I would have to say that my parents had a great time here in Colombia. They both said on numerous occasions that it's too bad more people don't visit Colombia, because it's a beautiful country. I think they were really impressed with how kind and hospitable the people are here. They were helped in every way and never made to feel like idiots when they were having translation problems. In Medellin, they got to see the Botero Museum and the Aquarium, as well as take in a movie and do a little shopping. They stayed in a really nice area called El Poblado, where there are a ton of nice restaurants and shops. They flew back to Cali at the end of last week and got to do even more fun things. The night they got in, we went to this famous restaurant in Cali, it's a fusion of Thai and Colombian food and was excellent. The nice part about living here is that you can go to places like that and it's really not a strain on your budget, it's about the equivalent of what you'd pay for bar food in the States.
On Friday, since I had parent-teacher conferences, they were graciously invited to go to a coworkers house for the day. The maid was there to make them lunch and show them around. They took a little hike and went for a swim. I still haven't even been to her house, but it sounds beautiful. That night, we went out for pizza so I could show them how I've sacrificed since moving here. I took them to the place that has the best pizza that I've found, but it's still nowhere near as good as the pizza from Chicago. Yes, I'm a pizza snob.
The next day, we met up with our friend Yenny and went to the Cali zoo. The butterfly house was the day's favorite exhibit, it really is so cool. You walk around an enclosed little garden and there are hundreds of butterflies just flying and dancing around. After that, my coworker Adriana picked us up and took us to her husband's store (he makes jewelry) and we went shopping there. We even got to go upstairs to see where they were making the pieces. Then, we went out for some typical Colombian food for lunch.
That night, we went to my school to see the high school's musical. It was very good, we ran into some other teachers and even a couple of my students who were just thrilled to meet my parents...and shy I think too.
The next day, we were invited by one of my student's parents to thier "finca" which has a literal translation of farm, but really is a cottage weekend getaway house, usually with a farm, a house, a maid, and a pool. We had another typical Colombian lunch and just sat and talked and swam for the day. Another one of my students came with her parents too, so they did get to meet a couple more of my students. It was a very relaxing ending to a 10 day trip. Overall, I think they really got to do and see some unique places and enjoy their time here in Colombia. They kept remarking that it's too bad Colombia has such a bad reputation, because it's a beautiful country! I'd have to agree.
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Your parents should work for the Colombia Tourism Board! We were with them last weekend, and after hearing about their great trip I was so intrigued that I hopped right on the Internet and checked out fares to Cali. Pat and I want to get there before you leave. We're trying to figure out when we can come. We'll keep you posted.
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