Remembering Colombia

I want to create a list of what I did in Colombia before I forget forever the wonderful experience I had. Unlike last time I had a phenomenal time and did not want to leave. To me this wasn't a vacation, but an opportunity for me to strengthen family bonds and learn more about my family history. It was important for me to practice my Spanish and talk to as many family members as I could.

This time around I traveled down to Colombia by myself. Again there was a mass of family members waiting for me at the airport and I was taken to Hija's farm. It was great showing up at the farm and seeing not only the extended family, but I got to see Fernando, his wife, and his three kids. It was crazy because even though he is a distant cousin I have not seen him in about 5 years and had never even met his 5yr/old son, Zack.

A list of what I did was:

-Exploring Hija's Farm
-Ran everyday with Fernado and Maria
-Toured Hijo's house
-Toured Pereira
-Rode horses in Valle de Cocuro
-Swam in Termales (lower)
-Ate fresh chorizos with James
-Stayed with Neilson
-Saw Ma and Pa's grave
-went to Armania
-Had a "US" bbq
-Had a pig roast
-Went to Darwin's Farm
--Met his son
--Played with a week old calf
--traveled to the river
--played with three 3month old pigs
-Went to Mario's farm
--Played Sapo with Enrique
--Visited Marta's office
-Toured Pereira with Neilson

On top of all this travel in Pereira I was able to go to Cartagena with Alex, Melina, Neilson, and Euler. It was wonderful to travel around Colombia and even better that it is a beach town. I remember when we flew in I was shocked to see that it isn't a beach town like Miami, but instead has a small beach area that is quite rocky and about 100 times hotter. The best part was that Stella met me in Cartagena and I got to tour the old city with her.

What we did:
-Went to the history/torture museum
-Toured the old city
-Stayed at an all inclusive resort
-Got harassed 24/7 by street vendors
-Searched endlessly for leaf earrings
-Started sweating at 7am
-Took a boat ride to Isla Baru
--Went snorkeling, kayaking, played volleyball
-Took a tour of the castle, montessary, and walls
-Celebrated Euler's birthday with a cake and songs
-Celebrated Alex's birthday by finding a cake and talking to a hotel band
-Being able to share a room with Stella
-Getting closer to Neilson
-Bargaining on the beach