I got down on my knees, thanked my lucky stars, and kissed the solid ground beneath me.
We stopped at to eat a late lunch once we arrived. After lunch, with my ice cream in tow, Martin asked these military men to pose for a picture with me. I wanted to show you the typical road side scenery. These men are everywhere. Well, not these exact men... but you get the point. I was a little intimidated by their guns even though they couldn't have been more than 16 years old.
Next we went to a huge mall where I was looking forward to shopping 'til I dropped. But Colombia would have none of it. Prices there are outrageously high for clothes that aren't even near the quality of American goods. AND there are absolutely no sales in these stores. None! I pay sticker price for nothing. NOTHING! So this shopping trip was very depressing. All that time and I walked out empty handed. So sad.
The next day was the day we had all been waiting for and the event I have been so excited to tell you all about. We went paragliding! We - as in me, Martin, and Simon. Lucas was too scared! Here is our group getting ready to go!
I thought I'd get one final picture with Lucas.... you know.... just in case. Ha!
Then I got all geared up!
Martin went first so I captured his take off. You just run and run and run until your off the cliff and lifted into the air. I really thought it would be scary but it wasn't at all!
Next was my turn to take flight. I captured some beautiful images of Medellin from above.
Then I turned the camera on myself to get a shot of me and Ulrich, my English speaking guide.
We flew near and almost directly above Martin during our flight.
During the flight, Ulrich's cell phone rang. First of all, the ring tone is like a warning alarm so I thought something was wrong. He told me it was just his phone so I relaxed a bit and told him I didn't think answering that was such a great idea. Well apparently he didn't agree. He answered his cell phone mid-air. I'm not even kidding. You know I had to get this picture.
While in the air I took a little video to let you experience paragliding in Colombia - if only for a few seconds....
And a final picture with Ulrich and his daughter - safely on the ground.
Simon left after Martin and I came down so I was able to capture his flight....
After everyone had returned, I wanted to take advantage of the beautiful backdrop and get some family pictures.
The New (and Improved...haha!) Linares Family
We stopped for lunch on the way back. This was just a little dive but it had to be the best restaurant we ate at while in Colombia. The portions were huge and so delicious! This was Lucas's plate.... I was in awe over the massive amount of food.
***UPDATE: I have had requests to fill you all in on what is on this plate. This is called a 'Plato Tipico'... or typical Colombian food, pretty much. Starting from the top left there is an arepa, carne (steak), papas fritas (french fries), frijoles (beans), arroz con huevos (rice with eggs), and a plantain.... all served up with a Colombiana - Colombian Soda***But not in enough awe to skip dessert! Strawberries and Cream! Yummm!
Simon enjoyed his meal a little too much. He had a post dinner, post dessert Alka Seltzer. That was probably a good idea. Ha!
On the way back into town we also stopped by this little village that centered around a big Catholic church. Lucas's mom wanted to visit the church.
It really was gorgeous! Paintings covered the walls, arches, and ceilings.
We happened to stop in during a service in which the priest was Christening the babies. It was an interesting site to see for a Southern Baptist girl.
Me being such a big fan of religion... I had to stop in and get my confessions out of the way. Ha.
This is one thing I found odd.... Santa hanging in a cathedral?
We took the long way back to Medellin.... I don't really enjoy taking the scenic routes in Colombia. That generally means very bad and bumpy roads. But at least it provides good scenery. We stopped to take a look at this beautiful lake... though we couldn't figure out how to get down to it.
This was only our first day of activities in Medellin. There was another action packed day to follow. Keep coming back for more! I tell you.... this trip to Colombia was really good for my blog. No more wondering what to write about for a while.... :)
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