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The Colombia Diary 1989

I was clearing out my room recently and came across a raggedy exercise book that was falling to pieces and which turned out to be the earliest diary I ever kept, when I was seven years old, about the first visit to Colombia that I could remember.

It's filled with pictures of stick figures wearing straw hats and smoking pipes and it took me a while to decipher the phonetic spelling but I present to you here rural Colombia in the late 80s as seen through the eyes of a young boy.

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Thursday 13th July: We took a taxi to the airport. On the way we saw a flock of starlings and we saw airplanes landing. On the runway it was like an earthquake when we took off and it look like the sky was tipping upside down. On the airplane it was noisy and bumpy. For supper I had rice and chicken and peas with a cheesecake. The film was Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

When we arrived we went to Tio Jaime’s house with Tio Hernando, Tio Ricardo and Viviana. At the house was Abuela, Tio Jaime, Tia Elizabeth, Tia Rocio, Tia Liliana, Tio Pacho and Andrea, and also Vicki, Tio Ricardo’s girlfriend. Tio Jaime’s house is very big. There are five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a kitchen and a dining room. Elvira and Claudia were sleeping in one of the bedrooms. Tio Jaime took me and Lizzy and Daddy onto the roof to see the city.

Sunday 16th July: Today I went with Tio Jaime to his work in the town centre. We had to go up a massive escalator to get there and there was a cannon next to it. Tio Jaime sells washing machines and TVs

Monday 17th July: Tio Hernando drove us to the bus station and we took the # 556 to the village. By the time we got there it was dark. When we got to Abuelo's house we ate some steak and Cristian showed us a dead bat in the garden. We sat in the hammock for a bit and then played with Cristian, Julian and Karen.

Tuesday 18th July: Me, Lizzy, Mami, Tia Maria Dilia and Cristian went to look for Edgar. While we were walking around we could see all the mountains and the tall grass. We could not find Edgar but when we got home he was there.

Wednesday 19th July: Today we took a ride on the donkey down to the Quebrada. We were playing in the water and Karen found a fossil. Abuelo wants to buy a new dog. At night we saw lots of fruit bats flying.

Thursday 20th July: Today is Independence Day in Colombia. In the village there was a procession lead by the band and people carrying the Colombian flag. Then we went to the school to watch them dancing in traditional costumes, and there were lots of girls in their uniforms. [Hee, hee, even at seven I had an eye for the ladies!]

When we went home Abuela let me collect the eggs from the chicken.

Saturday 22nd July: Today we went to play at Karen and Julian’s house. I was playing with a rattle and I gave it to the dog, but Julian took it away from the dog and so the dog went mad and ran around the house. It jumped on Lizzy and chewed her ribbon so Julian kicked the dog and it started crying and jumped over the fence and ran into the street. We all ran after it, the dog got into a fight with two other dogs. Karen and Julian were shouting at the dog to come back but it didn’t listen. Tia Nury came home and she was very angry. She kicked the dog and then she kicked Julian, and me and Lizzy got sent home.

Monday 24th July: Abuela was very ill last night so Tio Hernando and Tio Pacho arrived about 3 o’clock in the morning and drove her to hospital in Bogotá. Mami went with them.

Tuesday 25th July: This morning we saw a gecko running around in the sink. We went out for a walk up into the mountains and then in the afternoon we went to play in the river. We could see the clouds gathering so we went home before the storm came. It was very exciting, you don’t get storms like this in England! Abuelo said he didn’t need to take a shower now. The water was flowing out of the guttering like a waterfall and it sounded like stones on the roof. Daddy took some pictures.

Wednesday 26th July: Today we went out the Village and up into the mountains near La Loma De La Cruz. We could see the Village from high up. The view was really spectacular.

Thursday 27th July: I was very sick last night because I didn’t know you weren’t supposed to drink the water. Mami came back today and she brought a puzzle with her which was a map of Colombia and showed you all the different regions.

Friday 28th July: We went for a really long walk in the sun, through the sugarcane fields outside the village and then we went down to the Quebrada to cool down. Abuelo has bought a new puppy which Lizzy called Sally.

