We first met Bill in 1993 when he was running AOL's Electronic Schoolhouse. He was directly responsible for us getting involved with AOL, first as volunteer tutors then as employees. One of our fondest memories of our AOL days was spending a Christmas vacation with Bill and Gloria in Florida, picking fresh grapefruit off their trees for breakfast,

Soon after, Bill moved to Colombia, South America where he still lives. When he heard about Slightly Creaky he agreed to write a series of articles about Americans who retire to places outside the United States. His insight of life in Colombia has been well received and we hope he continues to contribute.

 (See full list of articles in the left column)

 

Food in Colombia

Hello again. This month I will be telling about food and cooking here in Colombia. Since food is such a vital part of our lives, it reflects what our lives really are like. In rural areas such as Somondoco, cooking is traditionally done, at least in part, with wood fires.

Most farms have ovens made from our local clay soil. They look like bee hives and are elevated to a comfortable working height.  The man in this picture is showing the long handled paddle used   to put the things into the oven. The wood is used to heat the oven then bread; rolls actually are baked in the oven. The flavor is slightly different from oven cooked breads. Even more surprising is that soups are cooked over a wood fire.  Most country cooks have a big ole pot, large enough to make a large quantity of soup and black on the outside from countless wood fires.

My favorite soup is called Sancocho de Galina. Here chickens roam freely and after several years of producing eggs they contribute the basic ingredient for the Sancocho. In the soup pot add water, ripe plantains, potatoes (white and criolla), yucca, chopped onions, a bay leaf, and garlic, salt.

Set the pot over a wood fire, stir, and cook until the tough old bird gets tender. By this time the potatoes will have disintegrated enough to thicken the broth. The Criolla Potatoes are common enough in the country in most of Colombia. They are small round potatoes with yellow flesh. Because they are smaller they disintegrate faster than the white ones. Yucca also is a thickener. An interesting note is that yucca is sold in the US as tapioca which has no similarity to the original roots.

My favorite form of meat is called Carne Llanero. It is also cooked over a wood fire.  Slabs of meat are threaded onto hardwood straight sticks about 4 ft long. The sticks are thrust into the ground around the open fire. The closeness and angle are varied as the meat cooks. The sticks are rotated and moved so that the meat cooks evenly. The meat is brushed with beer during cooking.  It is delicious.  It is so good and so easy that there are many vendors of this meat during the Fiestas and Ferias (Parties and Fairs). This is what town wide celebrations are called.

I usually buy whole beef tenderloins and cut them. There is a small round part of the tenderloin along the top of the larger round part. This small round part contains a tendon. To use this, I cut it into chunks like stew beef. In our household we have visitors many times with no warning. When we get visitors I put frozen pieces in a pressure saucepan with a couple of inches of water, 4 bouillon cubes, and a teaspoon of accent some Accent (MSG) and a teaspoon of garlic paste. Close the cooker and cook under pressure 45 minutes. When finished thicken the broth with flour and serve with rice.

Gloria has a special rice dish she cooks sometimes, Coca Cola Rice. First brown some fine pasta, fideos or angel hair for example, toast in a frying pan until brown (Not Black). Put the white rice in a pot or rice cooker (we use the cooker) add Coke and water in equal quantities.  For 1 cup rice, use 1.5 cups each of water and Coke, a tsp of salt, a tablespoon of oleo and the pasta. Cook as usual; add more water if needed for the tenderness you want.

Other varieties of rice we like are: is to mix in sesame seeds that have been toasted in a dry frying pan or coconut (shredded) and raisins. An alternative to mix in pineapple using the juice to replace a half of the water and add some raisins before cooking,  Since rice is produced in Colombia, rice is part of just about every meal in Colombia.

The mixing of fruit and meat is very popular. For a different appetizer try this: wrap pitted prunes with strips of bacon and bake in medium hot oven until the bacon is crisp, turn once or twice.
My favorite recipe is for chicken. Use an electric frying pan (important), Chicken Legs and Orange soda. Tear or cut off the fat from the legs and put ion the Frying pan and render the grease. Brown the leg pieces with medium to high heat, turning frequently until browned. Reduce the temperature to simmering and add garlic salt to taste, ½ tsp Accent, and about 3 liters of Orange Soda a little bit at a time. Give the soda time to boil off and turn the chicken frequently to coat with the sauce. When the Orange Sauce is cooked to a thick paste the chicken should be fall off the bone tender. You can add some caned mushrooms if you like.

The other attached pictures are from our favorite restaurant, Vacalandia. The fish is raised locally in one of the ponds on the grounds of the restaurant.

They are making Arepas de la laja, or corn cakes cooked on stones. The arepas are mixed with cuajada, sort of like the curds from cottage cheese and cooked on banana leaves then browned by the wood fire.

Servings are generous. This platter has pork loin, beef steak and chicken breast. This is one serving! Cost is about $6.00 USD with the side dishes included.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is getting too long so that is enough for this month, so until July take care and live well, I am. Write if you have any comments at w_turley@yahoo.com

Bill  & Gloria Turley
Finca Picaflores
Somondoco, Boyaca
Colombia

 

My Place in Paradise

My Place in Paradise

Hi again, this month I am going to deal with a very practical topic. How with no savings, no investments and small income, I found my place in paradise.

I moved to Colombia in August 1997, as an imported teacher at an English school.  I loved the country, my wife’s family and the people, so I decided to stay. I waited until I could take an early Social Security retirement, at age 62. I spent the intervening years to get to know as much of Colombia as I could. My income actually stopped months before I got my first SSA Check. We squeaked by thanks to a small rental income that my wife received. Really it was a godsend because as the months rolled on the unpaid balance mounted.

I used the letter of notification from SSA to negotiate with the same bank we had been using since we moved to Colombia. I applied for a personal loan in the amount of $30 million COP, or about $15,000 USD. This was a personal loan secured by my SSA income with life insurance as a security with the bank as the beneficiary. When my accumulated check finally arrived at the US Embassy and with credit at the bank I started the process. The accumulated check amounted to about $7,000 USD so with $45 million COP I was set.

I wanted to avoid a mortgage because they were generally balloon types and I wanted my home to be free and clear ASAP. The load was a 5 year loan with reasonable monthly payments. All the time I was waiting and fretting about the check, we were looking for the right place for us to buy or build.  After looking at or calling about 280 parcels we found the right spot here in Somondoco. The land was $18 million and the seller was willing to hold 2 million to be paid within a year.

I had the placa or foundation pad built as soon as I closed on the land, November 14, 2003, cost was about $3 million. It needed to cure before the house could be built. I decided to buy a prefab house due to the ability to fix costs. The house was built to my design and is quite large, 3BR, 2 Bath and was completed for $20 million. From that point on it was pay as you go, while we still had $6 million of the original amount that had to cover many incidentals such as moving, furniture, electric, plumbing etc.

