The hunt begins

After all the waiting, after all of the worrying, at long last I picked up my cédula extrajería (National ID card) yesterday after receiving my visa two weeks ago. So,I can start looking for work! I finished translating my CV into Spanish about two minutes ago so will be heading into town on Shanksie's pony (on foot) tomorrow to spread the word......."Yes, I am available for interview" and "Don't call me gringo!".

What a strain having to go so long without working, especially since there is no form of benefit system here. If you ain't working then go and starve! Hopefully things will move quickly from here and we can start to lead a normal life. Better get started looking through the classifieds in the paper then. More to follow.

OK, someone please explain this one to me!

At long last it´s celebration time because I have my visa. Alright it isn´t the conjugal visa I applied for but a temporal visa. I have to renew every year upto a maximum of three years and can now work once I have my cédula. This is the bit I need explained. I can work in any profession................but not in a professional for which I am qualified!
I checked the expressions on the faces of everyone in the room but couldn´t detect even the faintest sign of a grin although I am sure they were laughing underneath. I have checked with others who received their visas and they were all told the same. Interesting times ahead then.

Hot off the press

I am in Bogotá with my wife and in the morning we will leave at seven o´clock to go to the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores. In a nutshell we have gambled everything on one last throw of the dice. My tourist visa expires on Wednesday and I cannot renew it again for six months after that. I have in my possession yet more documents that the ministry have requested and have borrowed the money to get to Bogotá to request a personal interview tomorrow to try to resolve everything, yet I don´t have the money for us to go home.
Tomorrow could be a great day or possibly the end of the road for this little chapter of my life. It´s never easy for a couple to live apart amd six months apart in different continents does through an extra fly into the ointment. Emotionally I feel dead. I feel nothing as I´ve just been absolutely worn down by the whole process. Here´s hoping the Colombian government can do something to raise my spirits tomorrow. More to follow............

Taking the lead

At last I am in front. I have found out who my real friends are, the people I can rely on in a crisis. It has been difficult not being able to earn money here and having to reply on people sending money to help me get by. I am really grateful to everyone who has helped but it has been a case of running to stand still. Every time I have received money I have always asked for just enough to apply for my visa then something has cropped up to drain a little away and not enough is not enough. At last I have taken my own steps in trying to sell my laptop and phone but couldn't raise enough so have hocked the wedding rings. I have enough now so will be going back to DAS on Tuesday (Monday is a festival day so nothing is open) to get my renewed tourist visa stamped in my passport then I can send everything to Bogotá for my conjugal visa. I am hoping I will get the visa back in around a week.....more to follow on that one although nothing seems to go as I anticipate here. I'm glad to have all the money I need at last but am absolutely gutted to have pawned the rings. I can't stop looking at my bare ring finger. For me it's symbolic of my promise as a husband, wearing the ring is a display of my commitment to honour my vows. Still, once I have my conjugal visa I should be allowed to find a job a pay to recover the rings.

It'll be so good to work again, to be able to earn my crust especially with Xmas just around the corner and with Cecy's birthday hot on the heels of the New Year. We've had to deal with a couple of flies in the ointment but have come out the other side as an even stronger couple. We're as good as we have ever been and life with her at the moment is superb. It could be even better though soon. Another benefit of finding work is that we'll be able to start looking for our own home. What bliss to be able to come home from work to my gorgeous wife, to my family in our home.

Coffee Ban


Cecy is of the opinion that I drink too much coffee. Perhaps she should have known me in England! Too much here is three small cups in the same day and I'm living in Colombia. I didn't expect this. True the coffee is a little stronger here. Her sister brings it from her ranch in the mountains every week freshly dried and ground. I don't know what she would have made of my coffee consumption in the old country. But then there are a few quaint traits here. I have seen electricians installing wiring with only their bare teeth and a dining knife. The top morning and Saturday night television shows are like kids shows in England. Guys dressed as women, adults dressed in kis clothes with exaggerated freckles drawn on their faces, clothes like clowns (trousers and ties too short, waists to high. You know what I mean, real pantomime stuff) and stupid voices. The things is the adults here lap it up. A fart noise can be used on a programme 100 times and everyone will still have tears of laughter in their eyes the 100th time. Humour here has NO sophistication. There is absolutely no need for comic timing or wit, in fact I think it would be lost on the Vallenatos (natives of Valledupar). In everyday things too. Tania Vanesa needed to make a lamp from a totumo (a type of fruit here) for a school project and as I explained the best way to do it (as a qualified electronics technician and former electrician) I was overruled on the.....

 "but the village elders have always done it this way"

....clause. Alright, a little but absolutely not much of an exaggeration. Time to teach everyone English methinks and to drag a little of my culture into their lives.

Wycombe Wanderers

Good to see the boys doing well and still on target for promotion this season! What has come over Kevin "goal a game" Betsy by the way? If one or two others join in and he keeps the run going then what a good season there is in store for the Blues. All the best there everyone!

