Manizales, Colombia

February 2, 2010

Adolfo was leaving the next morning as well. We were both headed south, and frankly I was REALLY unsettled now. I was happy to be riding with him.

We met up with a friend of his, Pedro, for breakfast, and let me tell you this is the sweetest guy in the world. So helpful, SO sweet, SO adoring of is wife, I was expecting him to sprout wings and fly off like an angel. After breakfast he gave me his card and invited me back to Medellin–he would be happy to give me a really good tour. Thanks Pedro!

Pedro (L) and Adolfo (R) at breakfast

Breakfast!

Fried bananas (Yum)

Fried Eggs (Greasy)

Fried Pork Rind (Uck)

Lime

Sausage

Luckily this wasn’t my breakfast 🙂

Back on the road, now heading South.

Yes, this is a car passing Adolfo on a double yellow. You’ll see lots of these pics 🙂

Adolfo passing on a double yellow…

Adolfo’s breakfast didn’t sit too well. I photographed these cicada shells while he ran off into the woods.

Burning is the typical way to get ride of stuff down here…

Roads are pretty well marked…

We stopped for fresh fruit juices–dang! but it was hot!

It was a busy little place where we stopped…I was lucky to get a snapshop of a typically overloaded bike ridden by locals…

I love CHIVA!

The curvy, twisty, GREAT road up to Manizales (somewhere around 9000 feet)

Rooftop view of Manizales (from Adolfo’s luxury hotel–I was at the dump down the street)

Between our hotels there was this a-m-a-z-i-n-g-l-y- steep road . We were told there are many many accidents on it every day.

Beginning of our walking tour…

This is a curious thing here in Colombia (and a very handy one). I guess cell phones are very expensive, so there are  people everywhere, actually, that sell minutos. Look closely at the picture–here the vendor has a whole bunch of phones attached to them by chains–so no one makes off with their phone…

This work of art is suspended about the main square in front of the municipa building.

Statue of Bolivar (liberator and uniter of northern South America (Colombia, Bolivia and Ecuador). He was referred to as the Condor, and in this sculpture the mask has been taken off and he wears the head of a condor. This is in the main squre in front of the municipal building.

I had no idea why Adolfo kept asking everyone where the municipal building is, but when we got there I understood: he wanted to see the architecture. Gosh, we just don’t have the same sense of style in the USA…

We were, after all, in Colombia. Where else would they have maids serving coffee inside the municipal offices?!?

Portraits of all the past mayors of Manizales–they were actually quite proud to have 4 women among them!

Look at the details on the STEPS!

The first mayor’s chair and telephone.

Look closely at the bottom left corner of the desk.

Ah. Young men in uniform. Adolfo told me I was not supposed to take a picture, but I asked. They were gracious enouh to let me.

We continued our walk around town…I spotted ths sculpture.

Quick stop for Alisa breakfast (Adolfo was served breakfast at his posh hotel). Jugo de something and empanadas.

minutos!

Being a tourist is hard work…here’s my afternoon tinto (coffee) and sweet…

Inside one of the churches I noticed these graves… I guess we do this in the USA but I don;t know. I was stumped–the size ws so small. Adolfo explained that they are for families that are cremated–whole bodies do not fin inside those small squares.

Adolfo’s Euro hotel.

Colombians are crazy about bullfighting. Here’s the Plaza de Toros in Manizales.

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