On December 18th the house arrived in 2 dump trucks and a stake truck and we would soon see the design take shape from the paper image to the hard reality. The house was built in 2 days and a half. Day one: all the walls were put up, Day 2: the supports for the roof and the roof itself and on the last half day the windows, doors and veranda were put in place. Our house was completed on December 21.  We had a celebration that afternoon and the next day started to make the house livable. We had a Family Christmas party for Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) and went to our new home on December 26.  We spent our first night in our home 6 weeks after closing.

Now 5 years later we have been working on our house as we had the money.  Step by Step, Built in Kitchen, Exterior stucco, A summer house (Kiosko), Gate and entry way and so on and on. 

 

The original personal loan has been paid off and now we are totally in the black.  It has not been easy but we are proof that it is doable here in this beautiful country.

 

Bill  & Gloria Turley
Finca Picaflores
Somondoco, Boyaca
Colombia

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Somondoco in Pictures

Somondoco in Pictures

Hello again, this month we will be trying something new. I have set up an album of pictures.

I will tell you about the pictures and then you can go and look at them.  Click on each to enlarge them. There are links to some of the pictures in the article.
 
If you drive into Somondoco from the small city of Guateque, you know you have arrived when the road splits with shrubs in the middle. It has been a half hour drive over roads in poor repair, but you have arrived.

Notice the big covered area on the right side, this is the Market Plaza. It is mainly used for Market Day which is held every Tuesday. Tejo competitions are also held here for the serious tejo players. Tejo is somewhat like horseshoes but with a tejo rather than a horse shoe. A tejo is a round thick iron disk about 3 inches in diameter and 1.5 inched thick. It is thrown at a metal pipe imbedded in a slopping ramp of clay.   A gunpowder cap is put on the pipe and the object is to throw the tejo and hit and explode the cap.  The length is about 30 meters.

On the left side there is a curved structure, this is the Bull Ring. Several times a year the structure plays host to Becerradas and maybe Bull Fights. The Becerradas are with bad tempered cows rather than bulls. The people take turns with capes teasing the furious cows and trying to keep out of their way. They can really injure a careless patron.

The second picture shows one of the traditional roads into town, it goes up a sharp hill and enters town at the Main Square. Like just about all town with a Spanish Colonial influence, Somondoco is built around a Main Square anchored by the Church on one side and town offices on the opposite side.  

You can see the square and the Church in the next several photos. This Square is really the center of the social activities in the town. It serves as a meeting place, a pretty park, and the center of commerce and government.   On one end of the Square is a Store that is operated by a local handcraft cooperative. The mainly use materials that are generally discarded. They use Corn Husks and Cobs, Palm Fronds, Banana Leaves and wood and even stones. Be sure to check out the beautiful and interesting handcrafts.  It is surprising what a cute sheep can be made from a corn cob. I have several in a Nativity Set mostly crafted from corn.

The next picture is of the Nativity Scene which extends up the side of the mountain.  In September and January there are religious celebrations part of which entails a procession through the Nativity Scene and up to the summit of the Mountain. This takes about 2 hours each way.

The picture of the empty street is the main street in front of the Nativity Scene and shows how few vehicles are in town on a typical afternoon.

The coliseum is a multifunctional stadium that hosts Basketball tournaments, Folk Dancing Competitions and just about any similar activity. If there is nothing officially scheduled there is usually a basketball game or Minifotbal (soccer) game going on.

The yellow sign marks our supermarket and Hotel. There are nice clean rooms available for about $10 per night with Hot Water showers and TV.

One community has become very active in remodeling and maintaining their neighborhood. A second Handcraft shop and a neighboring Carpenter are important in this project.

Somondoco has a small health center for routine and emergency treatments. There is also a new and fully equipped ambulance. Both are on call 24/7.

There are really few signs identifying businesses. This house on the corner doesn’t have any sign yet it sells hundreds of “Popsicles” or Frozen Juice on a stick. They offer about 30 different delicious flavors, many of which I had not heard of.

I really hope you have enjoyed this little Tour of Somondoco with me. Maybe you can come in person one day. Please give feedback if you liked this approach to the column.

Write me with any questions and comments, I would love to hear from you at w_turley@yahoo.com or  bill@somondoco.ws

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Walk Around My Yard

Walk Around My Yard

Hi again. This month I will continue with the format I introduced last month and take you on a walk around my yard. I will talk about each of the pictures as we go along.

The first photo is of a plant that is quite common around town and country. These spectacular plants with several inch long trumpets which bloom several times a year. Note: Help me out: In all cases of plants that are not identified properly please send me an e-mail giving me the correct names. I have been at a loss to name lot of my flowers.

Poinsettias are very common both in gardens and the wild. They eventually grow into a 20 ft tree.  The flowers are beautiful for most of the year.  The foliage is also nice. These make a nice edge of our yard next to the quebrada.

This interesting drab “thing” is actually an orchid getting ready for a spectacular display every year, near the first of the year. Last season we had 5 gorgeous blossoms that spread over about a month.

We like to surround ourselves with flowers and foliage; these delicate flowers are in a hanging planter hanging in the Kiosko. There are 6 hanging planters around 3 sides of the kiosko. The orchid is adjacent to the kiosko too.

I have always loved Morning Glories. From my childhood in New York’s Finger Lakes, I have planted Morning Glories. When we moved here I was anticipating having them again after several years without. There were several showy walls in and around town covered with them. So I planted several packages of different colored Morning Glories and waited for the flowers.  FAILURE, after they germinated and produced a couple of flowers they died.  After this happened several years in a row I gave up, and then we got a cutting from our close friends who also have a finca near here. We have now had a series of flowers as the vine climbed to the top of that slim tree. There are usually flowers on display, as you can see in the photos from the ecology column.

Some of the most spectacular flowers on the finca are:

Hibiscus. Each plant has flowers several times a year but in the entire yard there are always the showy blooms like this pretty pink one.

Weeds are even pretty as this tiny ¾ “yellow flower shows.

I have frequently referred to the quebrada. This is a heavily wooded ravine that follows a good sized stream which marks one edge of my land. Gloria’s sister recently bought the land across the quebrada from our house. You can see how dense the growth is near the quebrada. This is a year-round stream with the name Quebrada Honda (Deep Ravine). Going into the quebrada is like going into the rain forest.

This is a new resident which seems to be a Hydrangea

This little bush with the yellow candle-like flowers came here in the same car load as Wrinkles and the fire place.

Every year these beauties come up in the most unexpected places. They are wild and even bloom in the middle of the road (dirt of course). I call them Trillium but I really don’t know what they are.

This is a shot of the front of the house.  Really not much of the house is visible from the front or the end towards the road due to the large growth of the foundation plantings. Remember as you look at these photos that most of the plants were planted within the last five years. You can see my companion is helping me with the photo walk.