Saturday 29th July: We went down river today and swam about. Afterwards me, Lizzy and Cristian went to pick the corn and we carried it in my straw hat.

Wednesday 2nd August: At night time we can see so many stars in the sky, not like in England. I wish I had a telescope to look properly. We can see the constellation Pegasus, the Milky Way and the Venus Star.

Sunday 6th August: Today it is Karen’s First Holy Communion. Tia Elizabeth, Tia Rocio, Tio Ricardo and Vicki came down with Viviana and Andrea. Karen looks very pretty in her dress. After the Mass there was a party at Abuelos house, and we ate a stuffed pig.

Thursday 10th August: We are in Bogotá. We went to the Gold Museum and we saw lots of statues. There was a raft with the Indians on them.

Afterwards we went to Tia Liliana’s house to play with Vivi and Andrea and we stayed the night.

Saturday 12th August: Today we went down to the stadium to watch the sports. There was racing and pole vaulting. We were cheering on Colombia of course, to beat Brazil and Venezuela. Afterwards Tio Ricardo took us to meet some of the athletes.

Sunday 13th August: Today is baby Felipe’s baptism. Afterwards there was a party and we ate roast potatoes and cake. Me, Lizzy, Vivi and Andrea played ping-pong on the roof.

Friday 19th August: Last week we went to visit Lizzy’s Godmother, Tia Lyda in Buga, near Cali. The journey took sixteen hours by bus through the jungle and we stayed for four days. We went out to lots of places and played with Anthony. There was an eclipse of the moon.

Saturday 20th August: Today we went to the top of Monserrate. We got up there by cable car. We got a view of the whole of Bogotá and in the distance we could see the Volcano Nevado Del Ruiz which exploded a few years ago. There is a big statue of Jesus on the Mountain, and we stayed for Mass. Tio Ricardo was feeling a bit sick so he went back down to the car with Mami. Me, Lizzy and Daddy went for a walk with Tio Hernando, Tia Martha and baby Felipe.

Sunday 21st August: Today we went to the Salt Cathedral in Zipaquira. It is carved entirely out of salt and is deep inside the Mountain. All the statues were made of salt too, including the Nativity scene. Tia Martha said if you licked the wall it tastes like salt, but when I did it, it just tasted like rocks! Afterwards we went to an amusement park.

By Cockney Colombian on Apr 15, 2005, 03:02 in Friendly Talkzone.

kat1 (Moderator) says on Apr 15, 2005, 08:19:

to write a diary at that age I think is fantastic, I wish my kids will do that but as soon as they arrive in colombia they don't open a book or touch a pen for a month

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kat1 (Moderator) says on Apr 15, 2005, 08:23:

By the way that was the year I got married. on the 5 of may I will be celebrating my 16 wedding anniversary. ;-)

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babygirl says on Apr 15, 2005, 08:54:

That's so neat. I'm sure you're glad you found that!

Kat, my daughter is like your kids too, I encourage her to keep a journal when we travel or when she goes to camp but forget it. That would be cruel and unusual punishment for her..haha. Congrats on your anniversary by the way.

cheers - babygirl

cheers - babygirl

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kat1 (Moderator) says on Apr 15, 2005, 09:12:

Thanks babygirl, !16 years it hasn't been plain sailing but the boat is still afloat.....:-)

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Cockney Colombian says on Apr 15, 2005, 09:31:

I think sometimes when we're young we don't realise that one day we'll want to look back with fondness. Or maybe its because today we are spoilt with cheap video, digital and photographical equipment that we don't need to write to capture our moments in time.

I was very excited to go to Colombia when I was 7. I had been before but as a baby so I had no memories of it, only photos alien to me, snapshots into a time before I had consciousness. I wanted to record everything and I've kept diaries of all the subsequent visits to Colombia. Can you imagine a seven year old who has only known city life thrust into a world where there are jungles and mosquitos and hammocks and soup for breakfast and life doesn't need washing machines and TVs.

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kat1 (Moderator) says on Apr 15, 2005, 09:46:

My kids love Colombia specially my daughter, when I arrive there I hardly see them, they are always outside...we sometimes have to go and try to find them so they come home and at least have something to eat.

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