Sorry for posting this last installment so late. I’ve been absolutely covered up lately, but here it is.
On Sunday morning we had another excellent breakfast at Los Arcos, the piano bar/restaurant in the Fontana hotel, then went over to her mom’s house to meet with everyone for the day’s activities. This time it was just the family. Her mom, brother and her sister and her family. All in all there were eight of us. We crammed into Luis’ small station wagon and took off for Monserrate. For those who may not know, Cerro de Monserrate is a church built on one of the mountains overlooking El Centro in Bogotá and offers probably the best view of the city to be had. It’s the site of a purported miracle and many pilgrims trek there in order to receive blessings. It’s sort of the Colombian equivalent of Lourdes. There are also a couple of excellent restaurants, as well as artisans’ shops and cafes. We’d decided to go there first because it would require most of the day, then we could catch the Colpatria Tower later that afternoon. However, it was not only Sunday but some sort of special celebration as well. So when we got up to the line for the lift up to the top of the mountain had about a one hour wait. Since place was jammed-up jelly tight we decided to go to the Tower instead, then go out to Chia to Andres Carne. The Colpatria Tower is not far from Monserrate so it only took a few minutes to get there. It’s the tallest building in Colombia, built in 1979 it has 50 stories. For 2,000 pesos they allow you access to the top where there is an observation deck, a small cafeteria and gift shop. For the price of admission, it’s another must do while in Bogotá with spectacular views of the city and surrounding mountains. Afterward, we drove up to Chia, about a 30-45 minute drive north of the city. It’s a suburb and many who work in Bogotá live there, including William from the Odee agency. It’s a very pleasant and scenic drive. The countryside is beautiful, although there are plenty of houses and businesses everywhere along the way. One of the main attractions in Chia is a restaurant named Andres Carne de Res. I’d been told about it during my first trip to Bogotá and had told Maria that someday I wanted to go there. Well she and her family kind of surprised me because there was no talk of doing this the day before. Only when Monserrate fell through did they tell me that we would be going to Andres instead. What a great family. On the way we had a lot of fun, Luis kept saying “Montoya” when he had to dodge a pothole or pass some slowpoke. The ladies were singing American children’s songs (“Row, row, row your boat…..”) with the kids and asking me what the words meant. For the first time, they said, they understood “Life is but a dream” because I’d translated it for them to Spanish. Just plain, good old fashioned family fun. The restaurant is amazing. I’d almost go to Colombia for it alone. It’s sort of like Chucky Cheese meets Cracker Barrel. Rustic motif, lots of antiques and odds and ends everywhere. Food: meat. And lots of it. Grilled, for the most part. But the interesting thing is that they have performers roaming about everywhere. Clowns, mimes, jugglers, musicians. Like New Orleans jazz band musicians. At one point, they came marching down the aisle playing “When the Saints Go Marching In”! Excellent!!! We were sitting outside because inside was a zoo. They have sandboxes and puppet shows for the children, balloons, people there who paint the faces of the kids and make masks for them. Some of the staff is there just for the kids. You can leave your children with them; they will entertain them while you and the rest of the family enjoy a meal. What a great place. And of course the food is excellent. Maria’s mom suggested that we try some sort of variety plate with many of the meats that they serve. We did and it was very good. Not sure what it all was, though. And there was one item that I thought was awful, tasted like liver or something. But all else was excellent. The restaurant is open Th-Sun and if you are ever in Bogotá you should make a serious effort to go there. They also tell me that at nights the place turns into more of a nightclub and that the parties and dancing there are top notch. William has suggested that we meet there one night on my next trip and we may just do that. It’s very well known and you could REALLY impress a lady by taking her there. I’m not sure how you’d get out there, both times I went to Chia I was driven there by someone who owned a car. I guess a taxi would take you, but I don’t know what they’d charge. Whatever it is, it’s worth it.
On the way, home we stopped at a place to pick up some dessert. They have these things that they eat there sort of like a jelly roll. Apparently the place we stopped at in Chia is well known for these guys. Her mom grabbed a bag full and we headed back to Bogotá and went to the apartment of Luis and Fernanda (Maria’s sister) where we enjoyed a nice sit down around the dinner table. Damn, what a great family I’m getting myself into. After looking at family pictures and taking a lot of pictures as well, Luis dropped Maria, her mom, Rafael (her brother) and me back over at her mom’s house. It was dark by now and we were all a little worn down from the day. We’d had quite a large time. They all disappeared upstairs for quite a few minutes, leaving me somewhat bewildered. Soon the ladies appeared with gifts and Rafael with the video cam. Oh boy, what have they got in store for me now?
? Well, her mom had bought a gift for my mom and presented it to me. How sweet is that??? Then Maria gave me a small gift as well. Damn, what a great family. Then her mom pulled out of her pocket and wad of 20K peso notes and told me that she had kept my money to put aside. You see, I had given her money for some of the things we’d done that day, tour fees, restaurant bill, etc. She’d reluctantly accepted it, and in the end she’d paid with her own money and had put mine aside. Not sure what she’s going to do with it, but I now trust her implicitly and, hell, I guess she can do whatever the heck she wants, huh?? I suspect she’ll give it back to us in the form of a gift or something, but it really doesn’t matter. What a great lady for a mother-in-law I’ll have.
Maria and I went back to the hotel and reluctantly started packing our things. I had an early flight the next morning and we’d have to busta’ move about 6A in order to get to the airport in time. Even at that early hour, the place was packed and it took about 1 ½ hrs just to get through the baggage check-in. Keep that in mind if you travel there. At least if you fly Delta, that is. After that, we went up and had some breakfast before I made out to the gate. It was really a sad goodbye for both of us. My time there this trip had been short and we’d crammed a lot of good things into it. I now feel a part of the family and can’t wait to get back there in a couple of weeks. Her mom is in the US now helping with the birth of her nephew and her brother is busy with a college internship so this next trip we’ll have more time alone. We plan to iron out details of the wedding, etc. FYI, we’ve got all our K1 paperwork to Gary Bala now and the ball is in his court. We are expecting that the process will take about 6-7 months total, from the time we file. We have to use the dreaded Texas service center and the wait there still averages 5 months. I think realistically we are looking at next May for the wedding. I’ll be out of school for the summer and can take a couple of weeks off for the honeymoon, etc.
JR
