Blogs from Barranquilla, Colombia, South America - page 4

After all this time traveling I still find it both refreshing and disturbing how open and direct people are in South America, people talk happily to me about their hemorrhoids and sex lives, people talk about how black somebody is as a means of distinguishing who you are talking about (as in "do you mean Bruno el negrito or el morenito?). This always confuses me because to me they are all dark skinned and I obviously cant distinguish the finer points of brownness yet! The most common name I hear people call each other in Colombia though is Maríca, translated as faggot. Every bloke here calls every other bloke (or even child) gay, and when I asked someone the other day what the title of Brokeback Mountain was translated as here, their straight faced answer was ... read more

Barranquilla Tis time to write my blog so here I go. First comes the interrigation session as always when going through the lovely US of A. This time he wasn´t trying to convince me that I am a criminal. This time the moron was testing my patience. He was asking me why I went to Houston a year ago....to which I replied that I didn´t. Then I thought about it for a bit and realized that I was going to Rio through Houston...even though he already knew that because he had to have it in his computer. The he asked me why I was going to the United States. I said I wasn´t, and then he gave me a suspicious look and asked. "Why you don´t want to go to the US?" I couldn´t tell him ... read more

1. English first 2. Español abajo I am now in London, about to start my new job, therefore this is the final blog on my Colombian experience. Here are the final reflections of a young British guy who went to live with his girlfriend in her tropical native land…. The photos I have chosen for this blog epitomise the effervescent nature of life in Barranquilla. Since I returned home to Scotland last month, some differences between the UK and Colombia have really dawned on me. I once spent a day at Notting Hill Carnival, which is probably Britain’s biggest and most-renowned street party. I remember thinking it was very colourful and lively. That was before I’d seen any of the pre-carnival parties in Barranquilla, which surpassed it in terms of excitement, verve and sheer happiness. ... read more

1. English first 2. Español abajo Welcome! It’s been an interesting start to 2007, exemplified by some pretty varied photos this time. Check out some more images from our holiday in Cartagena, the Barranquilla Zoo, a trip to El Rodadero near Santa Marta, and some shots of local food. An eye-opening experience In spite of my generally ‘lazy bugger’ lifestyle here (my words, not yours!), I have managed to make a small, but meaningful, contribution to the people here in Barranquilla. Recently I found out about a project being run by some Christian missionaries from the US and Canada. I am not at all religious, but when I heard about this project I decided this was for me… A group of almost one hundred ophthalmologists and optometrists have come here for two weeks to run ... read more

1. English first 2. Español abajo Enjoy a whole bunch of photos from December: Xmas, Rochy's uncle's farm, a trip to Cartagena, and my birthday night out ;o) Happy new year from Barranquilla! “Winter in Barranquilla” is an alien concept for someone like me. Nonetheless, locals here revel in the (relatively) cooler, breezier months of December and January. It’s still around 25-30 degrees almost all day long, but the wind makes it bearable. In fact, it’s wonderful. You can walk ten metres without breaking a sweat. Like in Florida at this time of year, some locals allude to the ‘cold’ and wrap up in a jacket or jumper at night. For me, this weather is perfect. It’s Papa Noel! Or is it? It has been a strange experience to be away from Scotland and far ... read more