modern vagrant: Regreso a Colombia

After a few weeks in Colorado, which felt more like a vacation then almost anything I’ve done this summer, I’m back in Colombia. It’s amazing how easy everything seemed back in the states. Knowing where things were, how to get where I wanted to go and being able to really talk to everyone I met was a nice break. Being down here, almost everything seems like work. Trying to interpret directions or comprehend how something such as the customs process works, not to mention even the simplest conversation, takes so much mental energy. And patience, which is clearly not one of my strong points.

It was also nice to get to enjoy a bit of the Colorado summer….going to the farmers market, riding my bike around town, motorbike rides in the mountains and eating at potager (peaches and corn in full effect, que rico!) and my favorite thai and Mexican restaurants. The highlight, though, had to be going to a Ween concert at Red Rocks with backstage passes. We ate dinner with the band, watched from the stage and the sound booth and even got to watch the CSU football game on a big screen tv in the lounge. After a few weeks, though, I was ready to get back on the road.

I flew back into Cali and headed for the Barrio Fatima. My first objective was to fix the motorbike. I found a guy that works on bigger bikes and had him take a look. He figured out what was wrong and the parts we needed. Of course, most of them were no where to be found in S America. After an incredibly long and painful process, the parts were ordered on there way. It was going to take a couple weeks, however.

The process could have been much quicker, but everything here moves on Colombian time. The family here has been so great.....letting me stay there for all this time, feeding me, doing my laundry, my ironing, everything. I'm so grateful for all they have done, but I also feel like I'm at their mercy when I'm here. They can definitely operate on Colombia time. I'll plan on going to the mechanic in the morning and by the time we're done eating breakfast, drinking coffee and getting a shower, it's time to get ready for lunch. Then it's too hot, maybe later in the afternoon. Well, maybe tomorrow. I could have had the bike looked at, parts ordered and on their way while I was home if I didn't have to operate on Colombian time. But I not really in a rush and it's been great getting to know the family.

Cali is an oppressively hot city, the afternoon are almost unbearable. So Steven, his friend Edwin and I spent a day out on the river in the hills not far from town. The city is generally pretty crowded and dirty, the rivers running through town especially so. I was a little skeptical about swimming in the rio, but I was pleasantly surprised at how beautiful and clean the water was. I felt like I was back in CO, it was a great way to escape the stifling heat.

That night, Saturday, Stephen, his girlfriend and I went to a part of town called the Parque de Perro (park of the dog). There were bars, cafes, restaurants and discos surrounding the parks and lots of people hanging around., It was really the first time I got to experience the nicer side of Cali. We hung around the park a bit and did some people watching that had some delicious parilla at one of the restaurants.

Stephen, Edwin and I went up to the finca the next morning. It was the first time I did the ride in the daytime and it was gorgeous. Beautiful mountains, amazing houses and picturesque farms. Also some pretty funny roadside stands selling everything from cheese, milk, desserts and live goats, chickens, ducks, etc... We just relaxed for a couple of days, making food and doing some work around the property.