Trip to Ibague, Girardot, and Neiva

We traveled to three Colombian cities, Ibague, Girardot, and Neiva, not far from Bogota. The purpose was to give presentations on Church welfare and home storage principles to stake, District, Ward, and Branch leaders. We went in a Church SUV driven by Carlos Fernandez who gave Church training on the Employment Service in the same cities. The photo above shows a big bus called the Transmilenial. These buses constitute the rapid transit system for Bogota and run on their own special roads.

The trip to Ibague, the first city, took about 5 hours. Along the highway were a variety of places to stop and get things to eat and drink. At this stop, hunks of pork hung in view for purchase and for eating. The restrooms at this particular stop needed serious upgrading.

Cooking the heart, kidneys, etc. of the pig.

We stopped for lunch at quite a nice restaurant with quite clean restrooms. However, Carolyn didn't like the idea of chickens roaming throughout the restaurant.

The District Presidency in Ibague, along with Carlos Fernandez and Elder and Sister Shipp. Taken outside the stake center in Ibague.

A view of the city of Ibague taken from our hotel window.

More Colombian delicacies sold along the road between Ibague and Girardot. They are crunchy like crackers and quite good although Carolyn thought she could taste sand in them.

At a restaurant in Girardot, where the temperature was very hot and the city had a definite tropical feel, like on those old movies with fans, bars, palm trees and drunken expats.

The chapel in Girardot had no piano. It did have a key board which had to be played standing up and only half of the key board worked.

Crossing the Magdalena River, famously featured in novels by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, between Girardot and Neiva. The river flows all the way through Colombia to the Caribbean near Baranquilla.

A Colombian milk cow, quite unlike the Jersey and Holstein cows of my growing up years.

Outside our hotel in Neiva, with the first lady of Neiva in white, Carlos Fernandez, the first lady's assistant, the stake public relations person, and Dr. Casallas, first counselor in the stke presidency and a medical doctor. We all had lunch together and talked about ways the Church could collaborate with the city government of Neiva and related foundations in supporting health and social service programs and projects. The Church has a long history of working with this particular first lady. The hotel was elegant and the Stake President had planned an exhausting schedule for us. The climate in Neiva is very hot and by the end of the day on Sunday we were exhausted and ready to return to Bogota with its lovely climate.

With our friend Jose Luis Cardenas the day before we left on our trip. Jose Luis's last day of Church employment was the Friday of that week. He is already busily engaged in getting his own business set up.

Colombian Food

Once every couple of weeks, we go to lunch at the Sopa y Postres restaurant that serves authentic colombian food and is near our office. A lunch for two is about $20 US, sort of in the mid range of lunch prices. The foto above is of he menu.

The foto above shows small empanadas of cheese, deep fried and delicious with the special sauce.

These are the main dishes with the Ajiaco soup on the left, with the piece of corn on the cob and in front the ever present rice and avacado. Above the Ajiaco are shown a little dish of caper-like condiments and cream to add to the soup. The dish on the right is a special rice dish, with pork, with strips of deep fried plantain and with a fried egg on top

A view of the outside part of the restaurant It's very pleasant when the weather is nice. We also enjoy eating outside because the chairs have backs; inside one sits on backless benches.

Enjoying the ambience after a nice meal. Sitting at a nearby table was a birthday party consisting of six pretty young women, one of whose birthday it was, and a single young man. They sang Happy Birthday, first the English version, followed by the same tune with Spanish words.

Avacados are eaten with nearly everything. We eat avacados with all of our green salads. The sauce is our favorite and compares in flavor with the tortilla factory.

Carolyn's first attempt to make cookies at this high altitude. They turned out pretty well, if a little flat.

Aides foundation and mission home

We went with Jose Luis Cardenas to deliver Church-donated hygenic kits to children with the HIV virus who live in an orphanage operated by a community of the Catholic Church. The kids' don't have functioning parents -- the parents are dead or drug addicted. The kids go to school and eat and sleep at the orphanage. The above photo shows the official kit presentation to the director of the orphanage.

The little boy above can't tolerate the drugs needed to prevent full-blown aides. He is in isolation and probably won't live much longer.

The children at snack time. We arrived at the orphanage just as the children were coming home from school.

Carolyn and Royal with the children and the orphanage director. This foundation, supported by the Catholic Church, is better furnished and maintained than many similar foundations that we have visited. What keeps the children functioning are the expensive drugs they are able to get. There are about 20 children, ages 1 to 15. The hygenic kits were very much appreciated. The Church ordinarily doesn't partner with well supported foundations like this one except with small gifts like the hygenic kits. These kits are assembled at the humanitarian center in SLC and then shipped all over the world.

Last Sunday we , along with three other senior missionary couples and the president of the Bogota South mission and his wife were invited for dinner at the home of the president of the Bogota North mission. It was very nice. They served Ajiaco, our favorite Colombian soup. Shown in photo above at the right are President Casablanca (white house) of the Bogota south mission and his wife. He is from Puerto Rico. His wife, although born in the USA, lived most of her life in Puerto Rico and met her husband there.

Sister Casablanca on the left and Sister Hacking on the right -- wives of the two Bogota mission presidents.

