About Vertigo and being kids again

August 2008

Last weekend I went after 4 long years to an amusement park ... it´s not the kind of first plan that comes to your mind when it´s about having fun (at first it feels sooo random), but indeed when you go there, it´s always like the very first time ... vertigo, anxiety, laughters, curiosity, it´s indeed a funny mix of feelings that after some hours become a perfect therapy to kill routine.

Well, but when was then my last time?
VIENNA, back in 2004 when I lived there. *Sigh*

June 2004

December starts with casual enjoyable reunions

Yesterday, 1st of December was a day of incredibly nice, not very long ago planned reunions with special AIESEC friends in Bogota.

National Committee 2002 - 2003 of AIESEC in Colombia reunion

Since I came back to Colombia in January was so cool to start going out to party ocasionally with Santi (originally from Medellin), who was part of my MC team back in 2002-03 and also Local Committee Presidente of AIESEC EAFIT in 2001, same year I was LCP of Uninorte. But the feeling became every more special when we met, the three of us together, with Andres, also part of the MC team that year (and LCP of Cali, also in 2001). In the MC 2002 - 2003 we were all Vicepresidents, me of A night full ot FAT (f%$#cking AIESEC talk!!), nice food and drinks (being those last two the main differences experienced since the last time we were together back in 2003, when with our poor MC salaries we could hardly survive) and the most important, a night full of memories and gossips ...

Me, Andres and Santi: MC 2002 / 2003 AIESEC in Colombia

Mr. Elias in Bogota for couple of hours

Elias is a brazilian friend of mine, that during 2005 - 2005 was National President of AIESEC in Brazil and also that same year, was the chair of the Spanish Speaking Region and therefore, a big support that year that I was the Director of the region. I've always appreciated Elias a lot because he has been a perfect combination of challenging views and opinions and sooo much fun and randomness. We met for couple of hours for lunch in Bogota, while he was doing a stop from Brazil and on her way to the US, where he lives and works for DHL.

Me and Elias, same as a we are ... a very random picture!

Happy Halloween 2007

Some snapshots of the Office random celebration the 31st of October!
Now, let´s just wait for Christmas!

BARICHARA!

After lost of tries, finally we managed to go to Barichara! - a town that by many people is called "the most beautiful one" of Colombia! Javier, myself and two other friends were the group with the mandate to find out if all the comments heard were true.

Barichara is an authentic old world colonial town in the north east of Colombia, in a department called Santander. It is a very pleasant place to walk around and we stayed probably in the best place ever: COGOLLO CANEY. Seriously, if you ever plan to go to this zone of Colombia, make sure you stay there.

Even if officially recognized as a B&B, Cogollo Caney also responds to the concept of a family hostel, which means nothing else than staying in a house (that looks and works as a house, a residence) where also the family members live. Now, in the case of Cogollo Caney we are talking of a big, spacious house with so many different environments, that at moments one might think that it´s certainly a hotel. However the fact that there are only 4 rooms in the whole house and the close interaction with the family members, few employees that work there and even the pets (a dog and a parrot), brings you back to the feeling of just being visiting friends over the weekend. The other fantastic fact of having stayed there, is that the house is built in the traditidional architecture and with the traditional construction materials of Barichara: sand and wood. The house itself has won several architecture prices, and beyond that, the house is administered and decorated probably the best people in Colombia to do it: the owners (and family parents) are an architect and a interior designer. Here you can even take a look at the foundation that the owner has to educate around this type of ancient construction techniques. Finally another small detail that captured our heart was having ceiling-less bathrooms! I know it sounds weird, but taking a shower in a space without a roof, all decorated with plants and still having delicious hot water and a classy decoration, is probably one of the coolest things I´ve done.

