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:) hey.
In my last blog I got to the arrival in Bogota. Well, once we finally arrived we went through passport control, customs and another security check before finally leaving the airport. We were so happy that our luggage arrived as we both thought it was probably still in atlanta. I strapped on the huge rucksack and headed out.
We were greeted by a sea of eager faces, and then amongst them.. there he was. Juan Pablo. He insisted on carrying my rucksack and gemmas suitcase (despite the fact they both way about 16kilos each). We got a taxi to the bus station (we thought he had come to pick us up but it turned out he was more of a guide). Unfortunatley, when we arrived in the bus station (lots of armed security) there were no buses to Ibague. Pablo was very sad and after much discussion he took us in a taxi to his aunt house.
His aunt lives in a guarded apartment complex (like many in bogota) and she greeted us at the door in her pjs (it was about 11pm) and offered us food. We declined but she soon appeared with rice, scrambled eggs and sausage. Then she plonked some nutella and bread on the table too. Gemma and I got a bit of a laughing fit because we didn't want to turn it down but we were so full. Whilst we were eating, she lay out the beds on the sofa for us. Bogota is quite high in the mountains so it was comfortably cool.
Me, Juan and Gemma slept in the living room while his aunt, uncle, and two cousins slept in their rooms. Its a small flat but i think it's normal in colombia for a big family o live in a small place. I gave Juan the badges of manchester united and he loved them. He's put a picture of them on facebook.
The next morning we woke up and got ready to go. I met Juan's uncle and all his family are very nice. We were given papaya for breakfast... a bright orange/pink fruit with the texture of avocado. It wasn't that nice but i ate it anyway because i didn't want to be rude. 5 minutes later I felt queasy and another 2 after that I was throwing up. It was a bit embarrasing but I asked an AIESEC person here about it and she said that the same thing happened to her when she tried it. Maybe I'm allergic? It was bizzare. As soon as the family found out that I was unwell (inferma) it turned into a full scale buzz. They were offering me anti-acid stuff and tablets. I took a pink one and the queasiness went away after a short while.
We said our goodbyes and Juan's uncle drove us to the bus stop. I got my first taste of colombian roads here. They;re mental. There doesn't seem to be any order or lanes, and nobody indicates. They just beep. haha. It's great once you get used to it. Pretty terrifying though.
We stopped off at Juan's grandmothers house before the bus station, and there we met her, his other aunt and uncle and his cousin (a little cute boy). Everyone was in pajamas so it was a little awkward but they were delighted to see us.
Then we headed to the bus stop and I bought a sandwhich for 3000 colombian pesos which is about a quid. It was great. :) Sort of a sweet bread with cheese and ham. They also sell weird bread balls and cakes here in shops all over the place. Its very good. :)
We climbed aboard the bus and sat at the front. The seats were very comfy. I think the tickets were 75000 pesos which is about £25. Pretty good for a 4 and a half hour journey.
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Juan fell asleep on the journey for a bit, but I mostly stayed awake. I was too excited. As we left congested bogota we headed into more countryside. We were very high up and at one point we drove through the clouds. The road was dry then suddenly as we entered the clouds everything just got soaked... but it wasn't raining, it was just really wet air. It's hard to describe.
I saw so much, some poor areas where it was almost like a shanty town, with corrogated iron roof and dogs everywhere. There were many roadside cafes and shops selling all sorts of food. We also passed a market where the meat was hanging up outside - entire pigs and head of animals. It was so exciting.
I also passed areas that seemed relatively rich, set in the mountain side, some houses with pools and gardens. The majority i've seen though seems quite poor.
The scenery is beautiful, it's just so strong and green. There's so many mountains. At one point the bus drove down a road that had a sheer vertical drop on the other side of about 200/300 meters. Maybe more. It was huge.
Another thing to mention is the begging. I saw this more towards bogota and Ibague. People stand at traffic lights in the road and beg. They juggle, they sell food or magazines. But they stand so close to the cars its a miracle that they don't get hit. It's so scary. One guy clung to the bus drivers window as he drove away trying to get money. People seem so desperate. It's sad but I know it'd be dangerous to get my money out and give it to them.
After 4 1/2 hours we reached Ibague bus station. It was much hotter than Bogota here- about 30 degrees celcius.
We were greeted by Gemma's host family and they gave me flowers :) It was very cute. Then I got a taxi with Juan to his house. It's a flat thats sort of like a shop too. There I met his other grandma, his mum, his two brothers and his sister. I also saw his tiny baby sister. She was so small. The flats in colombia hold a lot of people and they have tiled floors.
Eventually Ricardo arrived and I left Juan's house with him. I got in his little red car and met his girlfriend alejandra, who is very lovely. We drove on the roads (very potholed-he drives to avoid them so theres a bit of swerving) and then we arrived at his house. It is very nice, tiled floors and it is above a restaurant. I think i'll be perfectly happy here. :)
Ricardo and Alejandra questioned me about my life and i showed them pictures of my home. Once I had unpacked, Juan came to pick me up, dressed in his football gear. This time he arrived on his motorbike and simply handed me the helmet. I was very nervous because I've never been on one before. But, it's the way of getting around here, so,on i got. It was so scary but after a few minutes I relaxed and began to enjoy it. I was smiling all the way to the football pitch.
At the pitch I met other aiesecers and buddies. I also met my other buddy santiago. After a few hours of chatting it was time to head back and Santiago offered to take me because its difficult to find my way at the minute. I withdrew some money from the atm. The atm is in a glass room and it locks behind you. Apparently its normal in colombia. It's also normal to have armed guards near atms too(as i found out when I went to the mall the next day)
Santiago took me on the bus and we went back home. MY address is carrera 5 #95-110. The roads don't have names, only numbers, so i have to get used tothat. Then I got back and ricardo's dad let me in. Santiago talked to them about rules of the house and relayed it back to me. Then he told me about how to work the cooker if i'm hungry, where the drinknig water is, the water here isn't safe to drink from a tap, and about the shower. The shower is basically a pipe coming from the wall and it only has cold water (which in this heat is completely fine). Also, if the water runs out there is a container in there that I would use to scoop water from and wash myself with. I also got my own keys :)
Santiago left and then I went downstairs to he restaurant to get something to eat. It's a chicken place, they love chicken, and the family ordered me chicken, rice and salad. They give you plastic gloves to eat the chicken with because they think eating it with a knife and fork is not as good. I agree, it's much better :)
I had a bit of a chat with ricardo's dad and then it started to rain so we went under the shelter. It rained in big droplets but it cleared the air. There are a lot of stray dogs around who beg too. The locals just yell at them but I don't mind it too much. I'm used to the cats sitting around me at home.
Then ricardo and alejandra arrived and talked to me for a bit.
After that I went to bed because I was tired from travelling. It was an interesting first full day in Colombia :)
- comments
Joanna (mum) Wow, what an amazing time you're having. I bet your senses are buzzing! I'm loving reading all about your adventures and can't wait for you to start teaching and telling us all about how you're getting on. Motorbikes though?? :-( Please be careful! Everyone sounds really nice and friendly. I'm sure they will look after you well. Take care! xx