Visas

It's been a difficult few days.....or is it weeks? Cecy's dad cannot work (and has not been able to do so for some weeks) because he has a problem with his cédula (identity card), they have changed the cards to a new format and he hasn't updated his card yet and now it is no longer valid. He has applied for the new style card but the wheels of administration here turn slowly. That leaves me with the responsibility to support all of the family and I can't work yet. Consequently I have had to dip into the money for my trip to Bogotá for my conjugal visa which leaves me a little short but I am trying to work that out. However due to the delay my tourist visa has expired, so yesterday I had to visit the office of DAS (Departamento Administrivo de Seguridad) yesterday to try to extend my tourist visa. I have to pay a fine of 300,000COP and also a fee for the visa extension! I tried explaining that I am only seeking to get to Bogotá to solicit my visa conjuge and that the fine deducts from my money for the visa. I am only trying to support my family here which they rewarded by confining me to the city limits here in Valledupar. I am not allowed to travel to Bogotá until they issue my renewed tourist visa. The clock is ticking. I have until December 3rd to get my visa or it's "Get the hell out of here!" time. I feel like I'm running to stand still.
It is the rainy season here and when it rains, it pours...............kind of appropriate in the circumstances!

Bogotá?

I'm still waiting to go! Still have some administrative things to take care of: getting documents apostilled etc so hopefully by the end of the month I'll be there. I'm taking a short breather from the pen pics while I think about my next subjects.

We're off to the swimming pool today. I'm going to see if I can teach my hydrophobic wife to have confidence in the water. We're going with the kids because once again they are not at school. I have to say that the social services are a lot more relaxed here than in England. They didn't go to school all last week nor on Monday this week. The youngest, Juan Felipe didn't go to school at all during the last school year. I think back to the trouble I had because I took my kids on holiday for a week in June a couple of years ago and the difference is striking!

Well, it's nearly the weekend so I'll catch up on the season here and bring a little scoop of life in the Colombian League (sponsored by Postobón which is the biggest Colombian soft-drinks company). Our team is Juniors from Barranquilla, the nearest league team to Valledupar. One oddity is that the Colombians cheer every goal in a match, even goals scored against them! What the f*@k??!!??

Off to the pool it is then, chaaaaaaaaooooooooo

Comments

I have mentioned previously that I never get any comments left to my posts so I wonder if it is worth continuing. So, I thought to myself, what could I do to encourage a comment or two? How about some pen pics? Let's see.

First up Leon Johnson

The self-proclaimed "Wolverine" of the Wycombe Wanderers squad. He's been unlucky to suffer a few injuries but manages to recover in good time to return to the squad. What I'd like to know is this: if he is the "Wolverine" then why did he star alongside John Travolta in "Get Shorty" instead of taking a role in one of the "X-Men" films? It is also no secret that he is taking a Business course so gets away early every Wednesday to attend so will we soon be treated to the image of a suit wearing Johnno behind his desk in some fancy office?

Next up: Matt Bloomfield

Matt "I never get tired of running" Bloomfield. Read it in the match reports about the energy in the midfield for Wycombe this season. Alright he shares the job with Monty (Coming soon to a blog near you) but his energy has been a feature of Wycombe sides for almost seven years. Also, in common with Johnno, he is no stranger to the big screen. I'll be checking out three of these films this week on tv here. It's a bit of a "Blooms" season on the film channels.

As Jason Bourne

At the End of Season Awards

Bogotá to Valledupar (a little late in the day but here it is)

I booked my flight to Valledupar in the airport at Bogotá, so much cheaper than booking in the UK. Trouble was that it would not leave until lunchtime the next day so I had sixteen hours to kill in the airport. There are no baggage lockers so I had to sit with my bags and I wasn't going to risk my bags being pilfered while I slept so it meant another night without sleep.

Pizza and a glass of Águila en aeropuerto El Dorado

First things first I decided to eat, so off to the pizza parlour for me. I called Cecy to let her know what was going on but had hardly any life left in the battery. She was trying to give me the address for her sister so I could stay there for the night but I couldn't understand her very well over the phone. In the middle of trying to explain to her that it would be better to text me the address, while she was insisting that it was quicker over the phone the battery died. At least I still had my pizza and a beer. What I didn't have was a charger for my phone or at least no charger that I could use with the sockets in the airport. For the rest of the night I spent a lot of time wandering up and down with my bags to stay awake interspersed with the odd cup of coffee in Juan Valdez. It seemed to take forever for the sun to rise but I loved the symbolism. This was the dawn of a new life for me. How would it go? I knew the concerns of all my family and friends and of course I felt them as well but I believed in Cecy, I believed in us. For me this was an adventure well worth taking. There is always risk in life but this was one I felt was worth it. True! I was leaving everything behind, everything I had ever worked for. I was leaving my sons, my friends and an excellent job. I was going to miss the banter. But this was better than a lottery ticket, the prize was much greater and the chance of winning was incredibly good. I was returning to my fiancée and I had already tasted life with her. Oh yeah! This was worth any risk.

