Not a Typical Day in Bogotá

We went to Usaquen today for some fun diversions, and things were waaaay more diverse than we've ever seen before.  Lucky for us, when the rain started we were in a restaurant.  We watched the rain fall. Then we watched it pour.  Then the hail started and it continued for about 30 minutes.  After the hail ended, Usaquen was transformed into an equatorial winter wonderland.  

Huevos

 When we first moved to Latin America, we quickly learned that eggs are not handled in the same manner as those of us from the northern part of the Americas.    The most glaring difference is that eggs here are not refrigerated once you get them home.  Of course, you can refrigerate anything you want once you get it home.  But the norm here in Colombia and in Honduras was to just leave them out on the counter, in the pantry or on top of the fridge.

 Growing up with chickens and regularly eating fresh eggs, we went by the rule that if the egg was not yet washed, it didn't need to be refrigerated right away, but once the egg was washed (to get the poop, straw and feathers off), it needed to be refrigerated.  I've read read that before washing the eggs, there is a natural protective coating that helps preserve the eggs.  I suppose if you're eating the farm eggs each day as they are laid, they never have a chance to go bad.

  

Quail eggs

Egg stall at Bogotá's biggest market

The other difference, which is much more minor than the first is the quantities in which you can buy eggs.  Up north, a dozen eggs is the norm.  In Honduras, we would buy them 15 or 30 at a time.  Here, we are buying them 30 at a time, although at the big grocery stores it is also common to buy them by the dozen or half dozen.  In the big supermarkets and at the small town stores, the eggs are sold off the shelf, not kept behind glass doors in a refrigerator.  Also, quail eggs seem to be quite common here.  I'm not sure yet how they fit into Colombian cuisine, but I'll ask around.  We have been buying the campesino eggs from the outdoor market that sets up each Saturday in our neighborhood.

So, if your wondering where we keep our eggs now, here's the answer...

No need to take up refrigerator space with these guys... I'm a leave-your-eggs-in-the-pantry convert! 

Sunday in La Candelaria

Last Sunday, we hopped in a cab to Plaza del Toro Santamaria.  No, we didn't see a bull fight.  But we did admire the beautiful architecture from the outside.  We couldn't seem to get to a good place to take some post-worthy pictures, so click here to see some spectacular pictures of it.  We were amazed by the high-rise apartments that surrounded the ring.  I can only imagine what it would be like to live in one of those apartments when a heated match of man vs. bull was in high swing.

We actually happened upon Plaza del Toro by accident.  We were headed to Parque de la Independencia, which sat right next door to the bull fighting ring.  This park spans about 2 city blocks on a hill.  There are brick paths that spiral down to a central part of the park where there were beautiful flowers, eucalyptus and palm trees.  Of course, there were plenty of friendly dogs roaming freely around the park. 

After leaving the park, we took advantage of the weekly Sunday event of Ciclovia where miles and miles of roads are closed to cars.  We walked from about Calle 26 in La Macarena along septima to La Candelaria - about 20 blocks.  Along the way, we saw this man ...

                           

... his hands were blackened with some sort of polish (?) and he had all these dead stuffed rats (they were real!) around him.  I can only assume he was selling them.  The rats were all posed in walking positions and were gathered around him.   I shutter to imagine what he had in his black garbage bag.

More than 20 blocks later, we made it to the colonial barrio known as La Candelaria, the birthplace of Bogotá.   You can visit the Gold Museum and Botero Museum, count the thousands of pigeons in Plaza Bolivar and stroll through the narrow streets and alleys to discover amazing murals, sculptures, restaurants and shops.

                             

                                         

We had lunch at El Gato Gris.  It is probably a 200 or 300 year old building that used to be a house.  We ate upstairs in what used to be a bedroom, but now it had 3 or 4 tables and comfy chairs for lounging in on a slow Sunday afternoon.

The view from our window...

                                         

                                  

After lunch, we made out way back toward the main streets to catch a taxi.  We passed by a kid who was riding his big wheel down this sidewalk... see him on the right?  He would barrel down the sidewalk and then make the tight right at the bottom of they hill just before the next street.

A Beautiful Day for a Party

Dempsey wanted to celebrate his birthday by having a party at our house.  So we had 15 or so kids over last Saturday.  They played games and we made a lot of pizzas.  We have been making pizza a lot lately, ever since we brought back a pizza stone in our carry-on luggage from our trip home in December.  I can't remember exactly which one of us had that in our carry-on bag, but I am thankful for the person who carried the heavy load because now we have tasty pizzas coming out of our oven on a regular basis.

Once all the kids arrived, we played baby food hot potato.  Actually, Dempsey would have nothing to do with it, but some of his more adventurous friends joined in.  Here, poor Jonah is taking a spoonful.  Although his bite was just a bit, he did start to dry heave a little.

We made a bunch of treasure map clues where the kids had to solve a puzzle, then run around our apartment and the rest of the building and outside area looking for more clues.

Ice cream cake time...

Present time...

Playing with new presents time...

It was such a beautiful, sunny, warm day, eventually Linnea and another girl at the party 

did a little bathing in the sun.

After the party was over and all the kids went home, Dempsey, Linnea and Elijah (neighbor friend) played in the late afternoon sun.

NINE!

We are now the proud owners of a nine year old boy.  

Smart as a whip

Skinny as a rail

Lover of Legos

Bike riding cool

Maker of jokes 

(What is the best way to fall and not hurt yourself? By falling asleep) 

Bookworm to the core

Discovering his inner artist

Sparkly-eyed little guy

Colombian Blog

i have been reading this Colombian travel and lifestyle blog for a few months now and read a post today I wanted to pass a long.  You can follow this blog too by checking it out from the list of blogs we follow on the right side of this page.  But I'll make it easier for you today by providing a link:

http://www.mantarayatravel.com/blog/return-to-my-roots-a-journey-back-to-the-land-i-long-ago-left

Weekend in Sasaima

We were invited to spend the weekend at a friend's finca last weekend.  Finca translates to farm, but it's no longer a working farm.  Think weekend house(s).  Years ago, the farm was a place for processing coffee.  In fact, the giant vat that once held millions of coffee beans on their way to become tasty coffee was turned into a lap pool.  

Only about and hour and a half or two hours from Bogota, it made for a easy escape.  We enjoyed the pool, the peaceful surroundings and of course a lot of eating.  The home was designed by our friend's father.  It sits above a raging river and much of the common living spaces are open to the elements.  Our bedrooms were completely enclosed to keep out mosquitos and other pesky bugs, but the walls could not keep out the sound of the roaring river.  It took a while to get used to the sound of the river at night, but by our 3rd night, we were able to sleep easily with the rushing water right outside.

Because of the warmth of the pool and the warm temperature at a lower elevation, we were in the pool all hours of the day and night.

Christmas in California

We spend a glorious 2 1/2 weeks in California for the winter break. We spent lots of time with our family and friends, saw the Pacific Ocean, celebrated Dempsey's birthday early with some friends and had a great New Year's Eve.

4 of the 6 cousins

New Year's Eve dinner

Dempsey's "not-birthday" party at Expedition Island

Mary's Pizza after the climbing, zipping and swinging.

Thanks to all our friends and family who helped make an awesome break!  Can't wait to see you all next summer!