Goodbye Houston!!!!

July 28-August 2: The last few days in Houston were a blur. Between packing up our final belongings, stuffing things into storage, packing for Colombia, boxing up the stuff for Spain, lending things to friends, running errands, getting the documents for the Student Visa, selling Fede's car, and saying a few goodbyes it was hard not to lose our minds completely. Only now do I realize why people hire companies to pack and move for them....



We are truly indebted to our family and friends who helped us in those final crazy moments and send a profound thank you to them!!!

As a final tribute to our great H-town we went with our new Spanish friends to see an Astros game. It was a great time, and our friends enjoyed the ambiance, the "Fan Cam" and the Prince's Hamburgers tremendously!!

Now it was time to go. As a final act of lunacy, on the day we were set to depart to Colombia we decided to try and apply for the student visa for Spain. Going into this we realized that we didn't have all of the documentation ready but we thought we'd try anyway. That morning we scrambled to fill out the application, make copies of everything, take ID pictures, get the money orders and zip on over to the Consulate. We arrived at 11:45. It took some serious convincing before the lady accepted our documentation, with the promise to fax the missing documents as soon as possible. One hour later we left the Consulate (their floor covered in Fig Newton crumbs, slobber and probably a few jelly bellies) -- what can we say? it was lunch time and our three little munchkins were hungry!

12:50 p.m. We flew to pick up Grandpa Fernando who was to take us to the airport. Mind you, the flight was at 3pm and international.... This risky move could only be justified by the fact that Fede's "One Pass Elite" standing allows us to bypass many long, troublesome check-in lines. Finally we arrived at the gate only to find out that the flight was delayed by 1.5 hours. So we hung out at the President's Club (again, another perk courtesy of Fede) where the kids could eat, relax and watch a movie.

The flight to Panama City finally left at 5pm and arrived at 9pm. The kids did well. Francisco wailed a couple of times but otherwise fine. The great thing about traveling in Latin America with little children is that you get VIP treatment. The minute they see you have kids you get to go to the front of the line in immigration - what a joy, especially at 10pm.

Then the next morning we were boarding the flight to Cali, Colombia at 9am. It was only an hour long and we breezed through that one. Seeing Grandpa Santiago and Grandma Carmen Elisa brought tears of joy to all of us. It was such a sense relief to know that we had made it. Our first meal was a delicious Sancocho (typical chicken, potato soup) in Ginebra, a small town outside of Cali.

We arrived in Pereira on Aug 3rd in the afternoon. After the hot, humid, Houston weather this was a very welcome change. A typical day has weather of 70-80 F, with perhaps an afternoon shower. The vegetation is lush, yet we are surrounded by mountains. If you´ve ever been to Hawaii or Kenya, this is very similar topography.

Fede´s family has spoiled us with their wonderful hospitality and after these last brutal moving days, having someone pamper us a bit is just fine. As classical music streamed through the house this afternoon, windows and doors open with a light fresh breeze passing through, the typical street sounds could be heard: cart vendors, the gas truck ringing its bell, people chatting up and down the street. All of this is very different from America. Here things seem simpler, slower, and people devote more time to just visit with each other as they walk from place to place. In the evening, everyone hangs out in front of their stores, homes, and food stands. No one seems to be in much of a hurry. Stress in fact seems to be non-existent.  

We took a lovely walk through the nearby Technological University of Pereira today. To my delight we crossed a bridge made of Guadua, of the bamboo family, but thicker. It is impressively strong and stunningly beautiful in all construction. Their botanical garden is more like a jungle. It has a few miles of trails and one feels as if the Jungle Book has come to life.

Right up there with the Architecture in Guadua is the exquisite Colombian fruit. Below is just a sampling of the delicious and exotic varieties of fruit found here. My personal favorite is the Guanabana. It looks like green monster on the outside, only to reveal a slippery milky sweet, tart, fibrous interior. It´s hard to compare to any fruit in the States, but it is so delicious that I might just get sick to my stomach from eating so much!!! Adios for now!