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Other entries in Medellín

The Finca: cock fighting and blows to the head

The drive out to the countryside was beautiful. Colombia is apparently a country of mountains and nothing else; from the time left Medellin to the time we arrived at the Finca, we were driving through, around, and over green mountain after green mountain. It was a little rough because the road was so windy and the car was cramped (5 into a pickup truck) but 3 hours in all was not too unbearable. One thing to note was that occasionally we passed through military check points where green suited officers with large guns would stop certain cars either for inspection or a friendly conversation. We were stopped once for the latter but otherwise the drive was non-stop. We were basically driving out to the middle of nowhere and the last 30 minutes of the trip were traveled on rough rocky roads. Finally we pulled up to the house and the long wait was more than worth it.

Their family had purchased the land several years ago and then built a fantastic house in the best location on the land. Again the architecture of the house was immaculate but what I really enjoyed about the design was that almost every room was open air or if there were walls, they were on sliders so that they could be fully opened making the wall a window to the beautiful scenery outside. The house is up on the highest point of the surrounding land so the view was spectacular. On one side was the rest of the property, a lake, a stable for horses, a guest house, multiple flower beds, and numerous fruit bearing trees from which we plucked multiple meals. On the other side of the house was a view to be placed on a post card; their lot extends to a steep hillside and then plunges straight down to a forest covered riverbed. Beyond all that is a vast valley surrounded on all sides by mountains and in the middle runs a large river. Every morning we woke up to this view out of our bedroom.

The entire family came out to the Finca for Christmas including 3 grandparents, another set of uncle, aunt and cousins, and of course the immediate family. In addition to the family, two full time maids accompanied us to help with everything. The activities on the Finca were as follows: sleeping, eating, swimming, fishing, kayaking, horseback riding, playing ping-pong, watching movies or Simpsons on a laptop, drinking, playing with the many different farm animals (ducks, chickens, roosters, macaws, iguanas, parrots, and surprisingly no dogs although I guess the dog while enjoying the paradise of the resort, would probably chase and harass all the other animals) reading, writing, game playing, music listening and dancing to said music, and I almost forgot, lying in the most comfortable hammocks in the world. So you can see we were bored all day every day.

We were allowed to sleep in every day if we so desired and whenever it was that we decided to emerge, the maid would fix up a meal. Sometimes we would eat our first meal at 130 and then the family would be ready to eat at around 3. And we are not so rude as to deny food or good company. Each meal was original and consisted of only the freshest ingredients. My favorite thing about the food was the fresh juice that accompanied every meal. It was either fresh orange juice, lemonade, guava juice, or a combination of the three. And at night the juice went very well with aguardiente.

On the very first day, we woke up late, were immediately served breakfast, and within 40 minutes of being awake, I was watching a home-grown cock fight. Pedro had plucked two competitive roosters and brought them over to the well kept lawn near the open-air kitchen/dining room/living room (yes theyre all the same room). Ive never seen a cock fight and let me tell you, its all its hyped up to be. I don't know why they dislike each other so much but lets call it a pride thing. I got to take part in the whole event by holding one of the cocks in the air while the other was on the ground jawing and lunging at it. Then I released my rooster and they went at it. Pedro had tied small socks around their talons so they weren't able to hurt each other that much but it was an amazing sight to see. I really hope I can get some pictures up of this one cause it was really cool.

We spent most days fishing when we got up, playing ping-pong in the afternoon, lounging around reading, watching movies or the view, and then eating at night. We toured the local pueblo (small town) to see what rural Colombian villages look like and meet some of the locals. The town is built around the gigantic church and plaza in the center of everything and we went directly there to relax and see what would happen to some out-of-towners. We sat down, ordered some cervezas, and watched the afternoon unfold. The first thing we saw was a exciting game of "herd the children like sheep". There was a border collie (a lassie dog) running up and down the exterior of a small wall enclosing the plaza while children ran along the inside of the wall trying to escape. When one kid would get enough huevos to attempt an escape, the dog would be right there to bark at him and keep him contained on the inside. I was amazed to see the extent at which the dog understood and adhered to the rules of the game. He was able to maintain his control over about 9 children while they laughed and thoroughly enjoyed the game. While watching the exciting game, we were approached by multiple kids and beggars asking for money. We politely declined their offers to do nothing in return for our money, finished our drinks, and set off to explore the town. Along our walk we encountered a backdoor fireworks store that had a scarecrow named Ano Viejo set up in a chair outside the building. We inquired about the display and found out that he was full of explosives and come New Year, he would be set ablaze to signify the end of the old and the coming of the new. Pretty cool idea to fill a man with fireworks and let er rip.

