19/06/2009
We stayed in Cali about six days, but to be honest, it had nothing extraordinary to show. We walked around, saw the river, took some photos, cooked a lot (since eating out is ridiculously expensive!) and left.
Is this who I think it is?
I'd say there are three things worth mentioning:
1. Santiago, our couchsurfing host - A wonderful person who replied to our call for a couch and offered us more than we'd ever anticipate. We felt very comfortable in his apartment and totally abused the kitchen. I had really missed cooking. On our first night he took us out for dinner at a great restaurant and the next morning, the very moment we woke up, he ordered breakfast for all of us! And not to mention the tour of the city he gave us, or the fact that he drove us to a village 45 minutes away, where we were planning to spend the day. Thanks for everything Santi!
2. La Ermita - A chapel in the middle of the city. It looks like a palace they took out of Disneyland and placed it in Gotham city. It forms a big contradiction that does not let you quite decide if you like it or not, though whichever the case, it is a truly magnificent image. A big, bright blue, well-designed chapel right in the center of the city, putting in shame all the rest of the buildings that lack color, joy and attention.
3. Mono Nuñez festival - At the nearby village of Ginebra, thousands of people stream in once per year to party under the sounds of local, national and international folklore music. The small village is transformed from a quiet, empty location into a huge, outdoor party where everyone drinks, laughs, sings and dances until dawn. Well, those that last anyway. At first it was just myself and P. there, while waiting for the rest of the couchsurfing bunch, but that didn't stop us from drinking lots, meeting loads of people, laughing our arses off and becoming some sort of new attraction. When the rest arrived, to be honest the fun did not reach ridiculous proportions. A bit of a quiet bunch, so we just got separated with 2-3 people and made our own night. We left fairly early actually (2am), because the music focused more on cumbia, vallenato (a known colombian rhythm which does not appeal much to me) and salsa rather than folklore, so I got tired and bored quickly.
And that would be it with Cali.
What follows? What I originally started planning to come here for.
The second national couchsurfing meeting in Armenia, Colombia. HERE WE GOOOOOOOOOO...........
M.
18/06/2009
It's almost midnight and we are starving. We asked Santiago, our host, where to find something to east at this time and he suggested we walked by the river towards the center, where we'd definitely find something. In fact, he specifically mentioned a place called Mario Bross, which I had also noticed earlier, so we decided to go there. We took 13000 pesos with us (that's approximately 7 dollars), thinking that it should be more than enough. Besides, food in south america is quite cheap.
We walked for about a quarter of an hour and we arrived at the infamous Mario Bross.
We sat down, grabbed the menu, had a look... and our jaw dropped. A plain hot dog starts at three dollars!!! We couldn't believe it! We asked what the hell the other strange thing on the menu are and ended up ordering one each of something that supposedly has corn with cheese and bacon on top. That costs 6500 pesos (just over three bucks), so by ordering two plates we were spending all the money we had on us. The waiter asked what would we have to drink and we obviously asked for two glasses of tap water!
And our plate arrives... It's a shame I did not have my camera with me at the time to immortalise that creation. Guys, this little crappy plate appeared in front of me, which contained a few cord seeds, a bit of grated cheese and THREE small pieces of bacon!
We're talking kilometers wide.
As for its depth, I wouldn't know where to start!
I called for the waiter and after explaining to him that I am aware that he is not responsible for the prices and that I have nothing against him, I asked: "Can you please explain to me with what criteria do you guys charge this much for a tiny plate like this that comes with THREE tiny pieces of bacon?". And what did this very intelligent boy reply: "The meat is imported, it comes from Canada"!
Feeling my intelligence well underestimated and strongly believing that I alone had paid for the ticket of a canadian cow, I laughed, I ate my "meal" and left..........
M.
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