Day 46 - Medellin (Colombian Independence Day)

Since today was a holiday on Wednesday, a lot of people stayed up last night and had good fun sipping on lots of beer. I opted for reading a few pages in my latest selection, Girl with the Dragon Tattoos. I figured today I wanted to take some time and see how Colombians celebrate their Independence Day. They are already very similar to the states as in staying up late at night since there is no work the next day!

In the interim, I decided to enjoy me some good ole store brand Granola and boxed milk. No need to repost those pics, but I quickly began thinking about what is for lunch. After some serious brainstorming and realizing my limited ingredients, purposely limited, I opted for not just soup, but HEARTY soup.. I threw in some potatoes and more noodles for thickness. It came out better than expected, and not just because I made it!

This afternoon, Erika and I planned on meeting in Botero Plaza to have dinner and explore the city's celebration offerings. While I was waiting on her, a funny thing happened...

This uhm greyed Colombian, which you could tell was suave in his day, decided to slide up next to me. I mean he was close. I figure it had to be some kinda mating contact that has to have worked on other Senoritas. He tried talking to me and I told him that I spoke little Spanish and he decided to break it down to me. He told me how beautiful I was and how he liked my skin color. He was very surprised that I was not from Colombia (I suppose because of my color). In addition, his thigh dayum near overlapped mine. A bit uncomfy, but entertaining that he worked so hard to make sure I understood what he was saying. After we exchanged all we could, he told me goodbye and it was a pleasure, while giving me a once over. It was a Class Act..I guess he was feeling confident on this day. Maybe I too will try this on a confident day to see how it fares in the states.

I wanted to capture this photo of a worker in the central part of town. He was proud to be a Colombian as he served up fruit cups in his Colombian colors.

Erika had heard of a free concert in one of the parks about 20 minutes away from the Central area of town. Unfortunately, I was told not to whip out my camera during the walk because my camera was less than safe. I hate I could not take a picture of my latest tasting, Buñuelos. They are a fried pastries and stuffed with different things. This was more dough and cheese, which is more commonly found in the streets.

Borrowed from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ciroduran/83584367/sizes/m/in/photostream/  

As we continued to make our way, it was nice to see the kids and families out playing in the park sprinklers and enjoying the sun and some street food! The closer we approached our destination, I wondered what I had stepped into. It was the alternative crowd of Colombia. I guess this free concert was to raise awareness and acceptance of individuals based on race, sex, color, sexuality, etc. And trust me when I say, it attracted all those who defied the "norm." Now I am all for acceptance, but these folks were high as a kite and drinking to their hearts content. I am not sure how much of the message they actually heard. My words don't quite capture the moment like a few pics.

This shirt below really summed up things, lol.

If you look closely at this pictures, it contains a lot. If you can't figure it, then email me on the side!

This picture does not quite capture it, but another band came out and played this music and people starting running around in this circle, throwing bows. It was madness! I'll try to get the video posted eventually.

On my way back to the hostel, I tried to capture an image of Ave Setenta. It used to be this happening place, but it is where all the Colombians hang out. It is just a cool street that's quiet because of the holiday.

When I arrived back at the hostel, I decided to have a beer and chat it up with some locals who were having drinks in the bar! It was amazing how friendly they were. One was trying to learn English and his friends were pretty good at English and played translator. I decided to get in since I wanted to learn Spanish! So we chatted, their was some language exchanged played. I was quite proud of me that I could identify some words and sessions. I decided to call it a night around 10:30ish. The locals invited me out for a possible outing on Friday. We'll see what happens! It's been a good day! Time is passing by soo fast!