Day 2
Hey there! Welcome back! Did you enjoy day one? Are you interested in reading more? If so, then please send your email to timmygrom838@gmail.com so I can add you to the email list. I've also been told there is a way to subscribe to the blog if you are signed into a gmail account, but I'm not 100% sure how to do it. I probably should know that one! Oops!
Day 2 was a crash course on Colombian culture, history and food. Without further ado, lets jump right in!
Arrived
Technically this section is still Day 1, just the tail end!
My flight to Colombia was much more enjoyable than my flight to Mexico City. (I think I'm done with overnights). I was so wired from my experience in Mexico that I couldn't stop thinking and journaling during the flight. When I got off the plane I was handed an immigration form, but it was all in Spanish, go figure. Unfortunately, they don't have the cool machines like in Mexico City that let you scan your passport and it completes your immigration form for you. Thankfully, the Colombian man in front of me was an English speaker and helped me fill everything out, even the section where you have to write the address you'll be staying at. Thanks Nate for leaving that part out! Over the course of this trip I learned that most locals in Latin America are more than willing to help out foreigners! So don't be afraid to ask for help when you travel! And also if you ever see a foreigner in the US who is confused, show them some US hospitality and help them out! After all the awesome hospitality I received, I can't on good conscience, ignore a foreigner in the US who looks like they are struggling.
Finally, I made it through customs and was immediately greeted by my older brother Nate!
After our epic brotherly embrace we quickly hoped in a car that would take us down the windy mountain road the airport is perched on. It was here I learned my first interesting facts about ride-sharing in Colombia. Rides too and from the airport require a full car, ALWAYS. You will sit in the car as long as it takes for it to fill completely. In some cases you will be waiting for a while. Your only other option would be to negotiate with the other riders and all agree to pay extra to cover the cost of the empty seat/s. Luckily, our van filled up quickly and we were off! Nate and I spent the car ride catching up and it was funny knowing that no one in the car would likely be able to understand our English. And even if they did, odds are they wouldn't know what we were talking about. I mean what parts of "New England Patriots" and "Championship" would they really get anyway.
Pic of my brother and I celebrating Pats SB win last year!
Food Time!
We arrived at our Colombian base camp, which was a typical Colombian house in Medellin where the parents of one of Nathan's friends lived. (Nate has a lot of friends around the world, which you probably are already realizing). We went to bed straightaway due to travel exhaustion. The most tiring/annoying part of traveling is the actual traveling part. Ughh!
I awoke the next morning to the delightful smell of a deliciously authentic Colombian breakfast that was being prepared by our hosts, Ruby and Anibal! It consisted of scrambled eggs mixed with onion and tomato, an arepa (uh-ray-pa), sausage, crackers, cheese and a chocolate drink.
So, Colombians are big on arepa's, which look like a thick tortilla. They eat them daily and vendors sell them everywhere. They are typically served with a soft cheese, but can also be included with butter and milk based creams. An arepa is made from corn which is one of Colombia's largest exports. They also serve sweeter versions, similar to a pancake, otherwise referred to as an "arepa de chocolo". Also to my delight, Colombian's love enjoying a chocolate drink in the morning. For us, it was served in a little side bowl and I noticed curiously that Anibal dropped his cheese and crackers into the chocolate bowl before consuming it. I looked forward to that bowl of chocolate goodness each morning!
After eating, we headed off to my very first salsa dancing lesson with a friend of Nate's. (Yep another one). He owned a quaint little dance studio above a hostel with a beautiful view of Medellin. Salsa dancing is no joke! I noticed that I got in my head far too often when I danced, instead of flowing with the sound and feeling of the music like you are supposed too!
All in all it was an awesome experience and I hope to continue learning salsa in the US. This is where I noticed a big cultural difference between Colombia and the land of the free. In Colombia and Latin cultures it's basically an expectation to know how to salsa dance. Anywhere a salsa song is played people partner up with whomever and salsa whether it's outside, in a bar, or just among friends. It was very cool and I was mesmerized watching good salsa dancers. It looks like so much fun once you know what you're doing. Even internationals I met who moved to Colombia either knew how to salsa or took private lessons.
I believe the US used to be this way in the early 19th century before TV, cell phones and social media took over our lives. Back then people went out and danced for fun all the time. And I mean real dancing! Not club dancing in the US, which is really more like sex foreplay than actual dancing and is almost entirely based around getting drunk and hooking up with someone at the end.
It makes me sad, but hopefully we can bring a culture of real dancing back to the US someday. Props to Colombians for their dancing culture!
As Nate and I walked down the streets of Medellin we struck up a conversation about the current Venezuelan/Colombia problem, which would become another theme that was constantly in our faces throughout this trip. It's a long story, but in summary, Venezuelan's are fleeing to Colombia in droves and there are so many that there aren't really enough jobs. We saw many, many street performers and people selling candies all over. We were told that most are Venezuelans trying to get by in Colombia. There will be more on this topic in later blogs.
