The coolest place we hope you never read about…
April 12th, 2011
…that is, except for here. We were recently turned on to the coolest little bar, so cool in fact, we’re not going to tell you its name. This bar, we’ll call it The Cabana, is so amazing that our biggest fear is that some guidebook will find out about it and flood it with tourists. The only gringos we want to see there are ourselves and our guests!
What makes it worth the secrecy you ask? Well for one, two nights a week they feature a live band playing traditional Argentinean and Colombian music. There’s no stage; the six or so members gather around a small table with their glasses of beer and empty shot glasses and play whatever strikes their fancy. It’s more like sitting in on a close group of friends having a jam session than listening to a band play.
Every night the experience is completely different, thanks to the local musicians dropping in to lend their voice, guitar, or harp to the band (yes, I said harp). One night we had Argentineans belting out mournful songs, followed by a local singer/cab driver leading the crowd in a rousing version of Tengo Mil Novias (I have a thousand girlfriends). Another night we witnessed a man playing the wooden spoons and an Andean flutist putting Ron Burgundy to shame. We have no doubt that our next visit will bring an entirely different experience.
The owner keeps the drinks simple: aguardiente, rum, and Heineken beer. However, the accompanying snacks are anything but. Served with your drinks are no fewer than four bowls for the fritos, cheese flavored bread balls, mango, fresh coconut pieces, orange slices, grapes, and tree tomatoes (didn’t know some tomatoes grow in trees, did you?) And if that array of munchies doesn’t cut it for you, the tasty pizza joint across the street will bring you your choice of crispy-crusted pizza. ¡Delicioso!
The thing that brings everything together is the ambiance of The Cabana. The entire bar is perhaps the size of a living room and barely fits 10 small tables, which encourages the intermingling of the patrons. Adorning the walls are a variety of musical instruments, portraits, and vintage advertisements for various Colombian beers featuring pin-up girls. Vinyl records are haphazardly stacked on random shelves and in nooks and crannies between the assortment of antique amplifiers, record players and sound equipment. On nights when the band isn’t playing these records are filling the air with the traditional sounds of tango, and if you’re a music buff, you can make requests for your favorite Colombian or Argentinean song.
Rest assured, if you come visit us in Medellin, we’ll show you a good time at The Cabana. But until then, let’s just keep this secret between us.
More photos of The Cabana can be found here.
The San FranTastic Four: The Finale
August 3rd, 2010
*We hosted our first official guests at Su Casa Colombia this past week: Haileigh, Ashley, Joanna and Colleen. All four live in or around beautiful San Francisco, making them the San FranTastic Four. These are their adventures.
After five wonderful days with the ladies of San Fran, the exciting climax was upon us: rappelling down a 200-foot waterfall. Although I had done it once before, even I didn’t know the magnitude of the adventure that awaited us. Bring yourself up to speed on what is involved with waterfall rappelling by reading about my first experience and watching the video. 
We awoke at 6 am and by 8 am we were suited up and ready to go, along with four other Colombians who would be joining us. Thanks to the cloud cover, our two-hour trek started out nicely without too much perspiration and before we knew it we were practicing rappelling techniques off the side of the gazebo (that won’t make sense if you didn’t read about my first time.)
After thirty minutes of traversing the cloud forest and scaling the rock wall (the ladies later commented that the hike was almost as demanding as rappelling itself) we finally arrived at the cascade. Much to my surprise, the waterfall had changed dramatically in the three months since I last saw it, thanks to a very rainy wet season. The waterfall in April looked like a trickle compared to the gushing water of the present. I suddenly felt like I hadn’t adequately prepared our guests for the intensity they were about to experience; I didn’t feel prepared myself!
I stayed behind as two by two everyone made their descent and made it safely to the bottom until it was time for Colleen and I to brave the waterfall. Because there was so much mist coming off of the waterfall we were FREEZING as we got hooked up to the ropes, but the second we lowered ourselves over the edge the adrenaline took over and the shivers were gone.
