Blogs from Antioquia, Colombia, South America - page 20

Wednesday 25.03.09 (continued) I was nearly finished uploading the photos yesterday in the internet cafe when there was a sudden power-cut and we were plunged into darkness. It only lasted less than a minute but it seemed ages. I gave up then but managed to edit them this morning. I found a lovely restaurant for lunch tucked away off the main square; it was a little oasis with its own courtyard and looked like it was formerly someone's house. I had homemade mushroom soup followed by the Plata del Dia (beefsteak, ice with coconut, fried plantain, and salad) with mango juice - it was lovely and all for less than 4 pounds! 'Went with Dan back to the police station, where we were informed that we needed to report to a different station the other side ... read more

Friday 20.03.09 After my unfortunate introduction to Colombia I found Medellin a beautiful city, full of life, a great transport system, fantastic architecture and plenty of culture. The city is situated in a valley between two mountain ranges and seems to have its own microclimate - not as hot or as humid as the north. With a population of over 2.5million and growing, it is fast spreading along the surrounding hillsides. The metro system is all overground, with the part in the city centre elevated. It´s clean, cheap and efficient. I had decided to have a quiet cultural day so looked round the Museo de Antioquia and the Palacio de la Cultura; the latter was a fabulous bulding from the outside whle the interior was mainly offices, while the museo was a bland building externally but ... read more

When I think of the "coast of Colombia" I think of Cartagena or Barranquilla, but Victor was taking me to San Marcos! We were going there to celebrate New Years with Victor's father's side of the family, which is really big. Best of all, we were staying at a farm! A real authentic Colombia farm with many acres of land and animals. We flew to San Marcos where Victor's father picked us up in his truck, and we drove the rest of the way to the farm. The coast is always hot in Colombia, so we all made sure to take light breathable clothing. When we arrived at Victor's grandfather's farm I was greeted by a bunch of Victors relatives about to cut open a pig! Normally I would not be interested in watching a pig ... read more

Hi y´all! I´ve been here in Medellin for about 2 and a half weeks now and all is going well. I´m staying with Gali (a Peruvian sort of missionary) and the other Cruzadas here and they´re really nice. I arrived with the intention of teaching English for a week in a school but that fell through due to Bureaucratic reasons beyond my control! Anyway I´ve since found my voluntary work (actually Maria Elvira and the other sort of missionaries found it for me), helping out in an orphanage for girls. It´s not really an orphanage actually. It´s more of a weekly boarding school for girls who´ve lost one or both parents, and whose remaining parent or family member can´t take care of them during the week due to having to go to work and being too ... read more