Seems that the experience at the family hostel was more impressive than the visit to the town itself, right? Well, I can´t deny without COGOLLO CANEY the Barichara experience wouldn´t have been the same, but of course the trip went beyond that. Barichara and some of the other towns around in the department of Santander and known for being great places for adventure sports/also known as extreme sports (paragliding, jumps into dark caves, boggie driving, well and thousand other crazy things …!). Sad news is that we played it safe and did not do anything extreme … instead we went for walks around the town, for buying handcrafts, for a admiring wonderful landscapes as the one we found at the Parque Nacional del Chicamocha and for eating! eating! and eating! typical dishes of the region as Cabrito con Pepitoria (motton) and all kinds of random fast food…!

Again this is one of this posts (and trips!) where no matter how many pictures you show and stuff you write, it won´t describe the magic of the place. In those cases all you can do is endorsing to friends Barichara as a very nice destination to experience adventure, romance, relax and a special hospitality as only few places can offer.

Fallin´ in love with Cartagena again ...

Because of work reasons, I had the pleasure to spend at the beginning of this month 4 amazing days in one of the most beautiful cities in Colombia and in the word: CARTAGENA. Being originally from Barranquilla(another coastal city just 1,5 hours away from Cartagena) Cartagena and its treasures weru not unknown to me; however one of the amazing things of Cartagena is that every visit makes you feel as if it would be your first time ...

This time I stayed in one of the hotels that reinforces the best -because of its gorgeous colonial architecture- what the Cartagena charm is, Hotel Charleston Cartagena, also known as Hotel Santa Teresa. I recommed it to everyone, if possible, it´s an investment worth making!

Hotel Santa Teresa, outside and inside

Although, as said before, we were staying in a great venue, all dinners every evening were hosted outside the hotel at private residences of some of the event sponsors. One does not know what was better ... if the amazing hospitality and environment that you could breathe in those old, traditional and extreely well mantained Cartagena houses or the relaxed and magic walks through the old Cartagena city to reach those houses.

Walking in the old Cartagena city

As in any other work event where you meet people from your company from all different places in the world (well, never so many and so diverse people as in AIESEC!) Cartagena and its landscapes were also the perfect background for many group pictures!

With collegues from all Latin America and USA

And last but not least, I just want to finish this post with two recommendations for eating places in Cartagena - the first one called JUAN DEL MAR and the second one PORTON DE SANTO DOMINGO. Not that I chose the two place nor that I´m an expert in culinary, but i definitively enjoy good food (specially sea food!) and these two places were really good. You can tell out of my happy face in the both following pictures!

At Juan del Mar and Portón de Santo Domingo restaurants

"Love and Friendship" day

The "Love and Friendship" day (día del amor y la amistad, in spanish) is the colombian version of the well known Valentin´s Day. For a reason that not even wikipedia knows, in Colombia this day is celebrated the 3rd weekend of september. As in many other countries, also here the "Love and Friendship" day is mainly a commercial event ... it´s all about giving presents, going out to party, buying flowers and candies ...

One of the most common "traditions" (if I may call it like this) is a game called AMIGO SECRETO (Secret Friend). It´s pretty much the same as playing Secret Santa (not that Secret Santa is a common game to play here in Colombia, but it´s at least the best I canf ind to explain the non colombians what Amigo Secreto is), in the sense that it´s about involving a group of people exchanging anonymous gifts.

What did I get as a present? a pen!

What did I give? A mascara!

Well, at this point is also important to tell, that normally there is a limit or at least an average of what ideally the gifts that we´re exchanging should cost. It´s purely about having fun and doing something different, in the office, at school or wherever is played.

My team ... Serving the food prior the game


My secret friend

Well now you knwo another funny colombian thing :-)

Some last events

August has been a hectic month, but also a full of satisfactions one ... a sucessful launch of the company I work at, funny working lunchs and dinners, pretty a lot of volunteering (pics and stories to come soon) and a very nice weeding are some of the highlights of the last weeks ...

August 17, 2007

After the company lauch, team mates and myself (August 15,2007)

Not all has been work in the last days! Here we go with a picture taken at the wedding of Juan Carlos López and Claudia (August 18 2007), the groom is an old AIESEC friend and Javier´s current partner. In the pic (third from left to right afer Javier and me) you can also see Kris Müller, also an old AIESEC friend, former MC member in Colombia 2001 2002.