Ashley and Joanna rappelling like pros
Just as the waterfall had changed drastically since April, so had the experience itself. Before, I had ventured across the cascade and relished the sensation of the water falling on my legs. This time I stayed to one side where the water was less abundant and still had trouble seeing my feet under the rushing water. Before, I had descended at a leisurely pace, savoring every moment. This time I proceeded with a greater sense of urgency, trying not to think about what would happen if I got stuck. Before, I had whooped, hollered and yelled with excitement. This time, I was so completely concentrated on every step, every move, I completely forgot to make a peep. Before, I had reached the bottom thinking it was easy peasy, lemon squeezy. This time I reached the bottom feeling like I’d really accomplished something, like I’d really earned some bragging rights.
At the bottom, the rest of the crew was relieved when I reassured them that what they had just experienced was far more intense and difficult than what my video had advertised. Joanna said it was just as scary and adrenaline inducing as skydiving. I was so proud of the four ladies and Noah, most of whom had never rappelled before but navigated the waterfall with confidence and enthusiasm. The ear-to-ear grins were enough to tell me they had really enjoyed themselves.
Upon returning to the finca we received the best welcoming we could imagine: a delicious bowl of beans, chicharón, and freshly fried plantains thanks to the wonderful and talented Mari. While Colleen, Joanna and I relaxed with a book on the lawn, Noah, Haileigh and Ashley went for a horse back ride through the countryside. When they returned, Ashley had a dirty knee and a story to tell. Her horse had lost its footing while galloping and quick thinking Ashley opted to jump and roll into the bushes rather than risk being thrown from the horse. Both Noah and Haileigh attested that Ashley had all the style and grace of a ballerina ninja. There was still a bit of time before sunset so I hopped on Ashley’s horse and rode out with Noah and Haileigh who had bonded with her horse and wasn’t ready to stop. The sunset over the valley was gorgeous and truly unique and I think this photo will show you why:
Our last night was a great end to our time together. It was a warm, cloudless night with a full moon and millions of stars. We grilled my favorite cut of beef on the outdoor grill along 
with corn on the cob and potatoes and washed it down with wine and aguardiente. The musical stylings of Carlos Vives accompanied us once again and we danced and talked until we (or maybe it was just me) literally fell asleep under the stars.
We returned to Medellín the next afternoon, fed the ladies some tasty empanadas and then saw them off to the airport, on to their next destination on Colombia’s Carribean coast. We already miss the time we spent with these four intelligent, adventurous and fun San FranTastic women, but we know that when we visit San Francisco later this year we’ll have four new friends to see!
To see more photos from rappelling, horseback riding, or the rest of the ladies’ visit, check out our Picasa album or our facebook page. Leave a comment if you want to make me smile!
The San FranTastic Four Part 5
July 30th, 2010
*We hosted our first official guests at Su Casa Colombia this past week: Haileigh, Ashley, Joanna and Colleen. All four live in or around beautiful San Francisco, making them the San FranTastic Four. These are their adventures.
After spending four days in Medellín it was time for a change of scenery and to introduce the ladies to an integral part of the Colombian culture: the finca! Literally translated, finca means farm or ranch but could just as easily mean paradise. Most middle to upper class families in Medellín have a modest apartment or home in the city and a finca in the countryside where they retreat on the weekends. Paisas, as the people in and around Medellín are called, are hard workers and really earn their down time.
Before we could go to the finca we had to pick up food and supplies from the market, which is part of the experience and fun of going to the finca. 
We always look forward to going to the Mayorista, which is like a farmers market on steroids and HGH. Food stall after food stall offers both exotic and familiar fruits alike at astoundingly low prices. Every time we go we have to eat a fresh, mouthwatering arepa de chocolo with cheese, which is like very moist cornbread in the shape of a pancake. Or for the El Torito fans out there, that little scoop of sweet corn cake that comes on every plate. Yum!
Now, with five gringas and one tall gringo in the middle of a Medellín market, you’re bound to turn a few heads; seeing tourists in the city in uncommon, seeing tourists at the Mayorista is unheard of. 
Many of the workers were fascinated by us, but treated us with the utmost respect and kindness that we’ve come to expect from Paisas. It wasn’t long before the vendors were giving us free fruits and posing for pictures with us. So this is what it feels like to be a C-list celebrity!