This is an old Guava tree that we put a few strands of Spanish Moss on. We pulled the Spanish Moss off of some trees along the route from Bogota when we were just getting settled here. It has flourished. The dark green plant growing up the trunk is a Bougainvillea that did nothing for several years then took off and blooms a couple of times a year. Wrink like to eat grass but he is VERY selective in which blades he will eat.

This is a close up of the Yellow Candle Bush.

A red Flame Bush.

This cluster of pretty blue flowers that are favorites of both Hummingbirds and Butterflies

The next 2 pictures show the area where Tejo is played. This is the Boyacense (Colombian) equivalent of horseshoes where a metal disk (tejo) is thrown at a target some 50 feet away. Explosive caps are placed on the metal pipe imbedded in the clay, points are scored by exploding the caps.

The next 2 pictures are the front fence where we have shrub backed up by African Tulip trees. The trunk is shown in a close up next to the baby palm. This trunk is about 10” in diameter and the plants are only 5 years old. They started to bloom in their 2nd year.

(We now go to picture page two.)

Cups of Gold grace the entry way with blooms just about all year long.

These colorful reddish flowers are on a couple of weeds that just appear anywhere.  Other people pull them out but I leave them because they are as pretty as many domestic flowers.

One of the most famous plants in the world,  here by our driveway, Coffee. This is a branch showing how the bean actually grow.  When the beans are ripe the look a lot like cherries. When these ripen I will show you how they are prepared to ship to your coffee shop

These tall shrubs line the driveway. They are about 20 ft tall and only 4years old. Almost everything on the finca is that age.

A couple of Daisies with 2 or the hundreds of insects we have here

An unknown compositae we are growing in a planter.

Now we are back where we started at the poinsettia hedge.

I hope you have enjoyed this walk with me, let me know what you think about it.

More next month, take care and come visit if you can or write if you can’t, to either of my e-mail addresses   bill@somondoco.ws  or w_turley@yahoo.com.

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House Construction

House Construction

Hello again from the slopes of the Emerald Mountain. This month I am responding to a visit from a reader of this column, Bill Stewart. When Bill came to visit after studying this column for a long while, he had lots of questions. His lovely Colombian wife accompanied him and helped him bring a large package of Goodies from the States.

Many of Bill’s questions were concerning the actual construction of our house, so I dug out the photos I took during the process of construction. The original photos were taken on VERY outdated film left over from my days as a professional photographer in the US. The color was horrible so first I had to scan the old pix and try to correct the color. The album, House History, is that collection of pictures.

When we purchased the lot, I knew that I needed to learn more about the lot before we started to tear it apart. I vowed to myself and the land to act with nature not against it. I spent many hours just communing with the land, its topography, the microclimate and anything else that the land wanted to communicate with me. While sitting there (photo 1) the nearest neighbor reported to his mature daughter that Papa Noel was sitting in the lot. Of course she didn’t believe such nonsense and that lead to our meeting of our dear friend and neighbor, Dora. Her friendship has meant so much to both Gloria and I.

The next 2 photos show the Backhoe, here called the Retro, preparing the land for the house. I was adamant in minimal disruption of the existing ecosystem.  In fact only one tree needed to be removed.

After the Retro was finished the driveway needed a great deal of work before material could be delivered to build the placa. The soil has a high clay component so is very soft when it is really saturated, and loves to trap vehicles. You can see the rope being used to move this 4WD truck out of the mud. We put fill on the driveway several time over the intervening years, I think we have hit bottom with our last load of gravel.

The slab under construction, here it is called the Placa. You can see from the shot of the Front Edge how much of a gradient exists under the placa. We used large rocks from an old fence dividing our two lots to reduce the amount of concrete and give more strength.

Gloria is talking to the driver of this red dump truck which is the first of three trucks bringing our house to Somondoco.

The next 3 photos show what the house looked like when it arrived.
       The House   
       Eternit Roofing
       Doors and the Veranda

The process of construction started with a corner wall and continued around the house. The photo of Gloria was taken in the early afternoon of the first day. You can see how fast the work progressed. The company, Servivienda, sent 2 technicians and we supplied 4 workers and Heiner our regular contractor.

Day 2 was devoted to putting up the supports and trusses and placing the roofing in place.The photo titled dancing shows one reason why the work went as fast as it did. The technicians each had an oil drum that they used as a movable platform from which to work. They danced (wiggled) on the top to make the barrel move to where they wanted to work so they didn’t have to get down.  The roof was finished late afternoon on the second day.
       The Kitchen
       The Back Corner

The third day was the day for finishing touched such as the railings around the patio, the doors and the window glass.  The crew left about 1:30 after sharing a case of beer with the local workers.  The actual work time was about 24 hours over 2.5 days. The company had scheduled 6 days for the job but the work went very fast, I think due to the rapid work of the local workers.

Fighting mud was a major concern and we started to plant flowers and bushes immediately. The next picture is the installation of our final septic system. The process was to dig a pit about 2.5meters cubed then lined with special bricks that are made for this purpose, laid out the leach beds and done.

While I was going through the old albums I came across the three baby pictures of Wrinkles which you can compare with one taken last week at the same location. Note also the difference in the shrubs in front of the bench.
       Our First Minute Together
       Baby Portrait
       Wrinkles and Shoes
       Wrinkles Today

It was really very nice to meet one of the readers of this column, and I think I have a new friend in the person of Bill Stewart. Maybe some other of you, my readers would like to visit also. Write me if your travels take you to Colombia. My e-mail is either w_turley@yahoo.com or bill@somondoco.ws So until next month, live well.

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Farming in Colombia

 

Farming in Colombia

(Complete Picture Gallary)

Hello again from the verdant slopes of the Emerald Mountain. Here at Finca Picaflores we do not have any farming activities. We just have a lot of flowers for my wife and big dog to enjoy. We love to have visitors to share this slice of paradise with.

After living most of my life in agricultural areas in the US, Upstate NY and The Glades area of Florida. I am no stranger to farming and equipment. I spent many a hot day haying and putting the heavy bales in my barn. So when I moved to Colombia and more so, Somondoco, I was very aware of the differences.  Nearly every farm with more than a few acres had a tractor in the US. Lawns were cut by rotary mowers and fields were cut with mowing machines or Bush Hogs.  When I came to Colombia I very quickly noticed that there were very very few lawn mowers. Here they use weed whackers to cut most lawns.  Since I don’t play golf I don’t know what they use on them.

Here is a picture of our Gardener, Reynell, cutting the lawn near the Kiosko where I was in exile while his sister was cleaning the house. Wrinkles is OK about Rey but he doesn’t think anyone should mess with my things, so when Flor is here we are exiled.

Flor is a single mother with a very nice boyfriend. He lives quite close to our finca. He is a hard worker like most people are in the countryside.  He has a team of Oxen that he uses to do work for other farmers. I asked him to come by so I could show you what an ox team looks like. Juan made the plow and yoke. He only bought the nose rings and the rope used to lash the yoke to the horns of the oxen.