The most fun-filled and excitement-filled night of the Finca vacation came on the night we set out at 430 to ride horses into the night. We stopped by the local general store to pick up some Aguardiente for the ride and then mounted our caballos. There were 6 of us plus the ranch hand, Henry, who knew the area and would act as a guide for us. The great thing about drinking and riding horses is that unlike a car or even a taxi, they have a mind of their own, know the terrain and the way home, and don't take much concentration to steer. My horse didn't have a name, so I named him Correo which means mailman but I meant it to mean Runner cause he insisted on being in front of the pack and whenever I loosened my grip on the reins, would take off in a trot if not a run. We eventually veered off the cobblestone road and into a pasture. By now it was getting dark and the liquor was settling in. everyone was having a great time; some were singing, some were pointing out funny looking cows, and others were just silently enjoying the ride. It was really great to be riding a horse without a set trail or guide to make sure that you were behaving or obeying the rules set by the ranch. Occasionally the horse would stumble and give the rider a scare but with four legs, they would always catch themselves and the ride continued. Being out in the middle of nowhere, we were riding beneath a blanket of stars and a velvet blue night. After a good 45 minutes in the pasture, we emerged onto the same rocky road but much further down the way. Our horses realized it was getting late and towards the time to go home so when we were on the road, they all started to run. I asked Pedro if we should be concerned with the pitch blackness and the horses running but he said that the horses have great if not better night vision. So with their reassurance, I allowed my horse to exercise the way he had wanted to all night. It was exhilarating to be racing through darkness, feeling the wind smack you in the face and know that you were in the middle of the Colombian jungle riding a thousand pound beast. We stopped off at the same general store from before for a beer and a rest for our horses. After that we knew that it was only about 5 more minutes down the road to put the horses away for the night. We mounted back up and started the home stretch. My horse and I were running along in a pack next to Marcela and her cousin Camillo when suddenly the night turned a shade darker.

I found myself on the ground with my horse behind me trying desperately to run up the embankment I was lying on. I put my foot out to stop his movement and crawled out of the hole. When I got back onto the road, I was joined by a worried Henry and a motorist who had stopped when he heard the crash. With their flashlights, I could see the horse submerged in a ditch on the side of the road. His head was at ground level making the fall about 5 feet. I felt I had a scratch on my neck but otherwise felt fine. Marcela soon came back without her horse and was constantly asking me if I was feeling alright. Apparently when I went down, she and her cousin had called back to me and I didn't respond. I kept trying to see if the horse was alright and in the light, I could see the horse had a gaping wound in his chest and there was a stream of blood coming out of the hole. Henry and others tended to the horse while the rest of us rode the remaining horses back to the stable and then the car back to the Finca. I was told the next day that along the way I was acting loopy and unconcerned with what had just happened. I trust David's instincts as he's known me all my life and when he says I was acting way out of character and a little like a guy who had suffered a concussion, I tend to believe him. We went back the next day to find the hole I had fallen into. It was on the far right of the road and was quite large. There was a low lying branch that I hit my head on on the way down and the horse had punctured his chest on a sharp stick pointing out of the mud and rocks. i cant tell you how lucky I felt to escape the scary incident with the few scrapes and bruises I had received considering the speed we were going, the complete lack of light to see where to brace myself, and the size and roughness of the hole into which we fell.

The day after, I felt a little out of it and didn't do much except watch movies and lie around recouperating. We checked on the horse and found that he was recovering well also. I kept thinking how fucking lucky I was and the whole day reflected on what could have been a horrible accident. my luck apparently continues and im very thankful for it.

happy hanukah, merry christmas, and everyone have a wonderful and funfilled new year.

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