Happy Bday!

This last weekend was Javi's bday and taking advantage of my new camera (yeah right ... I wish, it's just the mobile camera, tha's why some pics are so crappy!) here are some photos of a very small gathering done on monday with few friends, where we ate MOTE DE QUESO (wich is kind of a cheese and name soup typical from the north colombian coast- prepared by a friend from Monteria)!

Happy Bday!


Some pics from the cooking and gathering!


Javier & me!

And yes, the house in the background is our flat, specially our "indian" dinning room, that's why we sit and eat on the floor, hehehe ...

Nice Barranquilla Carnival Photo Slide Show

To complement the few comments and phots showed in my recent post, feel free to take a look at this in my opinion very cool set of pictures of this last carnival:

It´s from Sarah´s blog, trainee from the US in Barranquilla - she was one of the organizers of the Carnival (AIESEC) Trainee Weekend and on her blog has a set of interesting posts on the carnival, Barranquilla and in general, Colombia.

A bright 2007

As natural in the life of human beings, a new cycle has started for me with the start of 2007!

I came back from India end December after ending my traineeship in Mumbai. I feel that I never properly wrote a post to describe all the "good bye" feelings from India, but well, at some point maybe I´ll find teh time to do it ... in general as you know given all my last posts, it was a unique experience that I would repeat, if I have the chance to.

Since my arrival, I´ve on one side a great re-discovery process of Colombia and one the other side, on also a great job serach process. Luckily, the Colombia re-discovery process has not finished yet but the job serach process has! I was selected recently to join an awesome organization called Endeavor, a global non-profit organization that identifies and supports high-impact entrepreneurs in emerging markets to facilitate and encourage long-term sustainable growth. Endeavor is forging a new approach to private sector development in emerging markets. The organization is so amazing that for sure I´ll dedicate a separate post to it and the way my selection process ran.

Coming back to the feeling of being in Colombia, I must say that the main aspect that we felt gaining back was the PARTY factor. Being here and engaging ourselves back in so many "social" activities, has made us realize how different and hectic our life in India was. Imagine ... all started in Dceember, with all the Xmas and New Year´s celebrations, second week of January we headede to the Feria de Manizales and well, recently mid February we were at the Barranquilla Carnival. This, of course omiting all gatehrings with friends that are always there ... honestly, we´ve consumed more alcohol and danced more than what we did in the past year 2006, just in this last 3 months after coming back.


FERIA DE MANIZALES: Enjoy some pictures specially from one of the times we went to the Bullfight Square (Plaza de Toros), on of the highest points of participating in the Feria.

The Manizales Fair was born in 1951 with the first centenary of the city. It began with the presentation of grand Bullfights and with typical Manolas parade (Spanish parade). Due to its huge welcome by people, more shows and presentations have been brought into the Fair, such as International Coffee Beauty Pageant which toghether with the bullfighthing season turn into the main events of the Fair.

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CARNAVAL DE BARRANQUILLA: Barranquilla's Carnival (Spanish: Carnaval de Barranquilla) is a carnival with traditions that date back to the XIX century. It takes place for four days preceding Ash Wednesday. During the carnival the city of Barranquilla's normal activities are paralyzed because the city gets busy with street dances, musical and masquerade parades. Barranquilla's Carnival is reputed for being second in size to Rio de Janeiro's but is far less commercialized. The Carnival of Barranquilla was proclaimed by UNESCO, in November of 2003. How was it this year for us? Lost of music, lots of parades, lots of foam and white powder wars, lots of concerts and closing with a great party at the HOTEL DEL PRADO dancing live with Joa Arroyo (salsa), Sergio Vargas (merengue), Eddie Herrera (merengue), El Gran Combo (merengue) , Peter Manjarrez (vallenato) and Diomedes Diaz (vallenato) ending at 6.00 a.m...

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Good to be home, ah?