Progress the next morning. I managed to buy a Sony Ericsson charger so I had the phone back to life before boarding the plane to Valledupar. The luggage that had been left in Venezuela would be in Valledupar to greet me (so I was told). The sun rose about five o'clock so I had what seemed like an eternal wait to fly the last leg of my journey but eventually the plane was ready and we were off to Valledupar, if a little late. At last I had the solice of an English style beer before boarding in a bar called BBC (which they claim to be their trademark), the Bogotá Beer Company.
We landed in Valledupar about an hour late. While waiting to collect my bags I was scanning for Cecy in the arrivals lounge........and then there she was. Cecy and the kids there to greet me, to welcome me home. The colombian flags were out when we arrived home so it felt like a real occasion. Here I was, home. Time to start preparing for the wedding!

What Juan Felipe likes

Perhaps I should say what he's good at. He has an encyclopaedic knowledge of dinosaurs so he really enjoyed the day that the dinosaurs came to town. They had a display in the shopping centre, la zona comercial Guatapurí.

Mi familia Colombiana

Mis amores aquí, mi esposa maravillosa y los niños.

Tania Vanesa, mi reina Cecy y Juan Felipe

Everything is great!

What a storm we had yesterday! We went to the library with the kids to help Vanesa with her homework.......in human biology; immunology and locomotion. Errrrrrrrrrrm, what!? Didn't I study that for twenty years up to university level? We left the library soon after I started answering all of the questions as soon as they asked them. What were they thinking? Would we have gone to the library to check out questions on cars if I was a mechanic? There are times when females completely mystify me. Having said that it was great to get out of the house together. An extra added bonus was that after weeks of hot weather which Cecy finds intolerable, especially strong sunshine, it was cold (in relative terms). You didn't need to be Mark White (the chef at WWFC training ground) to see that a storm was coming. The sky was black and the palms were blowing all over the place. It was a really refreshing day.

Con mi diosa, qué linda

We got home just in time though because taxis don't operate when it's raining. Yes, that's right. You can only call a taxi when the weather is fine because the roads flood when it rains! Anyway, shortly after getting home the heavens opened, with a vengeance. The storm was directly overhead, how the hell did it get past the mountains? We are surrounded on all sides. There were a few screams as the bolts of lightning cracked down into the barrio but the girls were able to comfort me ;-D In fact I was watching a DVD by myself in the bedroom when I got the call to action. The rain had flooded the backyard and was nor running into the house. Action time! Shirt off I ran into the patio to check out the drain. It was blocked. OK, I was gonna have to reach in to see what the blockage was, hoping that it wasn't a snake. Good news? Yeah, it was a flip-flop! So a little drama for a change, actually a welcome relief.

Another bonus for the day was the chance to snap a couple more pictures. It's really difficult to get a picture of the wife these days as she's always critical of her photos. Another aspect of females I can't comprehend. When I spend all day every day telling how beautiful she is to me, why does she always think she looks ugly in her photos? Judge for yourself but I won't change my opinion.

Cecy and Juan Felipe

We all went to the Zona Comerciál Guatapurí a couple of days ago, the main shopping centre. It was just to get out of the house for a change once again, ice-creams for the kids (and they do have some great flavours here) and for me?.....What else but a cup of coffee in Juan Valdéz! Cecy fancied some grapes so we went to Carrefour but couldn't find any! What?!?!?! As it happens there were grapes but they were the wrong type. I can't tell you the names of all the fruits in the store, I'm still trying to get used to them myself although there is once that's seems to have been named after that song on Sesame Street...it's a Guanabaná.

 It killed me to see all the Xmas stuff in the store. I don't think I'll be able to start working until just after Xmas so I know it's going to be guilt central for me, not to mention that it is Cecy's birthday in January. Way to make a good first impression eh? Bollocks up Xmas and her first birthday together. Man! Am I going to have some making up to do once I start working.

Around the barrio

I took a few pics yesterday just to illustrate a little of our vecindad.

This is my seat in front of the house on the terrace. Hold old am I rocking away here? You just have to understand that the pace of life here is different, it's not very often that you will be told, "Apúrate!" or "hurry up" but you will often hear, "Tranquilo" or "Fresco" or "Cálmate". Obviously, all telling you to chill. It is also not unusually to get the hi-fi out front, next to the seat, to enter the max volume competition in the street each day. Neighbours here don't complain about noise, not even during the night, it's just accepted as a way of life.
The kids have a play area in the middle of the neighbourhood, bear in mind here we are only talking about five streets. There is a play area at one end for the younger kids, la cancha (pitch) in the middle for the daily games of football and a small chapel (la capilla) at the far end. Mass is at nine o'clock on Sundays!

