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Published: October 9th 2008
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Ah, Colonia. Where have you been all our lives? If you look anything up about it on the web or elsewhere, believe the hype. Serene beauty that has been somewhat protected to keep it set back in time. Portuguese laid cobble-stoned roads, they got there around 1680, with ruins and buildings in tact also. Those in tact have been restored though, and display some old relics of history. Most of the houses in the historic part, as well as the whole town, (pop. c. 20,000) are well looked after and painted brightly. There’s even an old Bull Ring here that’s falling apart and with no access allowed. I regret not jumping the fence and getting better photos, but there were young eyes watching. There are photos of the inside on other blogs on this site.
We hired a golf cart to see the sights. To get to the other side of town, where the bull ring is, took about 15 minutes. One side of town to the other in 15, IN A GOLF CART! Awesome! The Sheraton Hotel is there too, but staying in Colonia, you really want to stay in a small inn, like the one we’re in. Cute and
cosy. Helps to get in the mood of the simplicity. And you get a discount of about US$15/day if paying by cash.
We kept the cart overnight to go to the Kingdom Hall, which, after much asking, finally got the answer from a taxi driver, of course, who took us there on the first day. We made it to the Book Study, thankfully they have one at the KH. The elder, Enrico, taking the group is a real character. And only one sister, Adriana, spoke very little English. No matter, Enrico still asked us to comment. Marianne read a scripture in English, then I had a go at reading a scripture in Spanish. I felt like a kid again, but they loved it. Afterwards, we stayed for about 30 mins, finding out about the brothers and the cong. 71 publishers, 2 elders, 9 minos’, but the most amazing part is that the ratio for bible studies is 1-1! They were bowled over with disbelief as to our efforts back home. There is a small section here that would be called a shanty town, and these are the places where people really need some hope. To see people live like that
Entry to Bull Ring
haven't found when it was built or when it was closed, but it's quite old and dilapitated. really brings to the fore how urgent we need the new system. Not for our own dramas - wondering where to go for our next holiday, should I buy that second or third car? Man we have it easy! What a privilege it is to have the opportunity to visit here and see things first hand.
The next day we drove around a bit more and stumbled upon Adriana’s house. She lives by herself and 7 yr old daughter, Naomi. She works as a hairdresser and masseur. Things are very quiet for her, which would make things tough, though she kept a brave face for us. I grabbed some her business cards and put them in our hotel. Her husband took off with their older son while she was pregnant with Naomi. She found the truth not long after, after much prayer. Then Naomi needed major surgery to fix her hips. She was threatened with her life by a doctor for refusing blood and to take her daughter away, and after 10 doctors, found one to do the surgery, which went perfectly. Naomi really enjoyed Callums’ company, kids don’t need the same language to have fun. We had to leave
earlier than we’d have liked, to bring the cart back, so we organised to meet in the town centre later that evening.
We took them out to dinner and really enjoyed the evening, going for a walk in the old part of town for a while. The little girl was so sad to see us go, and Callum even accepted more than a few kisses on the cheek from her. This is where the trip comes alive. Not just meeting our larger family, but getting to know them, and if possible, living with them. It doesn’t matter where we‘ve been, the most memorable moments so far have all been when we’re spending time with the brothers and sisters…and snowboarding the Andes!
Tomorrow we leave for Punte del Este. There’s not really much more we can do here, we’ve seen everything, and eaten at most places, cheaply. See the photos.
Till next time…
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