So this whole New Years resolution thing is very difficult to keep. We were attempting to post before our trip out of the country but yeah we ran out of time. Packing always takes longer than one can imagine. So we shall hold off on Meg's titillating problem until we find ourselves to be boring again...
Alright so finally MegTom did something exciting and left the country! Fo real, fo real. Okay so why Colombia? Well, for one on a post-graduate budget the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Colombian peso is ideal...and number two it was an excuse to not only get away but visit our very dear friend T$ (Time Dollah), the student formerly known as Sarah. Our friend is currently on a well-deserved scholarship teaching English at a prestigious university in Manizales, Colombia for one year. As a result we were very very very berry cherry larry uber lucky to have a floor to crash on for ten days.
After a delicious dinner at Tom's house in Long Island, we headed to JFK for our departing 2AM flight. Yep that's right 2AM, at least the fare was cheap. The best surprise was that the plane was only about 1/6 full. You know what that means? Three seats for Meg, and three seats for Tom. Nothing like flying the friendly skies while sleeping in the fetal position while on a five-hour flight across from your best buddy. Now that's friendship right there!
Once in Bogota at a chipper time of 7:30 AM, MegTom made their way through customs and then had to recheck in for a domestic flight to a city called Pereira, where they would meet Sarah and then take the bus to Manizales. All was going well until MegTom was directed to the wrong gate for the connecting flight. Now let's back up here, Meg can speak mediocre Spanish and communicate enough to get her way around South America (kind of), but she has yet to master listening to the beautiful cadence of fluent speakers...so it may have been a gate change or directed to the wrong site, but nonetheless nothing beats saying goodbye to your connecting flight as it rolls away from the gate and the apathetic Aires employee tells you it's now your problem. While that may be true, how are two gringos supposed to get to Manizales and find a way to communicate with T$ so she isn't stuck at the other airport?
Well the good news was that there were several other angry passengers who also missed the flight and after some bargaining and translation, we were able to fly directly into Manizales. Thank goodness T$ is one of the most patient beings we know and also checked her e-mail just in time to learn of our flight changes.
So in case you didn't know, Colombia is a extremely diverse country, not only geographically but also demographically and politically. Perhaps we are biased when we make this statement but Manizales albeit smaller was one of the most scenic places we visited. Not only is the average temperature an ideal 75 degrees Fahrenheit but the views are beautiful (it is nestled right in the mountains) as well as the kindness and consideration of its people. It was great to meet several of Sarah's friends, taste local fare, and get adopted by a Colombian mother. While staying with Sarah in Manizales we were able to make several day trips and excursions, some of which we will detail in this post and others we will wait to write about in the next one.
Ah, so one slight glitch with our change in flights was that although we did not make our flight to Pereira, our luggage did. So, for a day and a half MegTom had to wander temperate Colombia in sweatpants, sneakers, and yeah that's about it. Luckily the airline was awesome enough to drop our bag off but rest assured a shower, change of clothes, and teethbrushing never felt so good. Colombians are very clean and well dressed people so you can only imagine what two whiteys in need of showering and donning sweats looked like wandering the streets.
So we shall leave it at that for now. This gives us further motivation to post more frequently to detail our trip and recall our visit. Pictures to come very soon as well.
Until then, we are grateful for a heated apartment as the blizzard of 2011 ascends upon Allentown.
Cheers y'all.
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| Manizales (or at least part of it). |
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| Manizales, Pop. ~455,000 nestled right in the mountains. |
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| The weary travelers (complete in sweats) and T$ enjoying the first full day in the city by visiting T$'s friends for lunch. The rooftop view was a very nice bonus! |
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