You can buy a house here for about £18,000 fully fitted. The picture here is of a house on a corner plot on our street. If you are prepared to do all of the work yourself then you can buy a 'casa negra' in this condition for £9,000 but you are basically just getting the concrete walls and plot. There is no first fix of plumbing or electrics yet.

Technical point

For learners of Spanish. When using direct object pronouns (los objetos de complemento directo) in Colombia don't use 'lo' to refer to 'él', like in Spain. Use 'le'.

A little bit of England

I am sitting in the sun with mangos growing in the garden, palm trees lining the streets, an absolutely wonderful wife indoors and a great cup of coffee but I feel that there is just one little thing missing.............a little bit of England

Does anyone read this stuff?

I do post new stuff from time to time but does anyone actually read this stuff. I'm only wondering if there is any point in continuing? Please feel free to leave comments so that I know it is worthwhile writing theses things!

The best advice!

Nickelback: "If today was your last day!" You need to click on this link to view it!

Start of a new day

I'm just waiting for mamá Mariela to make me breakfast, it's not really an option for men to make themselves anything. Also I'm waiting for Cecy to wake up but for the first time in a while though I'm not sat here with a stomach full of anxiety. I want to enjoy my life with my wife by my side and I'm not going to help that by looking backwards. I'm eating better, my appetite has returned. I'm sleeping better and feeling happier. When I say I'm sleeping better I mean that I do sleep longer now but there are slight obstacles. Juan Felipe suffers nightmares and has been accustomed to sleeping with his mum. I fell asleep early last night, Cecy was watching the telenovelas in another room. I awoke two or three times when she crept into the room for things so I wasn't sleeping deeply. I awoke again at 2 o'clock when Juan Fe came in to call his mum, she sleeps with him in his bed whenever he wants. I woke twice more when colleagues of police officers in our street arrived to pick them up, at 4 o'clock and at half past four. They park in front of the houses and just start hitting their car horns like Keith Moon on speed! Cecy and the kids got up at this point to get them ready for school, they leave at five-thirty. I woke up at six-thirty welcomed by a kiss and a smile. Doesn't sound like much, getting a kiss, but I got up feeling on top of the world. This could be a very good day. Optimism at last!

Relapse

Oops! I thought everything was over with but in typical female fashion she was just saving a little last twist of the knife. It's a tactics the ladies are good at just to keep you in your subservient place. A little bit of history then just to explain. I found out about something the wife had done and when I sifted through my options for possible responses, beating about the bush wasn't on the table. Instead then I opted for the full on assault choosing my favourite weapon for the battlefield in front of me: the lazer tipped, self guided tongue lashing. The confrontation was short lived but I left the room happy with myself that I had inflicted sufficient response to rule out the possibility of retaliation. I even felt I detected a slight blue haze and the smell of cordite in the air. I did however manage to resist the temptation to throw her a steely gaze and say, "I'll be back" in an Americanised German accent.
The trouble is that I had miscalculated. I hadn't reckoned on her use of psychological countermeasures and today I suffered a stealth retaliatory strike. We were watching a DVD together  thinking we had pretty much restored diplomatic relations when she hit me with the, "You said some cruel things and you hurt me, and I haven't done anything wrong!" Shit! It was the barefaced denial response. There's not a lot you can do to justify you own actions when the opposition hasn't done anything wrong. I had more justification than the Americans in Iraq however as I had actually found her WMDs, that was the point of the argument. The problem was the proof in this case was painted in a colour that is invisible to her eyes so it isn't any use in the court of Shay and Cecy.
Never mind. I'm sure that everything will be right as rain again soon. I've switched to a new tactic these days. Now that I've recognised that it is impossible to win an argument through logic I've switched to the "run away"  battle plan. It's more difficult to argue with me when I'm not in the house.
Personally I'm feeling much better. I still feel incredible sad at times during the day when I remember what she has done but in the face of having an impossible to win argument I think it is better just to try to forget everything. She is my wife. We are going to stay together (I really did consider coming back to England), and the truth is I love her very, very much. I know under her hurt at the moment, she loves me just as much. I think to try to win the argument at the moment would be like choosing not to open my parachute because I'm enjoying the free-fall so much. I'd much rather pull the rip cord and meet my beautiful wife safely to spend the rest of our lives together.

Arguments

The upside of having an argument is the post blitz relief........thank £#<$ that's over. I have a real problem in that I'm a very early riser which means that I get up in the morning and have a few hours to sit and worry about that day's reaction. The truth is that I've had a torrid few days but trying to keep a positive attitude at least I have managed to reduce my body fat by a few degrees. I never thought I'd get rid of that last little bulge at the bottom of the abdomen. For those who are wondering how to do it then take a tip from me, just pass a few days worried sick, in perpetual torment, hardly sleeping or eating and hey presto! You'll be there.

