A Weekend at Club Los Andes

A few months ago I won a weekend stay for four at Club Los Andes during our annual school bingo fundraiser. A few of us have been wanting to get together for a bachelorette type party before our friend Angie is married in August, and this was the perfect opportunity.

Located about 45 minutes from Cali, the club is easy to get to and we were sitting poolside by noon on Saturday! Saturdays are never a big day for people to be out and about in Colombia, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. This was nice because we relaxed a lot without having tons of people around, but also left us to fend for ourselves a lot.

Basically we spent our time at the wave pool (not as exciting as it sounds...), the water slides (definitely as fun as they sound!), catching up on girl talk, reading (Hunger Games series anyone? Can't put it down!) and bowling.

Angie and Tara at the wave pool.

Poolside photo shoot!

The time we went bowling and learned that I am terrible but Kelsi has crazy good hidden bowling skills.

Me, Angie, Kelsi and Tara

Velco, really?

Despite some mishaps like missing dinner for lack of knowing the restaurant schedule, the weekend was great. Tara and Angie are both amongst the group of teachers leaving Colombia at the end of school year and I know I will miss them a lot next year, so it was nice to be able to spend some time with them away from the craziness of school. This upcoming weekend we are also headed to the Pacific Coast to soak up some sun, so I look forward to many more sun-filled memories as another school year seems to be rushing to an end...

CHIVA (Or the time we went on a party bus through Cali)

This Friday we celebrated my friend Beatriz's birthday in true Colombian party style, with a chiva! A chiva is a bus without a roof and sides that only extend about 4 feet up. Seats ring around the perimeter of the chiva bus, leaving the middle open as a dance floor. The idea is that the bus drives around the city, playing music, while you hang out with all of your friends throughout the city. I have seen hundreds of chivas since arriving in Colombia, but this was my first time participating!

We left from our neighborhood around 10 pm, water bottles of drinks in hand, and drove around the city for about two hours before ending the night at a bar. Despite the typically maniac drivers in Cali, the chiva drove super slow, which was nice because you could really see things as we drove past. Basically we just danced on the bus to a ridiculous combination of reggaeton, salsa and Beatriz's homemade "Miami 1999" CD while intermittently being interrupted by the on-board DJ and the microphone he should not have been allowed to use.

In summary - we totally loved the chiva and the subsequent dancing at a bar afterwards! Definitely a good birthday celebration :)

Tara, Beatriz and Kelsi outside the chiva.

Kelsi and I on board!

Let the dancing begin!

Family in Colombia: Part Two

Back in Cali we spent time relaxing, resting and enjoying time in our (my) own place after staying in hotels and eating out in Cartagena. Dad and brother both really liked my apartment, although they probably wish I had bigger beds, but overall I think they were comfortable here.

Sunday night Joe and I made a long trip to the grocery store for food and home essentials since I hadn't been living in my apartment for three weeks! We found some delicious food, Joe got to experience grocery shopping in a foreign country and we headed home to make dinner. That night we relaxed and watch some Big Bang Theory. I brought back three seasons on DVD after Christmas and we all enjoyed watching the show, even my dad who doesn't typically like a lot of TV!

Monday we played tourist in the very un-touristy city of Cali and took a walk through the neighborhoods of San Antonio and El Penon. Of course we made a stop at El Gato, the famous at statue along the river in the center of Cali. Finally we headed to Pizza 1969 to meet up with some friends and drink delicious beer from the Tres Cordilleras micro-brewery in Medellin. Joe and dad got to meet my friends Tara, Angie, Caleb and Hana as we re-united after Christmas break.

Dad outside the Church of San Antonio.

Joe and I at El Gato.