People here are really self sufficient and don’t just buy things they can make for themselves. In the area there are only 2 old tractors and of those 2 only one is used much. Remember in this township there are 17,000 people and only about 25 cars, trucks and tractors.

The next pictures show what was waiting at my gate one mid-morning. The oxen were slow moving and not very alert. When they got moving they just kept moving at a slow and steady rate, just about a slow walking speed, when they come to resistance they just keep moving unless it becomes impossible.

The team that came with Juan were several years old and massive animals. They carried the plow in an inverted and reversed position. (Pictures 4 & 5) To get to work the plow needed to be freed and reversed (#6 & 7). Then comes the difficult process of getting the plow between the 2 very large sluggish animals (#8 thru 13).

The next pictures show the method of securing the plow to the yoke. These yoke are very different from those used, historically in the US. These are just the top with curves for the necks and lashing to attach to the horns. A large wooden pin secures the plow shaft to the Yoke body. 

Picture 16 shows Juan Bueno with his goad which is used to motivate and control the team.

The reminder of the pictures show the team equipped and ready to plow. Juan charges about $20 a day and can plow about 3 acres of good soil. Harder and rocky soil is a slower job.

Again I invite any comments and e-mails. If you have a topic for me to explore with you, please send me an e-mail at w_turley@yahoo.com or bill@somondoco.ws

Next month we will be visiting a handcraft shop or 2 and seeing what and how they make thing from the local materials.

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Colombian Crafts

Colombian Crafts

(Complete Picture Gallary)

Hi Again from the slopes of the Emerald Mountain. This month I want to share some of the handcrafted line from Somondoco. For those of you fortunate enough to be in the Capital Area, Bogota, many of these items will be available at the huge Expoartensias Exposition at Co ferias.  If you ever visit my beautiful village take some of these delightful gifts, home with you. The Pictures are posted at PhotoBucket. (There are far more pictures posted in the gallary than we link to here.)

My beautiful wife is a very skilled handcrafter and she made the big sign that hangs over our Entry Gate.  The first photo is the sign that welcomes visitors to our paradise.

The next series of photos show one of the Cooperative Members working on a skirt made from dried banana leaves and corn husks. There are a couple of the finished clothing items a colorful top and a full dress. These clothing items are used during festivals and celebrations and most often by members of the Folk Dancing Teams. A full length custom made dress sells for about $200.

On the more economical side here are belts and wallets made from the same local raw materials. You can see one of the Artisans working on the binding on a belt. The low-cost or free local materials are used in the creation of many imaginative projects.  One outstanding example is this liquor Serving Set with decorations around a glass base. Many types of belts are made here including these colorful belts and buckles. They also make a wide variety of boxes and baskets like the sets shown here.

The next photo is an assortment of containers for small objects such as candies and cookies. They are available in just about any size.  What a nice way to present a loved one with a batch of homemade chocolates.

My beautiful wife Gloria is holding and wearing some of the many types of hats made here. A wide variety of colorful earrings is also made from local materials.

Another selection of Handcrafts can be found at the house of Casilda, who is here making a custom doll for a couple of our prospective teachers.  The next couple of photos are a couple of the many variety of Dolls offered here. The third beauty in a crocheted blue and white frock was made by Dora, our favorite neighbor. This gal comes either sitting on a stool or designed to sit prettily on a spare roll of TP. More photos of the variety of dolls and figures many with distinctive local costumes.

Here in Colombia there is NO discussion of the political correctness of Christmas. In this Country which is 90% Catholic, the Holiday Season is the time to honor the reason for the season. Religious observances start on December 8 and continue until January 15. The next several photos show parts of the different types of Nativity scenes that make up a significant portion of every family’s Holiday decorations.  There is also a shot under the tree at the Community Health Center.

The two baskets show the great detail of these pieces. These baskets are about the diameter of a quarter.

Following are several magnets with whimsical bugs. Then is a wreath, just one of many offered in keeping with the importance of the Holiday Season to all Colombians.

There are artists who paint on wood or use other materials to create the images. There is also the service of making unique items to commemorate special days in a family’s life.

The last 8 images are from the counters at the Community Health Center to promote some of their services such as Dentistry and Pre-natal care.

This little town has a wealth of traditions and customs that will make any visitor welcome and fascinated as it has me.

As usual I welcome any e-mails with comments or suggestions. Contact me at bill@somondoco.ws or w_turley@yahoo.com . So until next year have a great time over the Holidays.

 Bill  & Gloria Turley
Finca Picaflores
Somondoco, Boyaca
Colombia

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Scattered Thoughts About Somondoco

 

Scattered Thoughts About Somondoco

(Complete Picture Gallary)

Happy New Year from the slopes of the Emerald Mountain. This month I will be touching on several timely but unrelated topics. I am really running out of ideas for future columns so PLEASE make some suggestions and / or ask questions.  Send any questions and Ideas either to this website or to me directly at w_turley@yahoo.com  Please put "Column" in the subject line.

Christmas is a big thing at this time of year. The celebrations start with the Day of The Immaculate Conception, December 8th and continue to Three Kings Day which is January 11th this year. There is no question of the “Reason for the Season” as this is a Catholic Country with a population more than 90% Catholics. The church holds community masses on the 9 days before Christmas coupled with parades and celebrations every day.

I was approached and asked for help with a project to give presents to about 450 kids from the town and surrounding area. A young lady who moved away from Somondoco organized and promoted this very successful activity. There are 3 photos of me helping out with this very worthy project.  

The next two photos show the lights placed around the Town Square for the whole Christmas Season.  They really are much prettier because the different colors don’t show very well.

The next pictures show what really happens before you get your cup of coffee. We have a few coffee plants along our driveway. We give the beans to our maid and her brother who is our gardener because we really don’t produce enough to make processing them worthwhile. There are 2 ways of processing coffee. First I will explain the “Proper” system, which is what is done by all growers who intend to sell the beans.

The beans are picked when they are ripe and dark red. This is very labor intensive as the beans ripen at different times and must therefore be evaluated and picked by hand. The same bush needs to be picked 4 or more times. This is the same for both systems but the differences start after the beans (Cherries) are harvested. The cherries are depulped.  Small growers use a hand powered machine that cuts through the cherry and allows the 2 kernels to be separated from the skin and pulp. You can see this in the 2 pictures which follow the entire beans.

The sticky pulp is further removed by washing the kernels for at least 24 hours. This uses a lot of water, by the way. Some fermentation occurs during this portion of the process. Then these kernels are thoroughly dried preferably in direct sunshine.  This takes several days.

I have driven through a small town nearby that has a coffee industry (Guyata) and seen tarps covered with beans drying on sidewalks and yards.  When these beans are thoroughly dried they may be sold or if they are to be roasted they need to have the husks removed. This can be seen in the close up photo.

