Touristas

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"So this is the new year, and I don't feel any different."

So this morning we woke up early to head for Girardot, Colombia, southwest of Bogota. That is where Diego's aunt lives. It took about two and a half hours to get there. We drove through even more amazing countryside, winding around large forested mountains. I saw things you only find in the pages of National Geographic. There are some beauties that cannot be captured in pictures. There are some places that cannot be understood in a photo. you have to be there, live it, smell it as the air rushes in the car window, taste it on the tip of your tongue. You have to be able to see it in your peripheral vision. Thus, my pictures will not allow you to see what I truly saw on this road trip.

When we arrived in Girardot, it was hot. Reminded me a lot of South Cackalacky. We ate an Asian style lunch, and then Diego and I got in the pool for a while. I got some good sun, just to the point of being burnt. Hopefully it will turn into a tan and I will come back with a nice healthy golden-brown hue. We then proceeded to explore the town a little bit with Diego's dad. It's not very big, but it's a long the Magdalena River, one of the major waterways in Colombia. The town is very tourist-y, a little vacation get away for those who can't make it to the coast. We walked across a railroad trestle that had been converted into a bridge high above the Magdalena, me stealing photo opts all along the way. On the way back to the car, we stopped at a little hole in the way where I tried an avena. Basically, it's a cold drink that tastes a lot like a vanilla milkshake. Diego asked if I had ever had an empanada. When I replied, "Of course," he was most surprised. Apparently he thought that they were confined more to the Colombia/Venezuela region.

Afterward, we hung out some more by the pool as the sun went down, and eventually we ate some riblets for dinner. They tasted just like slim jims. On the way back I rolled my window down, skating along the dark highway, mouthing the words to my favorite worship songs as they rang ever so sweetly in my ears, and had a moment with God. It wasn't nearly enough and has only left me yearning for the next time I can sneak away and be truly along with Him, and He can humble me all over again.

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