On Tuesday the boys laid low at my apartment while I went to school for a teacher's only curriculum day. I think they enjoyed the time to relax, use my WI-FI (Dad), and catch up on Gossip Girl (yes Joe, the secret is out). That night we went present shopping for my mom and found her a gorgeous skirt with hand-painted flowers, then met up with Tara and Hana at Mister Wings for happy hour. I think my family was discovering quickly that teachers go to happy hour a lot. :)

2-for-1 Margaritas at Mister Wings

Wednesday morning I got them both out of bed and on the way to school by 6:15 AM, which they were not exactly loving, but they were excited to see my school. As with all new visitors, they were in awe at the gorgeous campus where I work and I enjoyed taking them around on a tour. Sometimes it is easy to take for granted this open-air, beautifully groomed place where I teach everyday and having them there reminded me just how awesome it is. They also met a few sections of my students which I think both parties enjoyed. My dad commented on how middle school students express the same traits regardless of where they live in the world, which I think it is a cool observation when you think about what a big place the world really is. Also, I think meeting my family helped my students view me more as a "real person" and not just their math teacher.

Dad and I outside my classroom.

Swinging for the fences as they overlook the baseball field!

Wednesday afternoon I sent them to the airport for the journey back to Minnesota! We had an awesome trip Joe & Dad - love you guys!!

Cali es Pasion (So come visit me!)

I love sharing my passions with others. I love a lot of things in this world and I just want other people to appreciate them as much as I do. Things like fruit smoothies, good coffee, fall days in Minnesota, yoga, swimming in the ocean, country music, primetime drama television shows, problem solving, helping students learn, reading, knowledge, Keith Urban's Australian accent, the Minnesota Twins, country music, rollerblading on the first few days of spring, etc.

For the past year and a half one of those passions has definitely been travel and living abroad. While Cali took some time getting used to, I have grown to love so many things about it, and after traveling around Colombia the past week or so I appreciate it in a whole new light.

Lucky for YOU, I am not the only one giving it a glowing recommendation, so are the writers of the New York Times Travel Section. Cali is #10 on the list of 41 Places to Go in 2011. Here's what they had to say about it:

10. Cali, Colombia

Cafe culture is on the rise while salsa fuels the night life.

Cali has always felt like the grittier stepsister of Medellín, but tucked amid the colonial homes of the barrios of San Antonio or Granada are a number of new jewelry boutiques, low-key cafes and salsotecas teeming with crowds as sexy as any in South America.

Salsa remains Cali’s lifeblood. If the dance floors of Tin Tin Deo or Zaperoco are too full, try La Fuente, a pint-size bar jammed with sweaty students who spill out onto the street most nights. Or, follow the sounds of Latin jazz to Guayusa, just next door. Those with serious salsa chops hitch a cab out of town to the suburb of Juanchito, whose dance floors do not fill up until after midnight (but go in a group, as this section gets dicey at those hours). Also be sure to check out a performance of Delirio, the monthly cabaret that is part Cirque du Soleil, part salsa clinic.

The best thing about this is that La Fuente is one of me and Kelsi's favorite bars to go to here but it is this super small hole-in-the-wall type place that is basically a shack. I love that it is mentioned here!! Also I love that they talk about Cali in a positive light because often Cali is not well liked by tourists...there just are not a lot of English speakers here and not many touristy type attractions to see. However, I love it and I love living here...so follow the New York Times advice and come visit me in Cali :)

Calle del Arte

Last weekend was one of my favorite cultural events that takes place in Cali. I wasn't going to blog about it because I forgot my camera, and you really need to see it to understand it, but thanks to some stolen pictures from friends - here you have it!

Calle del Arte (Street of Art) is held one Saturday every September in San Antonio, a neighborhood close to ours and one of the oldest in Cali. They literally shut down the entire main street for the day and all sorts of vendors come out to sell things on the street.

Looking down Calle 10 at the street of art!

One particular hat salesman takes a little afternoon nap in the shade :)

This year we started things off at a co-workers house who happens to live on the main street of Calle del Arte. She and her husband had opened up their home for the day to a sort of make-shift restaurant where they were selling delicious quiche! Starved after a full morning of curriculum meetings at school, about ten teachers crowded into their kitchen for some much needed nourishment.