With our shopping complete, we loaded up the van and began our 2.5 hour drive through the country with our wonderful driver, Juan. I took this opportunity to educate the San FranTastics on one of my favorite Colombian musicians, Carlos Vives, and they really enjoyed his music. So now I’ll take this opportunity to educate you too, so click the link to enjoy some of my favorite Carlos Vives songs.
Although we’d tried to warn the girls of the awesomeness of our family’s finca, all of the hype didn’t seem to prepare them for their new surroundings. As Haileigh described it, we were in a “Jurassic Park meets Avatar” world. We gave them a tour of the property, introduced them to the horses and cantankerous parrots, and then we headed down to the lake to cool off with a quick dip and some Aquardiente.
That evening we busted out the exotic fruits we had purchased at the Mayorista and I led the group through a fruit tasting. We began with the tart yet tasty Uchuvas, a small orange fruit. Second was Coruba, which also goes by the name of passion fruit in other parts of the world. 
Third on the menu was the deliciously sweet Pitaya which is bright yellow and prickly on the outside, and clear with black seeds on the inside. We ended the tasting with Zapote based solely on the necessity of floss immediately after eating its pumpkin-orange flesh. A cross between the flavor of a cantaloupe and pumpkin, plus the texture of a ripe mango, it was by far the oddest fruit of the night. We followed the fruit with a delicious soup by Mari, the very talented and very sweet cook/maid. Everyone raved about the soup and there wasn’t one unhappy stomach in the bunch.
For reasons I still can’t figure out, our night ended on a bizarre yet delightful note. While drinking wine under the stars in colorful ponchos, we spontaneously decided that our attire deserved a photo shoot, so click on the picture below to see the craziness we got into. Who knew a poncho could inspire such fun?
Click here for more poncho pics
With a day full of hiking, waterfall rappelling and horseback riding the next day we called it an early night so we’d have enough energy to get through it all. Come back on Monday to read about those adventures and more!
To see more photos from the Mayorista, the Finca and more, check out our Picasa album or our facebook page. Don’t forget to comment!
San FranTastic Four Part Two*
July 27th, 2010
*We hosted our first paying guests at Su Casa Colombia this past week: Haileigh, Ashley, Joanna and Colleen. All four live in or around beautiful San Francisco. Haileigh and Ashley arrived four days before Colleen and Joanna so technically they were the San FranTastic Two at this point, but let’s not split hairs.
Day two of Ashley and Haileigh’s visit was both Noah’s 28th birthday and the night of a huge fireworks celebration commemorating Colombia’s 200th birthday so we knew we had a big day ahead of us. Our first mission was to give the ladies a better view of Medellin, and where better to do that from the Metrocable?
The Metrocable is a gondola lift system connected to the metro lines that shuttles passengers to and from the hard to reach barrios located on Medellin’s steep mountainsides. Most gondola lifts around the world are used as ski lifts or for tourism purposes, but here they are used to connect otherwise isolated towns to the rest of the city, thus providing more job opportunities and reducing crime. Best of all, a ride on the Metrocable is free with the purchase of a Metro ticket!
The views from the Metrocable were impressive and really showed our guests a different side of the city. It was the first clear day in weeks so we took advantage of the opportunity to take several gorgeous photos of the valley. On our way back down the Metrocable came to a halt twice, which I’m sure happens whenever slower passengers get on, but this certainly made acrophobic Haileigh nervous while we were suspended in the air. I’m sure she’ll agree that the vistas and pictures were more than worth the scare!
Next on our to do list was to get the birthday boy a present he’d been wanting every since we went to Guatape in February. We finally found the game Sapo, kind of like corn hole or washers but with more opportunities for points, and Noah had to have it. We are looking forward to many a Sapo tournament in the days to come!
In the evening we set out on foot for the Medellin River where the fireworks show was taking place. Four lanes of highway had been blocked off along the water and we found ourselves shoulder to shoulder in an enthusiastic crowd that went on as far as the eye could see. The fireworks show was absolutely spectacular and too good for words so we have plenty of pictures and videos to make you feel like you were there.
