22 February, 2012

What doesn't kill you.../ Lo que no te mata...

Before I had been to Santiago, Putumayo (in the south of Colombia just before you get to the Amazon), I had never...
  • flown over mountains while looking up at the peaks of the mountains next to me (the Andes are really big)
  • realised people could eat cuy
  • eaten cuy
  • seen anyone eat an animal's head
  • eaten liver with popcorn
  • seen a hummingbird
  • eaten a chicken killed that same day
  • seen an animal killed for food (the chicken above, killed 'in my honour,' ie, trying to freak out the gringa :D )
  • seen an animal butchered (more freaky than the actual killing)
  • realised that chickens have 'pre-eggs' in them waiting to be laid
  • realised that the 'pre-eggs' are edible
  • seen fireflies
  • seen an animal killed for sport
  • (knowingly) eaten stomach (cow's)
  • been without the internet AND my mobile at the same time
  • not cared in the slightest about a lack of internet or mobile
  • realised that the Inca (Inga to them) are still around
  • met a real shaman
  • met Pablo Escobar (the nice one)
  • ridden a motorbike
  • had flowers put in my hair as a greeting/blessing
  • eaten rib soup for breakfast 
  • eaten tomate de arbol
  • eaten an entire pineapple in one sitting
  • been offered beer at 10am
  • not been afraid of spiders
  • been to a real Shrove Tuesday carnival (full details in a more coherent post to come)
  • danced and played instruments in a carnival
  • been the caporal (flag bearer) in a parade
  • felt so proud of myself (see above)
  • drunk so much chicha I thought I was going to explode (will explain why later)
  • blown a real horn (not my own)
  • been so cold then so hot in the same day (the weather is like that of Bogotá, but more extreme)
  • seen an entire dismembered cow (you might be noticing a theme here, I'm very much a city girl)
  • spent all morning in my pyjamas in public
  • seen so many stars at night (well, I had, but only twice ever)
  • spoken "inga-lish" (quechua, the Inga's language)
  • eaten chontaduro (peeled and quartered with lots of salt)
  • worked out how to make the woven beaded bracelets/necklaces/etc
  • taken just under 2.5 G of photos in so few days
  • eaten most of a papaya (with lime)
  • been a guest of honour just for being foreign
  • had to explain where the UK is
  • expected to see a Manchester United shirt in an Inga village
  • had such an in-depth conversation with someone about all kinds of knitting/sewing/etc in Spanish  (gracias, Maria, Conchita y Nestor)
  • flown on a plane with propellers
  • heard mass being broadcast by loudspeaker to the whole village
  • been in a village where I can walk from one end to the other in less than ten minutes (at a very leisurely tourist pace)
  • eaten a coconut helado (the homemade ones in plastic drinking cups)
  • eaten homemade arequipe
  • had people want to have their photos taken with me just for being foreign
  • still had my hand itching from stinging nettles (bloody ortiga) over a day later
  • been given shamanic medicine (well, his mum's medicine, but that's got to be even more effective, right?)
  • had so many exciting things to tell
  • felt so in love with Colombia
I am a lot stronger than I was five days ago :D

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