The other system, which I only just learned about from our maid, Flor, is much simpler. They take the whole cherries and dry them without depulping.  Then they rub the thoroughly dry beans between their hands to remove the skins and husks. The finished product is much darker using this method. Since I don’t drink coffee, I can’t evaluate the two methods. The roasting takes place in the same adobe ovens I showed in an earlier column.

My wife and I have had a conflict for all the years we have been living here. I have always liked to cook and have some waterless cookware that my mother bought when I was about 6 years old. It was put in storage along with a mixer, juicer and other cooking things that my wife said we didn’t have space for in our new kitchen. I designed that kitchen with these things in mind but she commandeered the counter space with decorative baskets and a very pretty model of a farm kitchen.

Well since many of my things were in storage and since we were renting a storage room, I decided to build a storeroom /kitchen.  There are photos of this new structure showing the kitchen with its big windows, and the rear door, then Wrinkles waiting to go out the front door and finally the rear entrance from near the kiosko.

The next three photos show the creativity or the community. This is the “door” for the men’s room in a local small restaurant. The close up views show the construction from beer bottle caps crimped around monofilament line.

The next and last photos show the system of cooking for Fiestas in town. The form of cooking is Llanero. The vendors just build their fired in the road and cook and sell their wares.

So until next time I will wish you a great new year and really hope you will come to my rescue with some questions and ideas.

Bill  & Gloria Turley

Finca Picaflores
Somondoco, Boyaca
Colombia

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Adapting to a Very Different Life Style

 

Adapting to a Very Different Life Style

(Picture Gallery)

Last month I asked for idea for this and future columns. One suggestion was to let you know how I spend my time, so that those of you thinking about retiring here or a similar place, could see how you could adapt to the very different life style.

I was a teacher and administrator for over 35 years, after spending 10 years in biomedical research. So for 45 years I had to be at work before 8:00 (7:00 most of the later years). Now suddenly I didn’t have to be anywhere at any time.

That took a while to accept and adapt to. For those years I really didn’t have much time for ME. While many people want to retire to do something, I really wanted a chance to do nothing.

This morning while thinking about what I was going to share with you all, I noticed what I was doing while I was doing nothing. I woke up when the sunshine coming through the blinds warmed my face; it was about 8:00. After getting dressed and brushing hair and teeth (no shaving, ever), I went outside for my morning walk with my Bull Mastiff. This walk doesn’t cover much ground, we both like to sniff around and stare off into space.

I stopped to enjoy some fresh roses on the Mother’s Day Rose, they smelled great, and so did a few gardenias nearby. As we got close to the front of the house I stopped and sat in a chair that I have left there.

I was enjoying the clear fresh air when I heard the whirring of a couple of hummingbird’s wings. That required a closer look at their activities taking place about 4 feet away. They were feeding on the Red Ball Bush.

After they left I moved on to return to the house. Wrinkles was reminding me about his “Crunchy” which I got out of the refrigerator for him. His crunchies are the material left over after beef fat has been rendered.  It was now starting to get warmer, when I started out the temperature was about 65° and now was over 70°.

The second phase of my day then started, I went into my study and turned on the computer and TV system. I handled my e-mail (30 new mails), checked out the Poor But Happy web page which I help moderate and spent time looking at the Red Ball bush which is outside my study window. The hummers were not there now. I put my hand down beside my chair and felt it rest on a big furry head.

Time to eat, as I am getting hungry. So I had 2 hard boiled eggs, a multigrain roll and a cup of iced tea.

I am trying.

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From the Slopes of the Emerald Mountain

 

From the Slopes of the Emerald Mountain

Hello again from the slopes of the Emerald Mountain.  I have been watching the news about the horrible weather in the North Eastern Us, this prompted me to discuss a little bit about what it means to live in the tropics. Much to my surprise living in the tropics is not synonymous with living where it is hot. In fact Bogota is quite cool, uncomfortably so much of the time. 

What it really means is there is no change of seasons. Seasonality is caused by the inclination of the Earth on its axis. The portion further away from the sun is cooler until is become the part closer to the sun when it becomes warmer hence summer. That portion of the Earth between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn is really the same distance from the sun year around. What the effect of this phenomenon is is to eliminate seasonal changes.

Here in Somondoco we are at 4° 30” North of the equator, well within the tropical zone, so we have no seasonal temperature changes. The only variable is rainfall which does follow a pattern over the year. The driest time of the year is December and January and the wettest is August and September.

This variability has more effect on plant growth cycles than does the temperature. Some plants have continual growth and production cycles. Check out the picture of coffee that I took recently. You can clearly see that there are both beans and flowers on the same branches. This plant is the same one that I showed you with the mature (red) beans a couple of months ago.  This does show that coffee production is very labor intensive and almost constant harvesting can be inferred. As I showed you before the beans ripen at various times and several times a year. That is so unlike farming in the US and Canada where most crops are very seasonal and few produce more than once a year.

We do have seasonable flowers. The most spectacular example is our beautiful Catelya Orchid. It is unfortunate that this striking flower only blooms once a year in February.

Insects and the related life forms also have seasonal populations. Scorpions, for example, are found more in November and December that the rest of the year. Other insects are affected by the rainfall rather than other factors. Lightning bugs are only seen when there are very wet conditions.  Some insects are forced to relocate due to greater ground water. This is best demonstrated by the explosion of new anthills when the rainy season starts. We are just now starting to get rain several times a week and I found 10 new anthills that we need to burn. There are 3 in our driveway right now.

The end of the dry season is the time for cane harvesting; this is the chosen time so it is easier to burn off the leaves leaving the stalks which hold the most sugar. There are small neighborhood mills that process the sugar into panela and guarpo. It is very hard to find either brown sugar or molasses in Colombia. Actually that is because they are together in the panela. Agua de panela is a common hot drink.

Guarpo is the drink of workers and is a fermented drink made from the panela and water with an active guarpo culture added to stimulate the proper fermentation. When we have workers doing a project the contractor brings his large plastic jug of guarpo which he made the night before, for his crew.

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Auto Repairs

Auto Repairs

This past month was very expensive in the car department. I thought I would itemize the work and service performed and the total cost for comparison with your costs.  

In Colombia, older cars have to have a comprehensive inspection including visual components. Such things as torn seats are bad marks and while one would not reject the car they are totaled and the total must be less than 10. Our car is a 1996 Samurai 3 door. The rear seat is pretty much Wrinkles' seat. Wrink, with his activity, weight and sharp claws, he just about totally destroyed his seat.

OK the list of work:
>  New Bucket seats in the front
>  New Bench seat in the rear
>  Two new Tires (205-75/15) All Terrain, General Grabber AT2
>  Welding on the muffler to make it quieter
>  Replace one leaf on each of two sets of leaf springs
>  Tune-up and timing
>  New spark plugs
>  Check all bulbs and replace all that are needed
>  Oil Change
>  Replace all filters (airfoil gas)
>  Lube
>  Wash inside and out
>  Pick up the car at my finca (Wednesday)
    
I had to take the car to Tunja (3.5 hours away) have it inspected, pay the $135,000 COP fee,  They returned the car to my finca on Saturday morning with everything done.

