The Rest of the Trip

There is too much that went on during the trip to write about it all in the detail that I would wish to and so the rest will be a brief recap.

Slaughtering of the cow and 2 chickens:
I eat a lot of meat but I've never seen the how it gets to me. I knew that I would be a bit sickened by it as I don't like taking things, especially lives, but at the same time I needed to see it and process it. It was a sad thing to see, but they did it quickly and as painlessly as possible. They cut up everything and use everything. If you have a weak stomach or don't like seeing blood, don't look at the following photos.



Xmas:
For Xmas, we didn't do anything particularly special. As in Mexico, they celebrated on the 24th at midnight with a huge feast and then we opened presents. During the day, we went into town to do some shopping and unlike anywhere else in the world you would go, it was not crazy; it just seemed like another day. We did build some ginger bread houses which was a lot of fun.



Official Farm Opening Celebration:
Around 50 people came to the farm and we celebrated by playing Tejo. Tejo is the national sport of Colombia (if I'm not mistaken) and consists of a horseshoe-like court. Instead of metal poles, the goal is to hit the mechas, which are 4 gun-powder triangles, that rest on a metal circle which is centered in a triangular mud construction. Wow, from my description that sounds pretty confusing... hopefully Gaston will post a video he took so it will be clearer... or just google it.

Tobia:
Tobia was an hour away from La Vega and we went rafting and repelled down 2 waterfalls. It was a great time. I got to show everyone photos on my Zune of my family and friends during the bus rides.

Salt-mining Church
I cannot remember the name of the town we went to for this one, but there was a salt mine and they built a church inside the mine. I loved the idea, however, when we went there it felt a bit touristy with the photos and trinkets you could buy. That, and if you payed extra you could see a 3D movie there too. Still, awesome place.



New Years:
We built a burning man out of leftover stalks of sugarcane and then I shot a bow and arrow that was on fire into the burning man to start the flame. Unfortunately, we aren't very skilled craftsmen when it comes to bows and arrows and the arrow glanced off a few times before I shoved it in. Then we still had to help light the fire. The idea seemed good on paper at least.

Bogotá:
The graffiti is amazing! We went to Montserrat which is a peak in Bogota and could see the whole city. It is huge. Then we went to the Gold Museum and to the main plaza. It seems like a very well planned city. Notice the shoes on the alpaca's back feet in the photo.



Gutavita:
The surrounding towns all needed more electricity and so the government built a damn. The damn would flood the town of Gutavita and so rebuilt the whole town away from it and flooded the old town. It was beautiful and peaceful there. I loved the wind in my face.