After replenishing we headed out to the street to explore. From jewelry and artwork to purses and handicrafts, there is something for everyone at this unique street fair. While I didn't end up buying anything this year, mostly because I don't want to deal with shipping large things back to the Unites States, I loved strolling the streets and looking at all the options! Calle del Arte is definitely a unique crowd of people too, so the people-watching is also excellent. Despite the hot sun, strolling the streets this year once again reminded me of how awesomely talented people are and how much I love Colombia - and Cali in particular.

Kelsi and I at Calle del Arte with Amanda, a teacher visiting for the conference from another school in Armenia, Colombia.

A Saturday Morning in San Fernando

While I was home this summer my friend Anna made the comment to me that while she loves reading about the places I travel to, she really loves when I go into detail about my day-to-day life here in Cali. For me, the day-to-day things became routine last year, so much so that I forgot how different things are in the United States until I went home this summer.

However, they are quite different, so my goal for this year, in addition to travel blogging, is to attempt to provide an adequate picture of the little things that compose my daily life.

Starting with...a typical Saturday morning in our neighborhood, San Fernando.

I have lived in San Fernando since last December, when I moved in with Steph and Hana, and I absolutely love it! Despite our 30-45 minute commute one way to work each day, I think it is 100% worth it because of how much I love where we live. San Fernando is closer to the city center, so there is more going on around us, and the 4:30 breeze that rolls off the mountains every day without fail is the best part of my day!

This Saturday Kelsi and I started our day with tea and oatmeal, followed by a walk to our neighborhood gym, and then a walk to the grocery store. (Hmm...maybe this is why I don't write about my daily life - it sounds terribly boring!) Here are some photos I took along the way so you can get an idea for yourself!

Starting out on our street which faces a large hill that goes up to the next neighborhood. Please note our neighborhood avocado lady pushing her cart off of which she sells ripe avocados. Her advertising methods? Yelling aguacate (Spanish for avocado) in a shrill voice that sounds something like this: "Aguuuuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaacaaaaaate"

Heading downhill to the Parque del Perro (large park in the middle of a round point) and our friend Tara's house.

Parque del Perro - quiet on a Saturday morning but quite the rocking place around 11 pm on weekend nights.

Kelsi along the road next to the Parque del Perro.

Next to Primos, a cute outdoor cafe with free wi-fi :)

Walking down the main road into San Fernando, Carrera 34, near Mister Wings, a frequented happy hour establishment with reasonable chicken wings.

The outside our small but adequate gym.

Walking down the Quinta (5th Street), the main drag that runs from the North to South of Cali with the two separate lanes in the middle for the public transportation system, the Mio. Our morning finished at Exito, a large grocery store chain here in Cali - note the big yellow building and sign in the background. This particular Exito is one Mio stop away from our place, or about a 20 minute walk.

One post about daily life - check!

Anyone have ideas for future posts?!?

Weekend Recap: the food mecca of Cali

Back home in Minnesota my family has become pretty well acquainted with the various restaurants on St. Paul's Grand Avenue. This 2-3 mile stretch of road through the state's capital city is full of restaurants in all shapes and sizes, with a little something for everyone.

This weekend we continued to explore what I will refer to as the Cali, Colombia version of Grand Avenue, known as La Novena (Ninth Street). About a ten minutes drive north of my apartment is a neighborhood called Granada. Granada is basically the restaurant and bar mecca of Cali. Every time I go there I see a new place I want to try!

This Friday we ventured to San Fermin, a wine and tapas bar, just off the Novena. They had a full menu of Spanish tapas (appetizers), some of which I have not had since studying abroad in Spain three years ago! We started with delicious Sangria and followed with an array of tapas which we all taste tested. Ham croquetas, vegetarian Spanish tortilla, cooked eggplant, portobello mushrooms with cheese....mmmmm SO GOOD! And the restaurant was so cute with its decorations, wine bar and plush couches for seats! I really really should have taken some pictures to document for this blog post.

