My first Days in colombia

Two days flight to Bogota was harrowing to say the very least and then to be greeted with a huge military and security presence at the Bogota El Dorado airport certainly got me a little jumpy. The Visa thing (to get through immigration) took quite long and the intimidating officials searched one of my bags (luckily not the one with half a dried cow in it!). I think the fact that I was carrying a tea pot sort of got them thinking about what I could possibly be up to. The bemused customs official certainly looked at me as if I was mad as he held it up in the air and quizzically scrutinized me. I realised why as soon as I started to look for tea. The stuff is rarer than hen’s teeth.

A view of Bogota from the cable cars leading up to Mount Montserrate

I quickly realised just how limited the English is here in Colombia and all communication was reduced to basic hand gestures and even more basic Spanish being hurled at me quicker than I could unfortunately make sense of it. Sergio (amigo de Colombia) met me at the airport and we were then off to his house to prepare for a big party seeing as it was Friday and local customs should be observed at all times.

It turned out to be an amazing first evening in Bogota at a local club / bar which can be compared to a place like the Bassline in Newtown, Johannesburg. The first peculiar thing I noticed is that any hard liquor order placed at the bar results in you getting either a half jack or a full litre...no shots! It certainly takes commitment to get through that amount of booze! Well five bands, plenty of dancing and a half jack of vodka later I was ready to be led home.

Mayra (amiga de Mexico) arrived the next day and we went to a surprise birthday party for one of Sergio´s friends. This is where I met Aguardiente: an evil drink that is a cross between tequila and ouzo. It is drunk with ten minutes intervals and in shot form. Thankfully after the first bottle I couldn’t really taste anymore and that was good seeing as this stuff is pretty nasty. The walk home was interesting with Mayra falling (as is now customary) into a puddle. I’m surprised she didn’t knock herself out like she usually does. There was also the familiar ‘Eeeeeeltoooonn.....I´m so draaaaaaaaaank´. Ah, how I’ve missed that!

A look at how Aguardiente is administered with Mayra

The birthday boy, Sergio and I. I only look mildly sober...

Alejandro, Mayra and I (sporting the traditional Colombian sombrero). Advanced stage of drunkenness...

Fast forward to now and the three of us are in a small town called Riohacha on the north coast of Colombia. Sergio knows an anthropologist in Bogota who recommended a Wayuu (local indigenous group) guide that we’ve contacted since arriving. This friendly fellow has given us directions to catch a car / taxi to his place (another town called Uribia maybe 1 hour away) through some connections of his own at one of the petrol stations nearby. We are to then buy some hammocks at the local market after which we will report to him. Apparently there will be some sleeping outside....for a while....and we needn’t worry about the rest because this anthropologist friend really knows his sh&t! Well, that’s good then!

Digging into a spread in Riohacha

Incidentally, Mayra and Sergio have taken to calling me Mariquita (may-ree-keeta!) which means sissy. Apparently my asking security related questions with cops and military representation on every street corner makes me a sissy! …and they’re not joking when they say that these people speak NO English! I’m starting to pick up pieces of Spanish conversation now and I can often place it together quite nicely. I travel around with a little notebook of sorts to record new vocabulary. This helps me to understand and improve more all the time. Its going to take a while, but there is certainly progress. I’m also looking to buy Children’s books to help with the learning.

Here are some other strange things that I have noticed since getting here:

• There are a number of very weird things being consumed by the locals here and I came into contact with this first-hand at the church of Montseratte (See pictures below), which overlooks the city of Bogotá, during my visit with Sergio and Mayra. This included fried cow’s intestines and bull’s dick soup (Caldo de Raiz). I also had a warm alcoholic drink called Canelazo which can be compared with Gluhwein seeing as it contains cinnamon and some other herbs and spices. I quite liked that.

Mayra and I in front of the church of Montserrate

Mayra passing through the church of Montserrate with mist giving it an eery air

• There are police and military personnel everywhere. This includes road-blocks, spot checks and someone with a gun being visible almost at all times. One must always carry ID and I was even fingerprinted when buying a cell-phone! Signing a credit card slip always requires adding your Numero de Cedula (like your ID number) and mobile number to the signature.
  
• There are loads of amazing fruits here that I have never seen before and the size of all veggies and fruit is so much bigger than in South Africa. The avocados are literally gigantic!

• Plantains are eaten with everything! They are mashed, fried, baked, etc and basically replace potatoes (which are way more varied and commonly eaten in soups) in your average meal. The most common form is called patacones and this refers to discs of green plantain (not sweet at all like the yellow variety) which are partially cooked, smashed into flat cakes that are about the same size as an average flapjack and fried. Very yummy!
  

Fried plantain with Guallava (guaj-ava)

• People here eat lots of pork, beef, goat and chicken in a number of forms that we are not used to. Meat seems to be cut somewhat differently and quite often there is no direct translation for a specific piece of meat as it is served here.
  

Some of the food being cooked up at Mt. Montserratte. This includes the intestines and stomache!

• There is a lots of drinking by the locals and once it starts it usually seems to end with serious inebriation.
  
• Riohacha is very similar to a typical Mozambican town like Inhambane. It is right on the water front with lots of palm trees, plenty of cervesa adverts and locals selling a multitude of wares to the tourists relaxing in the bars running along the length of the beach.
  
• The Wayuu people are the indigenous tribe from these parts and they mostly sell their wares on the waterfront. Little children, who mostly have an elder boy looking after them compete for your attention and its hard not to give it as they are remarkably cute and have irrepressible self confidence. When mom calls the eldest for meals or at the end of the day they all scurry home with some urgency. They have incredibly striking Indian features and are absolutely beautiful. The little ones loved my elephant hair bracelet.
  
• There are vendors everywhere with thermos flasks that just sell coffee. Coffee is massive here. As a result I shall have to have tea sent to me from home. It must be said however that this coffee is pretty damn good. You can order it with Arequipa (kind of like condensed milk) too and that is really nice! Sergio pulls his nose up at me drinking milk and sugar with my coffee. Weird.


• Push up bras are massive here too. ‘Chest bums’ is what it effectively boils down to I reckon and yes, I have been busted staring although I don’t feel that bad because I seem to get stared at all the time!
  
• There is just a large dose of la vida Latino everywhere, especially with the coming Felize Navidad (Christmas), which you really need to experience seeing as its hard to do justice through any sort of explanation on my part.