Click here for more pictures
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZXQl47WfBQ]
After the show we found a nice spot on the grass next to the river for people watching and toasting with Medellin’s drink of choice: Aquardiente. After getting a photo with a friendly cross dresser we walked to the Metro and made a brief stop at Plaza Cisneros for a photo shoot with the 300 eighty-foot tall light sabers that were illuminated for the festive occasion.
Click here to see the entire photo shoot
Our night ended at Parque Lleras, the nightlife hotspot, where we drank more Aquardiente while waiting for our cousins and friends to arrive. Our group decided to go dancing at a club called Octavia, where I had to use a fake ID for the first time in years. It’s rare, but sometimes they will card you in Colombia. To say we cut a rug would be a gross underestimation. We cut the rug, they replaced it, and then we cut it again. It was a bad day to be the rug. There’s only one picture that can really sum up the night, and I think it really captures up the energy, movement, and our unwillingness to stay in one place:
Check out our blog tomorrow to read about our Rumba class with the fabulous Andrés, fork bracelets at the artisan fair, and our attempt at salsa dancing. To get our updates emailed directly to you, enter your email under the banner on the right hand side and click Sign Me Up!
To see more photos from the Metrocable, fireworks and more, check out our Picasa album or our facebook page. And don’t forget to leave us a comment below!
Colombian Idiosyncrasies: Want a drink? Wait till the Election is over.
July 15th, 2010
After six months of living in this wonderful country we’ve been able to acclimate ourselves to this culture pretty well despite our inherent physical and linguistic differences (Marcela gets many looks for her blonde hair and I tower over 80% of the population). Some of the things that have taken the most getting used to are the small Colombian quirks that we’ve discovered only after peeling back the layers and taking a closer look at the details. Over the course of many blog posts I’ll be bringing you different examples of the comical differences between our native US culture and the Colombian culture we are immersed in.
Idiosyncrasy #1: La Ley Seca (The Dry Law)
Cheers!
Marcela and I recently celebrated our first wedding anniversary on June 20th, the same day as the Colombian presidential elections. First of all you should know that all Colombian elections, both local and national, are held on Sundays because it reduces the odds that people will have work conflicts and ensures a higher percentage of voter turnout (are you taking notes, America?) The second thing is that in 1915 the Colombian government enacted a law that makes it illegal to buy, sell, or drink alcohol from 6:00 pm Friday until 6:00am Monday on election weekends. Thanks to these Colombian customs we were unable to publicly toast our anniversary with champagne, not to mention none of the restaurants bothered to open on a day they couldn’t sell alcohol. Apparently, this law was implemented nearly one hundred years ago to prevent people from voting under the influence (VUI), or from forgetting to vote altogether in their drunken Sunday stupor.
Colombia's drink of choice: Aguardiente
What strikes us as comical is that this law stands in stark contrast to Colombia’s otherwise lax attitude towards alcohol as evidenced by public alcohol consumption that persists on a daily basis. We’ve seen men in cafés at 9:30 am on a Tuesday, beers in hand and empty ones in front of them. We’ve witnessed teenagers, many of which were well below the legal drinking age of 18, lounging on the very public steps of a Metro station drinking and daring the American moral police to stop them. As a passenger in a car, you’re more than welcome to sip an alcoholic beverage as you’re chauffeured around town. One of my favorite examples–and one that I’ve personally enjoyed–is the ability to roam the aisles of grocery stores while sipping a drink. When the hustle and bustle of shopping is making you thirsty, don’t even think twice about grabbing a beer from the fridge to enjoy as you peruse the produce–just save the bottle so you can pay for it at the checkout. It’s hard to find an example, apart from the election weekends, where alcohol consumption is banned, shunned, or even looked-down upon.
Now before you rush to judge this “alcoholic culture” I’ve described, make sure you understand that Colombians don’t drunkenly roam the streets nor do they encourage their children to drink beginning at age 5 like France. It appears that their more open and less-stigmatized relationship with alcohol has created a more jovial, inclusive, and safer drinking populace. In fact, if they didn’t have a responsible relationship with alcohol, a law banning alcohol during every election weekend could never exist. I just wish they’d put a clause in there for 1st wedding anniversaries.
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