Journey Across the Americas to Colombia, SA

After meeting all of the Morales, who are Didier's family members....Fanny and Don Domitrio being his mother and father, Mommy and Daddy and Charlie and Uncle Al walked back to Eytza's house and just hung out for awhile. After supper, they took a walk up to the town square, where everyone gathers in the evenings to pass the time, and the gossip. The American gringoes were quite the topic of conversation....not only because of their great height and girth, but one of them had blonde hair. No one in Colombia has blonde hair. And rarely does one see people so tall. The other big difference was the manner in which they were dressed. Daddy wore shorts most of the time and very few Colombian men wear shorts. Jeans, yes, but no shorts. And the women? Ahhhhh, the women. This was the part Daddy liked the best. Mommy was all into the scenery and the flora/fauna....but Daddy was into the women. With very few exceptions, the women wore skin tight jeans, leggings, pants....skin tight tight tight. No matter their age, or dimensions.....tight tight tight. There are stores and stores in the bigger towns that sell just bras....push up bras.....all sizes, all colors, all fancied-up, because it is imperative that if you are a lady, you must push those puppies up as far as they can go...and then you have to wear a top so low and revealing that everyone can delight in your cleavage AND your beautiful bra. And to hear my mom tell it, they are beautiful. Colombian women are gorgeous......long, shiney dark hair, some curly, some straight....beautiful skin and complexions, and for the most part, beautiful bodies. Obesity is not a problem in Colombia. Mom said she could count the heavy people she saw on one hand....her being one of them.

Early to bed that first night as the next day was to be a full one.

The next day they took a trip into Tulua, a little bigger town than Riofrio about half an hour east. This is where the twins go to school, so Eytza makes this trip twice a day to take them and pick them up after school. They went to the open market first to pick up some supplies that Al and Charlie needed for the farm. They bought blankets, towels, some kitchen ware and then went to the money exchange place to get some pesos. Mom and Dad exchanged some American money for pesos and felt pretty rich! They stopped for lunch, and then went grocery shopping. That was a real treat! Very few things are packaged in cans or glass. Soups, condiments, jellies, honey, even milk is sold in bags. Milk isn't refrigerated until the bag is opened and it tastes different than our milk. The further away you live from the stores, the larger the amount of stuff you buy.....rice in twenty pound bags, for instance. Very interesting.....

After shopping, they went back to Riofrio for supper, and after supper, went up to the Morales for more visiting. That was kind of the nightly ritual when in Riofrio.....and was a lot of fun. That night they also went to meet Uncle Al's other brothers, Julio and Hernando. They are both retired and not well.

That takes care of the second day in Colombia. It should be said here that Al and Charlie won't drive when they are there. Someone always has to take them where they want to go, or they take the bus. That's some experience, too......but driving is haphazard, to say the least. The roads are full of cars, buses, motorcycles, motorscooters, bicycles, trucks....large and small....and horses with carts. They drive/ride two-three abreast and pedestrians beware. No one stops for pedestrians. It's crazy.....but mommy never saw one bit of road rage. They honk at each other all the time, but it's to say hi, or don't pull out, or I'm comin' around you.....and fast? She said when Didier drove, she couldn't see any scenery...it just all went whoosh and was gone!