are just gorgeous. Driving to the restaurant we passed acres of green grass, with breath-taking green mountains looming in the distance. Quite impressive.

The restaurant itself was located in a beautiful, flower-covered hacienda-type building. With all the brick, wood-work, and old-fashioned details (such as the menus!) eating at El humero felt very much like stepping back in time.

Dario and Maria Jose

Marco and I chatting

Marco and Julian

The Menu!

I wish I had pictures of the appetizers, because they were delicious. We ordered chicharron (fried pork pieces), papa criolla (little bite-sized potatoes), and my personal favorite: patacon. The patacon was pizza-like in shape, made from fried and flattened plantains, and covered with a mozzarella-like cheese. Heaven is! The photo to the right is of Manzana de Postobon- a very popular (and yummy) apple-flavored soda.

Just because I could, for my meal I ordered the filet mignon (for a little over US$10!) on Julian’s recommendation. Oh. My. Goodness. The filet mignon was absolutely incredible. Julian was not kidding when he said that the meat here was delicious. It was perfectly cooked, covered in a rich mushroom sauce, and had the decadent, melt-in-your-mouth flavor that filet mignon is known for. What impressed me the most was that the flavor was so powerful and delicious, and yet the restaurant was just an “average” restaurant for the locals.

Julian, Dario, and Marco each ordered a massive beef dish – baby beef – that came mostly raw, served on top of a burning hot platter. They then cooked the beef themselves on the platter- an interactive lunch!

Julian's beef

...Julian enjoying his beef...

It was great to see Marco again and to meet Dario, Maria Jose their daughter Sophia (whom Dario went to pick up from school half-way through lunch). We had a great time chatting and enjoying the food and the company.

After lunch, we went to Centro Chia – a local mall – so that Sophia could run around and play in the park that is located there. Again, the landscapes were gorgeous and it was fun just hanging around with Julian’s family. The photos below were all taken at the mall.

When Julian and I got home, we were beat and ended up eating arepas (which I love) and fruit for dinner. We went to sleep soon after, anticipating a rather early morning on Friday.

So far, the altitude of Bogota (a little over 8,000 feet) has not really bothered me, but I am blaming it anyway for my tiredness and early bedtimes!

FRIDAY 8-10-07

Unfortunately, there are not many stories from Friday. The reason for this would be that Edith and I were stuck in a Home Sentry store (sort of like a Target) for a large part of the morning/afternoon. Julian had bought a pre-paid cell phone there the night before, found out there was something wrong with it, and the three of us went to return it Friday morning. Little did we know that returning a cell phone here is an affair that lasts at least half of a day. Julian had to leave part-way through for an appointment he had at the bank, so Edith and I passed the time chatting and waiting for the Comcel people to show up to fix the cell phone issue. Not the ideal way to spend a day. It wasn’t all bad though- Edith and I had a snack at the store and I was introduced to Colombian fruit juice; even when it is bottled, it is 100% squeezed fruit! I tried the jugo de manzana (apple juice) and I now understand why American apple juice was a nasty surprise for Julian and Marco when they first visited the states. Apple juice here is whiter in color – like the inside of an apple – and tastes exactly like biting into an apple. So yummy! It even has pieces of the fruit in it.

After we got the cell phone issue straightened out, Julian, Edith and I went to Hacienda Santa Barbara, an old hacienda that was turned into a mall. We walked around the courtyards and browsed the shops, stopping for lunch at a little restaurant inside the mall. It was drizzling a bit and we were all exhausted from the cell phone affair, so we went back to the house and relaxed for the rest of the evening. Edith and me in the Hacienda

SATURDAY 8-11-07

Saturday was a full day of action! Milton, Julian and I got an earlier start and walked over to a photo studio so that Julian could get pictures taken for the visa appointment. We also wandered around Andino, another mall close to Edith’s house. They have many of the same shops that we have in the states, except they are extremely expensive here! We went into Lacoste, and the t-shirts that cost $70 back home cost $150 here. Impressive.

Random Photo Taken Around Bogota

We also stopped by Bogota Beer Company for a drink and a little snack of empanadas. Quite enjoyable- Dad would love this place! Everything on the menu was named after something in Bogota, and we all had a beer that was sort of like Guinness but had a rich coffee undertone to it.

A tasting of beer...

Julian and Milton

We then walked over to where Milton works, in the El Nogal district. This is the area in which all the American officials live, and it is absolutely gorgeous. We walked from there back to the restaurant that Edith owns (Arreboles), where we had a yummy lunch of steak. When we got back to the house, I took a nap in preparation for my first night out in Bogota.

The view from Milton's building...

Walking around el Nogal

Around 7:00PM, Julian’s friends began arriving at the house. By about 9:00PM, we had David, Juan Pablo, Camilo, Oswaldo, Camilo’s girlfriend Natalia, Milton, Julian and myself all hanging out with Edith and discussing where to go. It was finally decided that we would head over to La T, an area close to the house where there are many popular bars and clubs.

We ended up in a club called Maria Mulata, a locale that is a restaurant by day and club by night. It was so much fun! Julian’s friends (not surprisingly) are wonderful and so funny! We spent the night dancing, talking, laughing like crazy people, and generally having a great time. When we finally got home, we crashed hard and slept late.

Oswaldo (cut off), David, Juan Pablo, Milton, Me, Camilo, Natalia


...inside the club...

Oswaldo, Julian & me

Oswaldo, David, Julian, Camilo, Milton

Los Zanqueros - dancers on stilts, a coastal tradition

SUNDAY 8-12-07

Sunday here is like Sunday anywhere- relaxing and lazy. After a breakfast of arepas (corn pancakes, so delicious) we basically hung around while Edith cooked ajíaco. Ajíaco is a rich potato-based soup, made with chicken, three types of potatoes, and vegetables. Avocado, capers, and heavy cream are placed on the table for you to combine in the soup to your taste. It is a very Colombian dish and – like the rest of the food here – is out of this world. Dario, Maria Jose, and Sophia joined us for the meal.

Perhaps the best thing about ajíaco is that it leaves you in quite a food coma, and after eating everyone went to their room to take a little siesta.

To end our nice little Sunday, Julian and I went out for ice cream (helado) with his friend Juan Pablo, and two of Juan Pablo’s friends. We went to a popular spot called Crepes & Waffles down on La T where, as Julian explained, all high school boys bring their girlfriends because it is the best place to have inexpensive, quality date food. The menu was extensive, and Julian and I split a massive sundae called El Festival (see below!). We sat outside enjoying the mild, fall-like weather, and chatting, for an hour or two before returning home to sleep.

TODAY, MONDAY 8-13-07

Right now I am posting this entry from Julian´s dad´s office. We went for lunch at his dad´s house, where his dad´s wife cooked us a delicious meal of arroz con berenjena - a rice dish made with finely ground beef. Since the internet is so slow here, I cannot post all of the pictures I brought to post to the blog. Never fear though- we should be getting internet in the house soon and then I will be able to post more frequently and update this post with all of the pictures I wanted to post today!

I have no idea what is up for the rest of today, but rest assured that things are going well here and we are having so much fun. I hope that everyone is doing well back home!

Check back soon!