Another interesting note, you can buy water in bags. My brother and I were thirsty so we bought two small plastic bags of water from a vendor. You just use your teeth to rip of the corner of the bag and drink away. I didn't get the impression that it was normal to walk into restaurants and ask them to fill up my water like I do in the US frequently. In fact I didn't even find out until half way through our trip that you can actually drink the tap water in Medellin! Arghhh. But not everywhere in Colombia is the water ok to drink for foreigners. Also and to my disgust, many places required a payment to use the bathroom! Yep! Usually just $500 pesos, but still! To use the bathroom! I now appreciate the US more for our widely accessible clean water and free bathrooms! And don't even get me started on driving and traffic in Colombia! (It was still better than driving in India though)
Next, we hopped onto a metro Gandala lift. Nate informed me that the government recently spent lots of money on affordable transportation to connect the city of Medellin. They have a very modern, clean metro system that includes buses, subways, and gandala lift's that take you up the steep hills. Colombian people are nuts about their metro! It's their pride and joy, and nobody and I mean nobody brings food on the metro! They don't want it getting dirty. During the gandala ride up through the hills we were witnesses to beautiful view after beautiful view of the whole city! My brother mentioned that no matter how rich or poor you are, almost everyone has a beautiful view due to the hilly terrain.
Our next stop was downtown Medellin and the first thing that comes to my mind is all of the fake Nike and Adidas merchandise being sold on every corner! Very tempting! However, I told my self I'd shop another time. We walked around and ordered a couple of fruit smoothies from Colombia's version of Jamba Juice. Less than $2 for a large smoothie beats $4.50 for a small Jamba in the US. "Ballin on a budget!" For those of you interested in currency rates, 1 US dollar is equivalent to around 3,500 Colombian pesos, making Colombia a retirement destination for Americans and other foreigners.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Stay tuned for my next blog where I will cover the rest of Day 2, which includes even more of Crash Course Colombia! Nate and I embarked on a walking tour through all of Medellin that took up the rest of the day and ended with a lot of new friends. See you next time!
So You Think You Can Dance?
After eating, we headed off to my very first salsa dancing lesson with a friend of Nate's. (Yep another one). He owned a quaint little dance studio above a hostel with a beautiful view of Medellin. Salsa dancing is no joke! I noticed that I got in my head far too often when I danced, instead of flowing with the sound and feeling of the music like you are supposed too!
All in all it was an awesome experience and I hope to continue learning salsa in the US. This is where I noticed a big cultural difference between Colombia and the land of the free. In Colombia and Latin cultures it's basically an expectation to know how to salsa dance. Anywhere a salsa song is played people partner up with whomever and salsa whether it's outside, in a bar, or just among friends. It was very cool and I was mesmerized watching good salsa dancers. It looks like so much fun once you know what you're doing. Even internationals I met who moved to Colombia either knew how to salsa or took private lessons.
I believe the US used to be this way in the early 19th century before TV, cell phones and social media took over our lives. Back then people went out and danced for fun all the time. And I mean real dancing! Not club dancing in the US, which is really more like sex foreplay than actual dancing and is almost entirely based around getting drunk and hooking up with someone at the end.
It makes me sad, but hopefully we can bring a culture of real dancing back to the US someday. Props to Colombians for their dancing culture!
As Nate and I walked down the streets of Medellin we struck up a conversation about the current Venezuelan/Colombia problem, which would become another theme that was constantly in our faces throughout this trip. It's a long story, but in summary, Venezuelan's are fleeing to Colombia in droves and there are so many that there aren't really enough jobs. We saw many, many street performers and people selling candies all over. We were told that most are Venezuelans trying to get by in Colombia. There will be more on this topic in later blogs.
Donde Esta El Bano?
Another interesting note, you can buy water in bags. My brother and I were thirsty so we bought two small plastic bags of water from a vendor. You just use your teeth to rip of the corner of the bag and drink away. I didn't get the impression that it was normal to walk into restaurants and ask them to fill up my water like I do in the US frequently. In fact I didn't even find out until half way through our trip that you can actually drink the tap water in Medellin! Arghhh. But not everywhere in Colombia is the water ok to drink for foreigners. Also and to my disgust, many places required a payment to use the bathroom! Yep! Usually just $500 pesos, but still! To use the bathroom! I now appreciate the US more for our widely accessible clean water and free bathrooms! And don't even get me started on driving and traffic in Colombia! (It was still better than driving in India though)
Next, we hopped onto a metro Gandala lift. Nate informed me that the government recently spent lots of money on affordable transportation to connect the city of Medellin. They have a very modern, clean metro system that includes buses, subways, and gandala lift's that take you up the steep hills. Colombian people are nuts about their metro! It's their pride and joy, and nobody and I mean nobody brings food on the metro! They don't want it getting dirty. During the gandala ride up through the hills we were witnesses to beautiful view after beautiful view of the whole city! My brother mentioned that no matter how rich or poor you are, almost everyone has a beautiful view due to the hilly terrain.
Imagine getting to see this on you daily commute
TO BE CONTINUED...
Stay tuned for my next blog where I will cover the rest of Day 2, which includes even more of Crash Course Colombia! Nate and I embarked on a walking tour through all of Medellin that took up the rest of the day and ended with a lot of new friends. See you next time!
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