Hopefully after overcoming a potentially critical argument in a relationship you can come out of the other side so much stronger for the experience. They say that you find your good friends in a storm and I've managed to do so I think. Luckily, I married one of them a few weeks ago. I find that marriage is so much more rewarding when you absolutely adore your wife. Hopefully I'll be able to get to Bogotá for my visa next week all things going well. Once again this is down to good friends in a storm.

I also have to praise my family here in Colombia. They have been incredibly supportive, in a manner which I don't think you would find in the UK. I have had my moments here though when I would have liked support UK style. I hardly ever drink here but there have been moments when I could have sold my soul for a proper pint. At the moment what started as another day of trial and tribulation looks like finishing brilliantly. We made up this afternoon and the relief for me was incredible, oddly I suddenly felt really tired. I popped to bed to relax for a few moments but fell asleep for four hours. I haven't been doing that at night!

Café tinto

One of the benefits I was looking forward to here was to try the coffee. I don't mind a cup of coffee every now and then. What makes the coffee that little bit different is that Cecy's sister visits every Friday nad she brings freshly ground coffee from her coffee ranch, now you can't get fresher than that! Speaking of which, I have just been brought a cup with my breakfast (arepas) so I'm going to settle down with that for now. Chaoooooo

El Tirador

I'm going to be watching 'Sniper' tonight starring Mark Wahlberg, in Spanish hence the 'El Tirador'. It'll be right up my street today because I have been watching videos on the Royal Marines official youtube site today. You can't beat a little bit of shoot 'em up from time to time. I have just had a shower and am catching up on a bit of web stuff sitting in the garden under the mango trees. Hard life but someone has to do it.

Valuable lesson

One for me today. I have to admit that in many ways it is still early days for my new wife and myself and we are still finding things out about each other. I hope it will remain that way for the rest of our lives together, I would rather that than live a life of monotony. Anyway, today I saw her use a brilliant argumentative device. She was confronted by the fact that she had barefaced lied about something. The interesting thing was that when confronted by the facts and several witnesses agreeing their version she simply denied that she had lied. She didn't deny any of the evidence or that she had said what she had said, she just ignored all of that. She just innocently denied having lied and stuck to that simple statement. No need to argue the facts, just ignore them and question everyone why the are launching a vendetta to besmirch her character. Absolutely brilliant! I actually really admired it. The thing is I think she actually believes in her innocence. Is that a form of sociopathy? I hope not, that could be a little worrying. I did have a little chuckle to myself though imagining the accused in court, no matter what CSI had up their sleeves just keep sticking to plain denial.

I've spent the whole day in the house today because it's raining! I don't mind though. I have a fair bit of studying to get through today. It was also a great chance to relax with Cecy. Her sister and brother in law stayed in their house in another part of Valledupar so we are in the house with the kids and Cecy's parents. I helped Vanesa with a bit of her homework and then watched 'Goodfellers' with Cecy. The bedroom has been rearranged again too, Cecy likes to move things around but just after getting used to the last change she has moved everything back exactly as it was before, and she changed that because she couldn't bear the room with this arrangement. Ummmmmmmm, what? Never mind, I don't need to get used to this because I know it'l all move again soon.
She asked me today if I miss anything from England. Truth is I could murder a decent pint of real ale but there's no chance of that for a good while yet. Also, a good cup of coffee. What a statement living in Colombia but everyone here considers drinking coffee to be like taking drugs. "It's bad for your heart", "You're not going to be able to sleep". This is going to change when we live in our own house.

Getting there

Ok, so two weeks post marriage and finally the house was going to be a little less busy. Cecy's sister, niece and cousin were returning to Bogotá. Could this finally be the chance to enjoy "almost" privacy? Not on your life. Out went three and two more arrived, another of Cecy's sisters with her husband. Is this a joke? Not at all, I'm deadly serious.
Having said that things are starting to look up. It looks like my sons are going to come up with the cash I need to get to Bogotá for my visa. I'll hopefully be able to confirm that one at the end of the month. Once I have the visa in my hand I can get my cédula extranjero and will be able to live here and work for three years and after three years marriage I can apply for residency. So everything hangs on getting to Bogotá for the visa application at the moment.
Looking on the bright side then: apart from having no money, no job and no chance of spending any time alone with my wife everything is else is back to normal.......and normal with my missus means everything is fantastic. I need to get myself in gear as well to start writing these blogs more regularly.

Perfect day!

A brand new day and I'm feeling on top of the world. I'm indoors studying today as it's sunny and 30 degrees, pretty much as always. Do I have any problems in my life? Nothing insurmountable. The truth is that I have so much more to be grateful for. I am married to a wonderful woman. The family here are so supportive. I would like to be able to see my sons more but I am in contact. I would like to be working but that will come soon. Everything in it's own time.
I had a cup of tea yesterday made from a plant growing in front of the house here. They call it limonaria here. As far as I can make out it is citronella or lemongrass to English speakers. It makes a great aromatic tea, obviously with a distinct lemon flavour. In my case Cecy actually squeezed a little lemon juice into my cup to make it a little less sweet.
I'm studying a lot today to try to complete my course soon. I aim to complete everything in two weeks ready to go to Bogotá to request my conjugal visa. But I'm taking the little by little approach with breaks in between to relax with Cecy. I know I'll be gagging for a day off once I start working so I'm going to make the most of our time together in the meantime. OK, back to the studying. Chao for now!