Think about all these jobs and the parts and labor, the time involved etc. We paid $1,400,000 COP or about $700 USD There are pictures of the the new seat, it already has a mud smear, and you can see what happens to the rear seat.

 

Hey readers, I really am getting to the bottom of my ideas, if you want to know something about living or retire to Colombia just ask and if I don’t know I will find out.

(To contact Bill, please send an E-mail to w_turley@yahoo.com)

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Answering Your Questions

 

Answering Your Questions:
Funerals, Climate, and Garage Sales

Hello everyone from the sunny side of the Emerald Mountain.  Today is a bright and sunny day after several cloudy days with the onset of the rainy season. Strange as it is, most of the rain fall nights and most days are sunny. For the last week we have had a couple of rainy days and generally cloudy ones. The sun is welcome.

I have had requests for information on several topics and will cover three of them this week.  One faithful reader asked about a not very happy subject, funeral practices.

Things are very different here compared to the practices I am familiar with in the US.  Embalming is not generally practiced.  Viewing is with the body lying in a sealed casket with a clear viewing shield covering the upper part of the body. Needless to say funerals are held very soon after death. 

Crypts and mausoleums are usually reused after the previous user has been reduced to mostly dust. Some people who can afford it can buy a permanent resting place for the exclusive use of a loved one. The above ground areas here in Somondoco are used for 5 years (or more) before the next casket is inserted. The below ground “graves are permanent.    

My wife’s family has a mausoleum in the large cemetery in downtown Bogota. This was purchased by Gloria’s father who was a Supreme Court Justice for Gloria’s mother who was killed in a car accident when Gloria was about 8. The grave space for her is permanent as is the space for her father. Around these two graves there is a wall with many crypts for individual caskets. These get reused for lesser family members. 

This is a very religious country and that fact is demonstrated by the process of masses after the death and at intervals thereafter. Our dear neighbor, Dora, has lost both parents and two brothers since we have been living here, so we have been made aware of the practices. Hearses here in Somondoco are converted pickup trucks rather than limos.

I took pictures of the cemetery in Somondoco so you can get a feel for the physical reality of the final resting places.

Remember these are OLD cemeteries that have been continuous use for over 500 years. Think of the number of generations that are represented over this length of time. The overall size of the cemetery has really not expanded.

 

Another reader what was the main difference I have noticed during the 13 years I have been living here.

Probably the 2 biggest differences that I have had to adjust to and really understand viscerally are seasons and climate.  Now after so many years with no contact with seasonal changes such as is experienced in the US, I really need to stop and think back to what happens at what time of the year.

For several years I found myself still thinking about the 4 seasons. Now finally that has disappeared.  If I didn’t watch US TV I really would have no idea about the weather in the US.  It has been nice to see photos of the horrible weather this winter with warm breezes blowing through my open window. I really appreciate the fact that I have flowers blooming all year around. There are some special, once a year flowers such as Orchids and Lilies. There is one flower similar to a trillium but colored like a tiger lily. These bulb propagated wild flowers come up through the roadways and yards every year. If they bloom before I send this column to Hal I will include some photos of them.

PS They still haven't bloomed But I have included some photos of a full moon over the Emerald Mountain. 

 

There has also been a question about rummage or garage sales.

One thing here that is very different from where I have lived in the US. Garage sales! In the US. Garage sales, yard sales, and rummage sales are very common. In South Florida I remember that it was a rare weekend when there were no sales in the area.  Here they are very uncommon. Buying clothes from consignment shops in the US is a very common practice. Here it is considered very low to wear used clothes and most people won’t do it.

Keep sending me questions and ideas and if you ever decide to visit paradise stop by Picaflores on the slopes of the Emerald Mountain

(To contact Bill, please send an E-mail to w_turley@yahoo.com)

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Prelude to Elections

 

Prelude to Elections

FARC and Chavez have promised to try to disrupt the elections. I was thinking about taking some photos for my next column but Gloria (who is Bogota to vote) asked me please to stay home, so I scraped that plan.

The election process seems very disoriented to this Gringo, there are separate elections for local and regional elections. The mayor is elected for a 4 year term and councilmen are for 2 years (I think). Gloria is very (extremely) apolitical. She can never explain anything political so most of what I know has been from on looking. If the grandsons were here more I could have found out a lot more as they are very political. One actually has his degree in Poli Sci hence very politically interested. The other one has just finished his bar exams and law is certainly closely aligned to politics. 

The presidential election is ONLY for president and VP. There are 7 to 10 candidates in the race. If any one candidate gets 50+% he is the new president and will take office in August. If no one gets a majority there will be a runoff between the top 2 candidates next month.

The boys and actually most of the family endorse Antanus Mockus who was a very innovative mayor of Bogota. He seems to be more concerned with general wellbeing and social justice and the other candidate is the current Minister of Defense ( Santos) and would continue the war against the FARC. He is the person Uribe endorses and Chavez and FARC don't want to win.

Here in Somondoco the street in front of the coliseum, which is 2 lanes up and down, has been closed off as the polling place. That stretch was blocked yesterday and will remain closed until tomorrow. The whole country is observing the Carrot Law, which bans all sales of alcoholic beverages, from 6:00 PM Friday until 6: am Monday.

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Elections in Colombia

 

Results of Elections and Commentary

Testerday I took Gloria to the bus and noticed a very strong military presence. There is no ready distinction between soldiers and police, they both wear cameo uniforms and carry automatic weapons. There must have been 30 or more uniforms with guns in town on Saturday and I am sure today but I can't check that out due to my promise to Gloria

I have been following the the new Arizona Immigration law. Here all citizens MUST carry their National ID card called a cedula. Foreigners must either carry a copy of their passport/visa or a special Cedula Estrangera all the time. You cannot carry on any significant business without producing it. Nobody complains about it and the police can and do stop people and ask them to produce it. There are roadblocks frequently where you must produce the cedulas of all passengers as well as the documents for the car and driver's license. It is an unusual trip to Bogota without at least one reten. I would think that yesterday and today there are many more. The retens stop every vehicle including buses and everybody has to produce the cedulas. This is so much more stringent that the Arizona law.

I am continuing the narration after the final election and the winner is Juan Manuel Santos. He won by a very impressive margin of 65% while Antanas Mockus garnered 26%. There is an option here of voting “en blanco” which is to vote against all candidates with a blank ballot.  This blank ballot accounted for the 9% not cast for the 2 candidates.

It is interesting that I have not spoken to anyone pro Santos, that could be because Mockus appealed to the upper middle class. Both extremes voted for Santos or the status quo. In my personal opinion I am glad he won. I am not permitted to vote in National Elections, I am however able to vote in local elections.

