Nov. 18

We had a great day today. We took a trip up to Monserrate, which is the cathedral on the top of the mountain. The views of the city from the top were phenomenal. We also were able to walk throughout the church even though mass was going on. The place was packed with people who had come to hear mass. We didn't realize it, but Sunday is "cheap ticket" day to visit Monserrate. Mass is said here everyday and several times on Saturdays, but most people who come to mass here prefer to come on Sunday. We also ate lunch in a small restaurant near the cathedral. The restaurant seemed to jut out over the edge of the mountain. There were windows all around for enjoying the views. The windows were made of small panes of glass, it felt like we were eating in a fancy greenhouse. It was a very nice restaurant and I was a bit nervous about how my newly adopted child would behave, but he was great. Johnny had driven us up the mountain and had stayed with us throughout our visit. He had chosen this restaurant because I said we wanted to try Colombian food. The food was good. We had a thick soup that reminded us of chili. It had lots of beans, but no meat in it. The meat was on the side, both some beef cooked with some vegetables as well as chorizo sausage. In addition, there was a pile of rice topped with a fried egg, a rice cake (just pressed rice, not the type we buy in the grocery store when we are dieting), chunks of avocado, and fried plantains (we've become rather fond of fried plantains). The most interesting part was a strip of pork that still had the skin on as well as some meat and was deep fried. Dwight said it tasted like pork rinds. I didn't eat mine and Johnny took it home with him for later.

On the way up, we were in a cable car with a man who had studied some English and he was giving us tips for what to see. He and his parents were going to mass. He told us that everyone in Colombia is either Catholic or Jewish. I checked this with Johnny and he agreed. We have met so many interesting people here and everyone has been very friendly.

We rode the cable car to the top of the mountain and took a train down. The train went through a tunnel for a good portion of the trip. Just below the car park area is a very large, beautiful national park. Just getting up to the car park area involves driving up some very steep hills. We were surprised to see how many people were biking up. Biking is a huge sport around here. On Sundays many of the streets in Bogota are closed to cars and lots of people are out on them on their bikes.

Johnny doesn't speak any English so spending the day with him gave me the chance to practice my Spanish. The biggest challenge to my Spanish is when talking to Maria's friend Tatis. When talking to adults, I usually have an idea of the topic. Tatis, however, talks about all sorts of topics and changes topic without warning. She talks loud and very fast. When I don't understand her the first time she says something, she heaves this deep sigh and then repeats it louder. She and I have some very interesting conversations.