Wedding Day

Best day of my life or the worst? I'm head over heels in love with Cecy and delighted that we have married, I'm sure we are going to have a wonderful life together. My regret, probably the greatest of my life is that I did not want to return to the house for the reception but conceded in the end provided that we leave for the hotel at a reasonable hour. We live in her parents' house with the children and for me this night was to be the last for who knows how long, that we would spend together alone. In the end I conceded to spend the night in the house and cancelled the hotel with the promise that our privacy would be respected for this one night in the house, without interruption. The wedding was fantastic and Padre Ivan (a former psycologist) is a great person with a lively sense of humour. I have shared enjoyable conversations with him, he is after all the only person I know in Colombia who is not part of the family. Also I know he won't repeat anything I tell him because it is protected by the sanctity of confession.

So, how did it go? Great wedding and the early part of the night at the house was fine but come 2 o'clock when I decided that was enough for the day in the company of guests that I didn't know, everyone (including my wife) told me that she would not be going to bed that night because it was the culture in the coastal cities of Colombia to pass the whole night with the guests until sunrise. It would seem that breaking a promise is no big deal for the Colombians because nobody was expecting me to not be delighted with this decision. In particular, my use of the word 'traicion' to express my feelings about my wife surprised a few. I don't care what other people do traditionally. I think it is a great expression that you cannot judge a man's character by what he says but rather by his actions. Trust is hard won and easily lost. At the moment my trust has been lost. This was OUR day. I expressed my wishes and the surprise for everybody is that I was sincere.....I actually meant what I said.

Catolico Confimado!

One more step in the marriage process completed. On Saturday we went to the cathedral for our confirmations. As you can imagine, as with any ceremony in the catholic church, this was a long evening. We arrived at four o'clock only to find out that Cecy had forgotten that we needed to go to the church in which we are going to marry to pay for the confirmation and to collect the candles for the ceremony. In the end other candles were found in the cathedral and we paid there. Not a big issue from my point of view but it was a worrying moment for a while because this was the final opportunity to attend a confirmation ahead of the wedding day. So with our witnesses on hand (Cecy's dad and sister) we went through the standup, sit down, stand up, sit down, sing, pray, stand up, sit down for an hour or so then approached the cardinal for the confirmation (which takes about fifteen seconds each to do). Done!

Back at the house they tried to tell me that we will be required to dance with other people briefly, fifteen to twenty minutes. Cecy with all the men and me with all the women. I think I managed to upset the tradition a little when I told them that it was our special day and I didn't want to dance with anybody else. We are not getting married until 8 o'clock so will not get back to the house until about ten. I don't want to spend the rest of the evening separated from my new wife! In the end I conceded to a brief period, maybe two or three very brief dances. I can be very stubborn and I don't even want a reception. I have told Cecy that it is our day and as soon as I get the feeling that anyone is interfering with us spending time together we are going to the hotel. I am looking forward to the day from our point of view, we are going to be married. I hope I enjoy the reunion at the house after but if I was a betting man I would say definitely not. We didn't want his, we just wanted to go straight to the hotel after the ceremony. Dozens of guests have been invited, none of whom I know. Who knows I could be updating this blog at the hotel while everyone else is dancing the night away at the house. More to follow.

Paris to Bogotá

Two hours after arriving in Paris I was on my way again en route to Caracas in Venezuela. Ahead of me lay a ten hour flight but no worries because I could watch the in flight DVDs and possibly catch up on some sleep since I hadn't slept since the morning before.

The crew had a surprise in store for me though because the in flight DVD was only partially functional. In the end no problem because I managed to keep myself occupied with the films/programmes available and at least my breathing had returned to near normal although the truth is that my bronchii were still very uncomfortable. It would take another two days for the discomfort to resolve completely. The flight seemed to last forever but eventually we arrived in Caracas where I would get my next surprise of the journey. Yes, Air France had placed a note on the flight that I was a passenger but they had not booked a seat. Perhaps in the baggage hold? In the end sense prevailed so the attendant (who knew the flight had been paid for and that there were spare seats on the flight) booked me into a seat. I had three hours to wait for the connecting flight and would no arrive in Bogotá in time to fly to Valledupar the same day. Also I had not managed to sleep on the flight. Also although I was gasping for a drink I had both UK currency and Colombian currency but was in Venezuela so I was going to have to wait until arriving in Bogotá for a drink.