The voting process is the voters go to a central location. Here in the country this is the town of Somondoco. In Bogota with 11 million people, there may be over a hundred locations. Each location has a large number of tables to which the voters are directed. Each table has the lists for a particular group of voters and distributes the physical paper ballot to be marked. This is then returned to a sealed box on the table.

There are some photos I took Sunday of the voting process. The area was cordoned off so I could not really show the tables which were arraigned inside the covered coliseum. The atmosphere is like a Fiesta and there are food booths and lots of socializing. Since the Carrot Law is in effect there is no drinking in public so the behavior is more orderly than during a fiesta. The photos are pretty self explanatory and show the day of the final voting.

           

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Colombia's Recent Achievements

 

Colombia's Recent Achievements

"As Colombian President Alvaro Uribe prepares to hand off power to his successor Juan Manuel Santos, who was elected in last week's runoff election, it is a good time to reflect on the dramatic changes the country has undergone in the past decade.

Viewing security as a top priority, President Uribe's administration took strategic steps to stabilize Latin America's oldest democracy and motivate positive change in Colombia. At the same time, in an effort to improve the country's economy, a strong focus was directed towards the attraction of foreign direct investment, and has led to increased wealth in the country.

With security and economic fundamentals vastly improved, innovation and exploration of untapped resources are now propelling Colombia forward as an emerging investment location. Increasingly recognized as a country with vast potential, Colombia's biggest challenge is to close the "image gap" between the public's perception of Colombia and Colombia's new reality.

To help understand this new reality, below are 10 things you may not know about Colombia:

1. Colombia boasts the best business environment in Latin America: According to the World Bank's 2010 Doing Business report, Colombia is the top country in Latin America to start or expand a business. This is due to recent reforms that have made the country's regulatory environment transparent and efficient, from strong property rights and investor protection to efficient court procedures and major tax incentives.

2. FDI is growing at record levels: Between 2002 and 2008 Colombia saw an increase of 400% in foreign direct investment (source: Central Bank). The country expects to see a record10 billion in total FDI in 2010 (source: National Business Association of Colombia), as companies increasingly look to tap into Colombia's traditional sectors, such as exports, mining and infrastructure. Emerging sectors, such as biofuels; IT/BPO; audio/visual production and medical tourism are also new areas attracting investment to the country.

3. The pending free trade agreement between Colombia and the US would create big benefits for the US: As a country that tripled its exports over the past 10 years (source: Colombia's National Bureau of Statistics) and is predicted to experience GDP growth of 3% - 3.5% this year (The Wall Street Journal), Colombia has made international trade a priority and is very keen to move forward with the pending free trade agreement with the US. The United States has lost corn, wheat and soybean meal sales to Brazil and Argentina in 2009 because those countries had free trade agreements with Colombia and the United States did not. With the recent passage of the EU free trade agreement, the importance of passing the US agreement is paramount.

4. Improved security strengthens investor confidence: According to Colombia's Ministry of Defense, increased military spending and coordination helped to decrease kidnappings by 90% and homicides by 45% in Colombia between 2002 and 2009. During this same period, Investment Monitor, fDi Markets, recorded a total of 81 investment projects from 64 US companies including industry giants such as Microsoft, Nike and DirecTV.

5. Innovative infrastructure fuels Colombia's growing IT market: Colombia developed some of the world's strongest IT infrastructure in order to keep information and communications secure during previous times of political unrest. Today, the country has double the telecommunications investment as a percentage of GDP--more than any other country in Latin America--and hosts a backed-up and secure Internet infrastructure, with 5 underwater cables and 212.5 Gbps capacity. Business Monitor International recently predicted Colombia, whose IT industry grew 40% between 2005 and 2007, will continue to be one of Latin America's fastest growing IT markets.

6. Colombia grows green energy from reclaimed plantations: With 6.5 million hectares of available land, the most productive sugarcane in the world and the most productive palm oil in Latin America, Colombia is dedicated to expanding its biofuels sector. The amount of biofuels required to be mixed with all gasoline and diesel sold in Colombia is set to double to 20% by 2020, creating a guaranteed market. This has allowed many rural inhabitants to engage their land in productive use to grow biofuels instead of engaging in illegal activity.

7. Colombia has a health system comparable to Sweden and Belgium: The World Health Organization recently ranked Colombia's health system as the best in Latin America and placed it on par with the renowned health systems of countries like Sweden and Belgium. With nearly 6 million Americans expected to undergo medical procedures abroad in 2010 (source: Deloitte Center for Health Solutions), Colombia is well-poised to capture many of America's "medical tourists" looking to capitalize on the country's lower procedures costs, which are typically 10-30% of costs in the US (source: Proexport Colombia).

8. Colombia is a leader in entrepreneurship: According to a 2009 ranking by the IMD World Competitiveness Center, Colombia is a regional leader in entrepreneurship, second only to Brazil. With a population of more than 45 million, one of Colombia's greatest resources is its human capital. The country has the highest labor force growth rate and the second largest availability of skilled labor in Latin America.

9. Colombia's creative class is spurring new growth in industry and tourism: Colombia's long history of creativity in literature, art and music (think Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Fernando Botero and Shakira) is growing into new opportunities for business and tourism. From the new "train to Macondo" commemorating Garcia Marquez's famous town in 100 Years of Solitude, to The Carnival of Barranquilla, proclaimed by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Creativity is also leading growth in new industries: Colombia's audio/visual production cluster is emerging as one of the country's next big opportunities, with animation studios and production houses capitalizing on the creative talent of the local people in Colombia's low-cost environment.

10. Tourism has doubled since 2002: According to The New York Times, Colombia is positioned in the tourist market as one of the most sought-after destinations for 2010. In fact, between 2002 and 2009 the number of foreign visitors arriving in Colombia jumped from 1.1 million to 2.5 million. Every day, Bogota's international airport welcomes more than 300 international flights, and in order to accommodate rising demand, over the next two years Colombia will add 7,042 hotel rooms to its list of prestigious accommodations.

Over the past decade Colombia's economy has made drastic steps forward due to a strict government focus on security and investment promotion. Various industries, from energy and IT to tourism and healthcare, have seen the fruits of these efforts. Progress is reflected by Colombia's emergence as a major world economic player, jumping six spots this year in the most recent World Competitiveness Report giving it the largest improvement in ranking of all the countries in the region.

As experts predict emerging markets will grow up to three times faster than developed countries this year and will drive global economic recovery, Colombia is well positioned for growth. With a dramatically improved business environment, partnered with innovation and competitive resources, the "new" Colombia is a country to watch in 2010. "

Borrowed from Huffington Post

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Facts About Colombia

 

Facts About Colombia

Hi there

I have posted some photos that I took these days. The “Tiger Trilliums” that I hoped for to show you in my last column finally bloomed

I have been thinking about water conservation, lately.  There is a news story about Federal Law controlling the water flow of showerheads.  This really caused me to think about my water situation. 

