Day 4

I believe I condensed a whole year of Colombian life into one day.  I can honestly say I can go home without missing out on one thing I wanted to do.  From home cooking, to the Metro Cable, to shopping and spending time with new friends, and having a last night with Kailey....I did it all. 

The day began with a Colombian breakfast.  Elizabeth fixed scrambled eggs with tomato and onion (my first huevos in Colombia....and I am no longer afraid of unrefrigerated eggs, for the record).  She also made arepa (are a pa), which are like salt dough patties without the salty flavor--to which I piled on the butter.  Steve and Patrice came over to get us for our "gringo day on the town."  A young man, who has adopted Elizabeth as his mom, came over and spent time conversing with Kailey as we talked about the orchids that bloomed overnight.  Then, we set out on the designated bus that stopped outside the gate.  Even though Don prepared us numerous times to go quickly onto the bus, we really did not absorb the entire meaning of the word "quickly."  It wasn't until Steve was trapped between the turnstile and the open door, that it truly sunk in.  These bus drivers mean business.  We traveled to the Metro station, where we boarded the train and transferred to the Metrocable.  I learned that it is the only cable car in the world designed for the poor.  It is a cable car that takes the poor people of Medellin up to their neighborhoods on the mountainside.  Other cable cars are created for tourists.  In this case, residents move ahead of tourists in line to board the cars.  Just wait until you see what unfolded before our eyes.  Completely humbling, heart-wrenching and breathtaking.  I desperately tried to capture the scenes before me, but my photos did not do them justice.  As we transferred cars on our way to Arvi Park at the very top, we encountered some memorable car-mates.  There were two young men, one of whom was on his way to play in a soccer game.  It was fun listening to Kailey conversing with them.  She assisted in translating our conversations during our ride.  Then, there was a family which included a young girl we discovered was just 13.  She was reading an English book and Kailey began a conversation.  We quickly learned she was fluent in English, had a diploma to recognize her accomplishments, and yearned for visits and studying in America.  Kailey saw her mirror image.  While Kailey had her cell phone and Facebook page in Spanish, Mariana had her cell phone and Facebook page in English.  Kailey watched Latin TV channels to practice her Spanish--Mariana watched American TV channels to master English.  We commented how Mariana even had the slang down.  She began sentences with "Like" and said words like "stuff."  She and Kailey exchanged Facebook addresses before we parted ways at the end of our cable ride. 

Getting ready to board the Metrocable

Patrice and Steve sat in front of us, and let us get the forward view.

Just look at the houses on the mountainside....and these are for the lower class.

The houses are structurally poor.  I wondered where they got their water from, how it exited the houses, and how they even existed on such a slanted elevation.

The Panamanian Games were held here last summer.  They built these high rises for the athletes.  Afterwards, they sold the apartments to the poor.

So many police everywhere.  They really did not appreciate having their pictures taken, so I had to be discreet.

I just could not capture the essence of the poverty.

At the top of the grassy area, there was a cross with the likeness of Jesus hanging on it.  Very moving.

There were people on the roofs of the houses.  Dogs and kids could be seen there, too.  I saw so much laundry drying, and was awestruck by the clothes laid out flat on the roofs to dry.

Laundry drying

We switched to another Metrocable car to continue on up the mountain to the park.  This view was much different, and consisted mostly of trees and unique vegetation.  Somewhat tropical and with tall cedar looking trees mixed in.

We got to the top where a very large expanse of land existed.  There were horse trails, hiking trails, and yes...food vendors.  Oh...and porta-potties.  Thank the Lord for porta-potties.  They were non-existent in the metrocable stations. 

We had a very native lunch atop the mountain. 

This was my selection.  A grilled chorizo, beans, rice, arepa,  (the round fried bread things), cabbage salad, and my new-found-favorite--a plantain.  They served a little cup of Pepsi (yay!), all for $4.00.

Really?  A dandelion at the top of the Andes Mountains?

Dan loves Land Rovers, so I took this a picture of this classic.

Getting ready to board the Metrocable after a hike down (and up) a road.

Breathtaking view

Transition point for the next Metrocable

More laundry drying.  Grateful for my front loaders.  I have a hard time imagining people who will never know life beyond this mountainside.  Very sobering.

The metro station is very busy on the weekends.

Back to Plaza Botera and the cultural center we saw from a different angle yesterday.

We shopped along a street under construction.  Not quite like when Main Street in Neenah was under construction.  What an ordeal.  Yet, the people were there in masses.

These carts are everywhere.  $200 pesos is roughly $1.

My last supper.  Steve and Patrice are in the back.  Don and Elizabeth are seated to the right.  Elizabeth cooked a delicious Colombian dinner and she left early to attend a ladies-only birthday party.

In exchange, I wanted to do the cleaning up.  Without a dishwasher (note to self:  one more thing to be thankful for) I was left to the native means.  A tub of soap product and a sponge.  Remember, there is no heated water.  I felt a little uneasy about this, so I dumped some boiled water into the mix.  Things cleaned up quite well....and I am getting over my hot water fetish.  (The unrefrigerated eggs are still a struggle, however.)

The night view from Kailey's dorm window.  The lighted courtyard below is that of Don and Elizabeth.  It was the lovely bricked-in patio that I had breakfast in yesterday.

Imagine Latin music playing in the background, through the open windows of the neighbors.  Then, see the zillions of sparkling jeweled lights dotting the mountainside.  This is the view to the left.  Kailey and I hung out her open dorm room window and had a mother-daughter chat on my last evening. 

It was here I decided it was time to return to America.  Kailey is in good hands with Don, Elizabeth, Steve and Patrice.  She is ready to immerse herself in the Colombian culture without me holding her arm as we dart across the street. I am thankful for this glimpse of her next four months.    And, God will take care of the rest.

 

  After our trek up the Andes Mountains (seriously...it felt like we conquered the mountain), we came back home and took another walk to Exito.  As you recall from yesterday's excursion, a walk to Exito involves scaling yet another mountain.  I vowed to do my last trek without photo journalism. 
Buenas Noches my hija.  Buenos Noches Amigos~