Presidential Palace and Plaza de Bolivar

We went down to the Plaza de Bolivar, with surrounding government buildings in the center of Bogota, twice last week. The first time was for a meeting with Dona Lina Moreno, first lady of Bogota and a great friend of the Church. The meeting was to talk with her and her assistant about a shipment of wheel chairs, which the Church has built in China and 1,250 of which are being donated to a foundation of the first lady. There is a presidential election next May and President Uribe is not eligible to run again. So the Church will have to develop new relationships. The photo above is of the entrance to the Palacio de Narino (or Casa de Narino), the residence of the President and his wife and the seat of executive branch government. Security was very tight and we were not able to take a camera to the meeting with the first lady.

A parade of military people in front of the Palacio de Narino. Narino was a famous general in the war of independence. Colombia won its independence from Spain in 1811.

The statue of Simon Bolivar, el gran libertador, in the center of the Plaza. Note the ever present pigeon on Bolivar's head.

All central plaza's have, as one of their central buildings, a grand Catholic cathedral.

Our second trip to the Plaza de Bolivar was to attend a ceremony in El Salon Eliptico del Congreso de la Republica where the Senate meets. The occasion was for the presentation of the "Orden del Congreso de Colombia en el grado de Caballero" to two noted medical doctors. We went as sort of representatives of the Church which has supported foundations where the medical doctors worked. The photo above is of a wall in the Senate chamber, showing, of course, the gran libertador.

Another view of the Senate chamber, very impressive.

A view of the chamber looking toward the back of the room.

In front of each seat are buttons to push for voting. The invitation to the event had a note at the bottom that dress was "Calle Oscuro" or street dark. This worked for men, all in dark suits. But some of the women wore dresses that they wouldn't necessarily wear in the street.

On another topic, we discovered a new fruit, called granadina, I think. The photo above shows the fruit before it's peeled. The photo below shows the peeled fruit with the delicious seeds which are very sweet and tender.

Office events and people

Farewell lunch for Elder and Sister Sanches (he is Brazilian which accounts for the funny spelling) at the Sopa y Postres restaurant -- famous for authentic Colombian food. Sanches have been Perpetual Education Fund missionaries. Sanches are on the left. The couple on the right are Colombians who will take over the PEF work. they recently completed a mission at the bishop's storehouse.

Another view of the farewell lunch.

Two more PEF (which they call "PEF" in Spanish although the Spanish name is Fondo Perpetuo de Educacion) workers. The brother on the left talks to Carolyn in Spanish and waits for her to answer even though the Spanish speakers in the office say that it's very difficult for anyone to understand his Spanish. The girl on the right has just received her mission call. In her ward they have the custom of the bishop reading the mission call letter even before the missionary has read it so that the entire ward learns where she is going at the same time.

Andres Villegas, a very talented young man who is a manager of the PEF work. He speaks perfect English and has been very helpful to us in dealing with technology and computer-related questions. He has been a bishop and a counselor in a mission presidency.

Jose Luis Cardenas and his wife. They are a special couple with three young daughters. Jose Luis has worked in the welfare and humanitarian programs and also has been very helpful to us, teaching us about the complexities of computer programs, making travel arrangements, and working with us on humanitarian programs.

Tumaco Reunion Party

On July 4 (the fourth of July) we held a reunion/party for the Tumaco volunteer translators. We had a nice dinner, presented individual certificates from LDS Charities, saw a power point slide show of the USNS Comfort hospital ship and the work on land, and laughed and talked. The photo above shows three of the very best translators. On the left is Daniel Trujillo. Seated is Daniel's novia (they plan to marry in December) Anna Maria Rodriguez, and standing on the right is Ma. Paula Alvarez, creator of the power point presentation and our point of contact on the ship.

This photo shows the food, very delicious and typical fourth of July picnic food Colombia style. Standing at the left is Patricia Cubillo who works in the church offices and who, with her mother, catered the dinner. On the right is Angie Sanches, one of the senior missionaries.

Carolyn and Royal with Carlos Fernandez, our good friend and mentor.

Pretty obviously, the people eating.

Four of the handsome (and pretty) translators showing off their certificates.

USNS Comfort hospital ship project in Tumaco

Crowd waiting outside to enter the school for medical treatment.

An example of Tumaco housing in the poor neighborhoods.

Waiting to see one of the pediatrics doctors

The first phase of the optometry treatment. Royal is translating.

Royal speaking at the new school unvailing ceremony presenting the school with church-donated desks and school kits. Carlos Vives is standing at left.

The crowd at the new school ceremony. Between 1,000 and 2,000 in the audience.

The ten Cali missionary translators with their mission president and his wife

Royal talking with Mayor Correa of Tumaco at the ceremon

The famous MRE (Meals Ready to Eat) lunches -- designed for warriors.

Royal examining the church-donated desks and school kits in one of the new class rooms.

Lorena Ostos, a sweet LDS girl, translating for a pediatrics examination.

Royal translating for a CPR demonstration. The Project Hope volunteer has lived in Sugar House in SLC for 25 years, never joined the church, and is a nurse at St. Marks Hospital.

Colombian military guards with their assault rifles at the ready.

Carolyn with Linia, a joyful little 10-year old girl with only one leg. She prefers only one crutch because she can run faster.

Carolyn and Royal with Carlos Vives, the famous Colombian singer who said, upon meeting us in broken English, that he is the Colombian Donny Osmond.