Other restaurants/bars we have tried in the area:

• Platillos Voladores (Flying Saucers) - Thai food restaurant with purple and green themed decorations (my two favorite colors) and delicious green curry
• Bourbon Street - New Orleans style pub with pub food, LOUD live music and New Orleans themed decorations
• British Pub - Across the street from Bourbon St. - about the same atmosphere and menu, just replace the Mardi Gras New Orleans theme with Beatles photos and British flags
• Enoki - Asian food...not great, but decent place for some thai chicken with peanut sauce
• Fusion Wok - I think I might be addicted to their sake thai Sushi roll. I might start having daydreams about it.
• Juan Valdez - Coffee chain - I am making it my personal goal to visit all of the ones in Cali and at least one in every city in Colombia.

Overall, in Colombia it is difficult to find good or authentic food that is not from Colombia, so I really appreciate the diversity one can find in this area of the city. Also, as many of you can tell, this selection of international restaurants and food has forced me to expand my eating habits beyond just pasta. :) So, beautiful people/readers, when you come to visit me in Cali, Colombia perhaps I will take you there :) Cheers!

Rules? What Rules? (A Trip to the Cali Zoo)

The Zoologico de Cali is the number one thing to do in Cali, according to Lonely Planet, so after months of talking about it, we finally got it together and went there! The zoo is a ten minute cab ride from my apartment, so Kelsi, Hana and I headed over there on Sunday afternoon. We paid $9.500 pesos to get in, which is sort of expensive for Colombian standards, but is an awesome price in comparison with US zoos. The Cali Zoo features tons of animals that I had never seen in the zoo before, or ever in real life, so I really enjoyed walking around, even if I not much of an "animal person".

In walking around the zoo I was so impressed by the gorgeous landscaping, nicely paved paths and helpful signs! The paths of the zoo are in better condition than the Cali roads - with better signage too!

Kelsi and I at the entrance to the zoo.

Some of the gorgeous landscaping at the zoo.

Who knew? The Rio Cali runs right through the zoo and twists around the grounds - so cool!

Monkey/gorilla combination.

How cool is this? A sign shows the differences between the "hands" and "feet" of primates...including humans.

However, the zoo was not all cheery fun for everyone. After about three hours at the zoo it became apparent that Colombians do not understand zoo etiquette. In all of my trips to the zoo over the years, I have always assumed the "norms" at the zoo were understood and accepted by all. I consider these "norms" to be things like:

• Do not feed the animals.
• Do not climb on the animals' cages.
• Do not throw trash in, around, or near the animal cages.
• Do not pick up your children so they can climb or sit on the animal cages.
• Do not taunt the animals or bang on their cages.
• Do not touch the animals.
• Keep large, dangerous animals in appropriately sized cages.
• Repair any damage to animal cages immediately.

Well, apparently Colombians are not all about the zoo etiquette. Rather, they blatantly ignore ALL RULES.

Sign at the entrance to the zoo...listing what the rules were supposed to be. Loosely translated this sign says respect the environment, gardens and cages which are designed for your protection. Avoid hitting the glass on the exhibits. Do not feed the animals, they have special diets. Do not throw objects at the animals, as this may hurt them.

We started to notice that not all was secure about our zoo experience when we found this huge brown bear asleep in a cage with about an 8 foot wall around it. Hmmm....shouldn't it be higher??

Yes, small child, please climb the fence, wave your little mask thing at the animal as it sticks its arm out the cage. Where were the parents, you ask??? VIDEOTAPING!! At least they will have their sons mauling on tape to show the grandparents.

More mask trouble. Little girl drops her mask in the llama cage? No worries, Dad will hoist himself over the wall to retrieve it as Mom looks on.

Sure, feed the llamas with random brush leaves. Hold your child while you do it. Brilliant.

Cute, now this snake can cuddle up with this plastic soda bottle.

***Disclaimer: This really was the only trash I saw in or near any cages, so it is not at all the norm at the Cali Zoo, but we were already so amused by all the other broken rules, that I had to photograph.

Perfect - feed the bird some of your chips. Lovely.

Well, this looks secure. Solid crack down the viewing window of this animals cage - I'm sure it will be fine, its just a Bengal tiger. Wikipedia, source of all legit information tells me, "Tigers are known to not like the presence of humans in their territory, since they like to be alone." Fantastic.