Just before boarding the flight, an hour late and for no apparent reason other than the fact the flight crew weren't that bothered about punctuality, it began to rain. This statement needs a little explanation because although we think it rains in England in South America rain takes on a whole new meaning.Think of the worst rainfall you have seen and think of that as spitting rain. Then try to imagine torrential in this context. I watch a few successive flights skid their way down the runway and the plumes of spray in their wake and began to wonder if air traffic control in Caracas is actually manned. The conditions were unchanged when my flight took off and I began to understand how religion is still deeply ingrained in the population here. When I looked at the flight path my understanding was even greater because none of the flight appeared to be over level ground, it was all along mountain ranges. We had to wear our safety belts due to the turbulence which did little to reassure me. Have you ever seen a news announcement where they say that a plane has crashed into the side of a mountain...................but luckily all of the passengers were wearing their safety belts! Didn't think so. But no worries, we arrived in Bogotá without incident.

Adams Park to Paris

My brother met me at Adams Park after the friendly fixture with Chelsea XI. It was a good evening with the 5-1 win, a little show of appreciation from the crowd and a nice goodbye from the staff and players in the dressing room post match. I really did appreciate the gesture. My brother dropped me at Heathrow, I didn't want him to wait with me because 1. I hate goodbyes and 2. I had no idea what time my pay would go into the bank and thus how long I would be waiting around in the airport. For all I knew it could end up being a matter of days depending upon flight availability.

As it turns out my pay entered the bank just after three o'clock. I managed to book a flight online for 06:40 in the morning. Brilliant! Then a little later I received confirmation along with a message that my online boarding passes would be processed in the next 48 hours. 48 hours!?! What the fu**!?!?!? I tried my passport in the auto book-in and it registered without issuing a boarding pass but it was prior to the 4:30 opening for my flight. When I went to check-in for boarding I was informed that although the booking was registered a problem was being flagged and I would need to consult the Air France desk. They informed me that the flight had been booked but not paid for. Decision time, what to do now? Pay for the flight again and try to cancel the original booking or take a chance and wait until the boarding passes were confirmed and that they would be valid for the next available flight. I couldn't call the booking agent because they did not accept calls until 9 o'clock in the morning. In the end I booked with the Air France desk and paid again. I went to the check in with ten minutes left to boarding to be told that the tickets I had been given were not boarding passes so had to return to the automated machines to check-in. Nobody was helpful. The desk staff would not allow me to leave my luggage at the desk and no passengers would get out of the way......but then they were French so no surprise there. I checked in at the desk in the final minute of boarding at the time given for gate closing for the flight. I had to make a World record attempt sprint finish over the 1000m to gate 24!! The security staff must have thought I had kryptonite in my cases because I was virtually waved through all security checks after leaving my belt  and throwing my loose change on the floor. I got to gate 24 where the flight had been delayed due to luggage loaded without the passenger (me) having boarded, feeling like I had two collapsed lungs, couldn't feel my hamstrings anymore and that there was no oxygen remaining in the atmosphere. The staff wouldn't allow me to board until my breathing rate had reduced to less than 120 breaths per minute and I had consumed 2 litres of water to replace the sweat pooling on the floor beneath me. Once I had collapsed to the floor I was unwilling to return to the seated position.
45 minutes late the flight left Heathrow for Paris Charles de Gaulle. I was on my way but still sweating heavily and unable to breath without an audible wheeze!

Volver!

 It was more difficult returning to England than I anticipated, for the both of us. As it turns out events transpired to allow me to return to Colombia much earlier than originally planned. So, here I am. Very happy and incredibly busy every day trying to organise things with Cecy. We are working against the clock! I have sixty days on my tourist visa although this can be extended for a price (surprise!) upto the end of November.

I have a story about the return journey which as it turns out was an adventure worthy of the telling. We have to get to town now though to organise a few things. Also we have to attend a course at the Catholic church tonight in preparation for the wedding next month. Nothing happens easily here although paying an extra few thousand pesos seems to ease things through at times, even in the office of DAS, the Colombian Department of Internal Security! More to follow.

Biodiversity

Cecy and I returned to La Piscina, this time to stay the night. We met our friend Yamie in the centre of Manaure, he's  the head honcho under the owner. He organised our room for us and then we had a wander into Manaure. The venues that were open were a little too lively for us, we came here for a quiet night away from it all so we bought a couple of drinks from a local shop. Funny idea because the shop owner takes your order through a little hatch in a metal door like the ones in prison, disappears for a little while and then your order is pushed out through the hatch. We walked back to our room at La Piscina to spend the night after downing our drinks under the stars.....what a clear sky!We had to walk back into the centre of Manaure to catch a "taxi" (actually just a local guy in his car making a few pesos) but I was struck by the diversity of fruits and plants here. These pictures were taken walking along one road in town.

These are coffee beans growing on some bushes in the grounds of La Piscina. They are not ready to pick because they are still green. They will change to either yellow or red when they are ripe for harvesting. They only go brown/black once they have been picked and go through processing.

