On our way back to the town, at certain times we would take to the streets with the horses. I've already wrote quite a bit about the driving here, so when we got to the road, Santiago said "watch out for cars!" Thanks for the tip. And since it was getting dark, the lights of oncoming traffic would occasionally spook the horses and they would stop and cautiously move backwards. I replayed any cowboy movie I had ever seen in my head, trying vigorously to remember the technique they would use when a horse would start bucking. At this point I had realized that I never really paid that much attention to what they were doing. I guess I will next time.
After some tasty tamarind juice to quench our thirst, we walked around the old town. This is one of the churches there, with a wedding mass happening on a nice summer night. Santa Fe de Antioquia was the original capital of Colombia, and a lot of the buildings here look like they've been around forever.
We bought the cheapest ball we could find and headed back to the resort to play some sort of water polo. Basically, we set up to lawn chairs on opposite ends of the pool, divided teams, and the whole point was to get the ball to stay in the chair. A great way get rid of the horse legs.
We all returned back to the house to start preparing dinner...at 10 p.m. Here, everyone is helping out, except for me. I did a good job drinking beer and talking to Gonzalo, who was barbecuing some beef and chorizo (sausages). Not only was I clueless as to the preparation of some of these dishes, but they were adamant about me relaxing and having a good time. Mission accomplished, that's for sure. The food was incredible. The beef, while sinewy and perhaps not the best cut of meat, was awesome. I tried cutting it on a Styrofoam plate and Santiago was quick to point out that it is common for people to eat with their hands. It felt a little more carnal, too. Once again, I'll mention how good the plantains were here. If you top them with some guacamole, it's one of the most pleasant appetizers I can think of. So ya, I'll be making more of these at home.
This guy wanted in on the fun. I can't remember what it is called, but he's about 3-4 inches long. Such a nice vibrant green, and harmless, although whenever it would start flying around, Santiago would run the other way.
Another great meal served up by Yolima and Gonzalo. There is a photo that I never took, simply because I wasn't aware of it's significance (to me). The last meal we had in Santa Fe was sancocho, which is a real typical Colombian dish that takes hours to prepare. It was moments like this that I was much happier to be at someone's house where they could make their own meals, and not at a hotel eating restaurant fare. I'd consider this a personal victory.
The next day we had another little guy visit us, but he was a lot smaller. Slightly larger than our grasshoppers, I found myself getting a closer look at these guys because of their vibrant green. Of course, moments later I would remember studying them in grade 4 or something, and how some of them have they ability to spit ink and presumed predators. I realized this about 10 inches away from this guy. Disaster averted. Well, maybe.
Here's us in the middle of the lamest version of "keep up," ever. Everyone kept wanting to play it, so I wanted to be a good sport and remained in the game. Wow, did we suck. I'm ashamed just thinking of it, so let's pretend we never played it. Maybe if that grasshopper spit in my face, I could have a good excuse to sit it out.
Here's our whole Santa Fe crew. After this photo, the boys went to play some soccer. It last about 20 minutes because of the incredible heat. Gonzalo and would have one the ironman award, had their been a ceremony following this epic match. The other guys would play for 5 mins. and then take a break. Later on, some of the guys asked "wow, you're really good, do you play a lot in Canada?" I said that I had played only a bit, one season with Pipeline, and the other with a stronger team, but failed to mention that said team was named Here for Beer, and that we remained true to our name.
On the way home, Gonzalo stopped to get a plastic cup filled with ice. I figured he was going to chew on it the whole way home because of the temperature. Boy was I wrong. He unscrewed the lid to a 1.5 litre 7up bottle, which was some delicious sangria. He poured it and handed it to me so that I'd have a refreshing beverage for the whole way home. Plastic cup of sangria in the front seat, with bumpy roads and crazy drivings. I didn't think it could end well, but an empty bottle of sangria proved me wrong. What a great idea.
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