Despite all zoo adversities, we prevailed and the entire day was a fabulous outing. I love playing tourist in the city I live in and discovering new spots in Cali is so fun!

Me - as a turtle. In a turtle shell! Hooray! :)

Here's hoping your weekend was full of equally amusing ridiculous-ness.

green beer, green backpacks & (kind of) green mountains

I could just have easily entitled this post "Catch Up" or "Oh yeah, I have a blog", but the green theme seems to be working nicely. I have been quite busy living, but apparently not so busy blogging. Sorry friends. :(

In an effort to fill in some of the gaps from the last week, here are some updates:

• On Wednesday, I did find green beer on St. Patty's Day...or rather my friend Scott made green beer with crappy Colombian beer and food dye, but it was fabulous none-the-less. I celebrated the day with friends, Catie, Scott, Caleb and Angie, and enjoyed the green beer as well as fish and chips. Not quite the same as spending the day in Naples, Florida with my grandpa as I have the past two years, but still a successfully "green" holiday.

• Thursday, we had our annual girls book club. I haven't finished my book from last month yet, because it is really intense and also non-fiction, so hard to get into. However, I did keep that book to finish, as well as bring three more home to keep me occupied until next month. Here are my new titles to read:

Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan

Make Him Look Good by Alisa Valdes - Rodriguez

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Til Death Do Us Part by Ingrid Betancourt

The Heart That Bleeds by Alma Guillermoprieto

• In preparation for our Spring Break trip to the Amazons in less than a week, I bought myself a backpacking backpack that I spotted at Totto on Thursday. Ever since I used my roommate's on my Ciudad Perdida trip I have been wanting one of my own, I just thought they would be difficult to find in Colombia. Turns out they sells them in several places, but I just loved this green one, probably because it matches my hiking shoes & I feel the need to be fabulous even in the jungle. (Or at least camouflaged so insects/snakes/bugs/animals in general do not recognize me enough to eat me) My roommate Hana also bought a new backpack, so we are all set to travel!

• Friday at school we finished up the week by showing the movie Sandlot to the students, since we still only had half the 8th grade class present as a results of the binationals tournament. They loooooooooooved it. Which I knew they would, cause its amazing, but still - so great seeing them enjoy it. Despite going to an international school many of them have not seen "classic" English language movies, so I love sharing movies with them. As a baseball lover, this is definitely one of my all-time favorites - check out this scene for some Sandlot memories - enjoy!

• Friday night I headed over to Caleb & Angie's to catch some of the March Madness games. Caleb streamed them thanks to CBS Sports and we watched them projected on the wall of their apartment thanks to a school projector. I love watching basketball again, and it makes me so excited for baseball this summer! I started a bracket pool at school with 11 other co-workers and I am loving watching the games and keeping track of points. Summary of my bracket so far - thank God I didn't pick Kansas to win it all. Go West Virginia!!
• Saturday - read my book outside & realized you can still get burnt even under cloud cover. Thanks equatorial sun, we are no longer friends.
• Monday - climbed Tres Cruces for the second time; you can read my more detailed account of the first time here. The second was much like the first, but it was Kelsi's first time climbing it, so I am glad I went again! Once again it was very hot, I drank lots of water, but was again stunned with the impressive views of my city.

View of the Tres Cruces (Three Crosses) hike from halfway up.

Hot & sweaty at the top with Hana, Steph, and Kelsi.

P.S. (Did you even think I wasn't going to mention it?!?!?!) THE Minnesota Twins, you know the baseball team I love that is going to contend for the 2010 World Series, yeah that one. Wellllll they signed this guy yesterday, not sure if you have heard of him, but his name is Joseph Patrick Mauer and I sort of love him. Annnnyway, he will be staying in Minnesota thru 2018 for $184 million. LOOOOOOOOVE. One of the top ten largest contracts in the MLB and one of the only ones for a non-NY Yankees player. Hip hip hoooooooray!!!! :) Can't wait to see him play at the new stadium this summer!!

Could he be any more adorable?