In this picture you can see two different types of mango growing in trees alongside each other. The green ones are the bog standard mango that you would expect but the red ones are called Mangos de manzana (apple mangos) and are a different variety of the mango. I haven't tried a mango de manzana yet so can't comment first hand on them. The normal mangos grow in the garden of our house so I both eat them and have drinks of mango fairly often.

Here's where I start to get a little bit out of my depth because I am by no means a botanist. I just take the pictures and Cecy tells me what they are called. This particular tree-growing fruit is a Guanabana.

A little more familiar this bush-grown fruit, at least I have heard of it. These fruits are Maracuyás. Cecy told me this is a plant that behaves a little bit like ivy, growing attached to a larger tree - no sign of that here though.

OK, happier here because this is familiar territory. It doesn't take an horticultural expert to recognise these babys. These are bananas to you and I, here they are called plátanos, bananos or guineos depending on where in Colombia you are. The are either picked green (plátanos verdes) to be used more like a vegetable or picked yellow (plátanos maduros). Over here they actually prefer bananas nearer to black than yellow but they don't ofter seem to eat them like a fruit preferring to fry them or use them in recipies.

Not really much to add here.......coconuts.

This is a type of citrus fruit called toronjas. Look them up on google because that is about all I know about them! I could look it up myself for completeness but I am here to spend time with my other half, not researching on the internet.

I'm not going to upload all the pictures of the flowers in this street, just one as an example. All the flowers I took photos of are varieties of Margaritas (Daisys in the UK). This particular one is called a Margarita Fucsia. The other versions I saw are Naranjas (orange) and Rojas (red). 

One final point is to reinforce that these plants were all found in one street about seventy metres long. A diversity to admire I think.

La Piscina, Manaure

After the school visit Cecy took me to a bar/hostel called La Piscina on the edge of Manaure. In the past it was dangerous to visit here because of the presence of guerrilas but it is safer now. On the walk there we passed a tree with a wasps' nest.

A little further down the road I was just a little surprised to see this horse wandering freely in the street, nobody even seemed to register that the horse was there. It is so tranquil in this village, Cecy and I are going to look for a place here.

Ok, so eventually we arrived at La Piscina. I have to say I was very impressed, I love this spot.

Cecy poses for me before we cross the bridge over to La Piscina. Heavenly location and a goddess for company, man it doesn't get better than this! The river below the bridge is fast flowing, almost rapid-like through the rocks. I love the sound of running water. One of my dreams before arriving here was to visit the beach (also called La Piscina) in El Parque Tayrona on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. We are planning to go there on Thursday so perhaps loads of photos of that day to follow. Fingers crossed here.

I guess the owner (nice guy originally from Medellin) is a bit of a romantic judging from the signs over the bridge. The first reads "Con un beso sella el amor para siempre" (with a kiss seal [your] love forever). The second reads "Arroja una moneda al río y pide un deseo" (throw a coin into the river a make [ask for] a wish). Not a great view of the river but at least you can get an idea.

I was there after all. I keep taking pics of Cecy and forget about myself at times, easy to do though. Quite the picture this one too, it's not very ofter that you can see a photo of me next to a horse. I have never liked them very much but am going to have to from now on, especially to visit Cecy's sister's ranch in the nearby mountains. It's a a trek so I'm told. Perhaps we'll go there this week.




Ok, a few more pics to show the river. Take note of the kids swimming in the river and the soldiers on gaurd on the road overlooking La Piscina! There is also a pic of a banana tree next to the bridge we crossed to get in here.

Today I think we are going back to the parque de diviertos, amusement rides in town. Let you know later.

Out of town

Yesterday Cecy and I had to attend a parent teacher day for Juan Filipe at his school in Manaure, a village near to Valledupar. The school has an outstanding reputation. It is a church run school from which students graduate with professional standard qualifications, they can enter professions here with the same regard as graduates from university. However, the kids do leave for school at 5 o'clock in the morning and return home with homework. It is kind of refreshing to see the kids sit down with their homework and tackle it with enthusiasm. Cecy and I returned home after the football yesterday (and a few drinks in town) and Vanesa was still working on her homework!

En route to Manaure from Valledupar by taxi. In the background of this picture is part of tha Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range.

Taxi rides are a real experience here. There appear to be only two speeds in cars, stop and flat out. I took a short video of the return trip yesterday, quite a thrill ride! Cecy has said to me that we will die together one day, for a moment there I thought yesterday was the day!


Below are a few pictures taken in the school grounds.

How's your luck?

I couldn't believe my luck when two fillings I'd had in my front teeth since I was thirteen years old both fell out within two weeks of travelling here to be with Cecy. She soon put my concerns to rest. Let's go to the odontologist, no appointment required and the cost for the replacements plus a descale, clean and polish were less than the cost of one filling in the UK. Result!!