We have 2 different water input sources, the house water and the Fountain and Pond water. 
Really they are both from the same spring; the house water is piped directly into a storage tank from the spring and from there to the house system. The other system is piped from further down the stream and is more open. All water that is not consumed goes down the stream into the river, etc.

The fountain feeds the pond with a continual flow that meanders back to the same stream that it came from.  Some of the house water, the kitchen sink and laundry room drain into a tank that indirectly flows into a different stream. The other gray water feeds into the yard near the pond so it returns to the same stream drainage system. Black water goes into a septic system where it eventually goes into the other stream.

My point is this, I don’t consume water. The most I do is to move it from one stream to another. Water conservation is therefore a moot point as long as I don’t pollute. Incidentally the cost reflects the abundance of this utility, free.

Some Interesting Facts about Colombia

• Colombia is located in the Northwestern area of South America, and is the only South American country that has coast on both oceans (Atlantic and Pacific).

• Colombia is the 26th largest nation in the world. It consists of the second largest Spanish speaking population (after Mexico) in the world.

• Bogotá is the capital city of Colombia. This city is the largest and the most populous city in Colombia. The high altitude makes it the third highest major city in the world.

• Colombia shares its borders with Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru and Panama.

• Colombia is the country of Biodiversity due to the extreme range in topography with 3 high ranges of the Andes trisecting the country from North to South
• Colombia can be divided into 5 main regions per climate and geography. These regions are the Pacific, Andes, Amazon, Eastern Plains and the Caribbean. Each region is known for its unique geographical features.
• Colombia has the world’s greatest diversity of orchid species (3,500) and birds (1,754 species). It ranks second in amphibians and third in reptile species. Out of the 14,000 species of butterfly in the world, about 3,000 of them, or 20%, are found in Colombia.

• Colombia’s tourism has been on the rise since the 1940s. This place is known for certain festivals such as the Festival of Flowers that draws hordes of tourists every year.

• Colombia does not have any particular seasons, which is solely due to the fact that it lies close to the equator. Colombia enjoys sunlight all through the year. You can experience the tropical heat on the coasts or even the snowfall in the mountainous areas.

• Colombia is the world’s third-leading producer of women’s lingerie

• 95% of the world’s emeralds come from Colombia and is the first Latin American producer of gold, silver, coal and ferronickel.

• 12% of the world’s coffee is produced in Colombia.

• Bogotá’s airport in Colombia is the largest and most expensive in Latin America.

• Colombia is known for its diverse population. This is because of the rich history, which has resulted in a mixed population since the ancient days.

• The concept for the flag of Colombia was adopted on November 26, 1861. This flag consists of 3 horizontal stripes in yellow, blue and red color. Yellow represents the federation of Greater Colombia, blue represents independence from Spain where as red represents courage. Although the flag of Greater Colombia underwent many changes, the original horizontal tricolor stripes were finally adopted in 1861.

• Colombia is formed by two territorial zones - one that is submerged in the Pacific Ocean as well as the Caribbean Sea and the other remains to be the emerged land - the Andes mountain range and the Llanos plain.

• Bogotá, Eje Cafetero, Barranquilla, Cartagena, Santa Marta, Cali, Medellín, San Andres etc., are some of the major places that are tourist attractions in Colombia.

• Colombia is known for its multicultural society. One can see interesting influences of European, Native American, Lebanese, Middle Eastern and African cultural influences out here. Also, there is one Italian in Medellin.

• The cuisine of Colombia is as diverse as the culture of Colombia. The various food items seen here have been developed mainly due to the influences from Spain, Italy, Lebanon and France along with American cuisine, Caribbean influences and the traditional style of the Native Americans.

• The highest is the Pico Cristobal Colon at 19,020 feet.

• The total area of Colombia is around 440,831 square miles (1,140,000 square kilometers). This area is said to be approximately equal to the areas of Portugal, France and Spain put altogether.

• The name Colombia has been derived from the name of Christopher Columbus. The name underwent few changes until finally; the Republic of Colombia was adopted in 1886.

• The residents of Colombia have suffered due to various earthquakes and volcanoes. Colombia has 15 major volcanoes and certain instabilities in the area have causes many devastating earthquakes.

• Most importantly, according to the New Economic Foundation Happy Planet Index, Colombia has the second happiest population of the World after Vanuatu Island (Pacific Ocean / Population: 209,000) that is at number one in this ranking.

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Shock and Awe: Colombia Surprises

Shock and Awe: Colombia Surprises

            This month I will be discussing couple of things, things that I have always taken for granted, which are really nonexistent or scarce here. Things that have been assumed components of daily existence such as roads, mail, telephones, fire trucks, yellow school busses, and seasons both in conversation and weather, no longer are.  Things all too common as to be also assumed to always be there such as Turkey, Stuffing Mix, Peanut Butter, Maple Syrup, Bagels and English Muffins need to be replaced in life.

 One of my very first shocks was when I started to work at a prestigious Private school and I first saw the school bus. Due to the very high profile of some of the students, the BLUE busses didn’t even have a name on them. I guess that might have been for security reasons. Laws here do not treat school busses differently than other vehicles. They do not have any special rights-of-way. Instead of being yellow they are all colors differentiated by Black and Yellow stripes on the rear. I have seen them quite creatively presented such as crayons of appropriate colors.

Colombia is a rural country while there are several major cities; most of the country is really rural. The roads are 75% dirt or gravel and only the major arterial highways are paved.

In the US every dwelling and most structures have distinct addresses. The recent change to 5 days a week postal service met with protests. Here until recently there was NO national postal service, now there is the 4/72 service which is starting to provide postal coverage at least to the towns and villages. My finca has no distinct designation other than the name. We did have to go through a complicated process to have our name official but that does not help anybody find us. We recently got election material from the US and that was delivered by hand when we went to town. The woman from the 4/72 office watched for us then gave us the mail. Talk about personalized service!

When we were looking for our property, much to my surprise, road access became a priority. Here in Somondoco 65% of the farms do not have drivable connection to a road. The hills are crisscrossed by foot paths leading to the individual homesteads.

We recently discovered a “restaurant” that opened about 6PM or later where we could buy great hamburgers, arepas rellenas, chorizos with arepas, and empanadas. All home made and sold from a grill in front of an unused garage which provides seating at 2 plastic tables. There is no sink in sight; much less a 3 sectioned one with hot water.  Just good food at reasonable prices for when we leave home during the evenings. We had heard about the place but had trouble finding it open because we stay home nights.

I have really had a problem with the elimination of “season” from my vocabulary. I still think of June, July and August as summer for example. If I say to Gloria  that we will do something during those months and use the term summer she says. “When is that?”

(In private e-mail, Bill has been talking about some butterflies he's seen. he has been kind enough to share a picture with us.)

Pictures available at http://s833.photobucket.com/albums/zz251/BoyacaBill/Oct%202010/