Adios Colombia....Hello USA!!

We are headed back to the USA!!! We are actually headed to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. We are planning on spending some time with family. We are going to see MeeMaw & PeePaw (Gary's mom & stepdad, Jerry), Aunt Kathy , Uncle JJ and our nephews Trevor, Travis & James and Aunt Jennifer, Uncle Ivan and our nephews Chris & Andrew.


First though we had to say GoodBye to our second family at Hotel Las Palmas. Thanks for taking such wonderful care of us. Thanks for making our stay feel like we were at home.

Freddy picked us up and we were off to the airport. Everything went very easy. The entire process with immigration at El Dorado Airport in Colombia was smooth. Absolutely no problems except for the Rookie Parents (this is a long disgusting story). We went through several security checks even a final one at the gate. Of course Daniel decided to take his nap 45 mins before we board the plane. The plan was obviously lost in translation. There went the plan of possibly sleeping through the entire flight.

Daniel was actually excited about the plane. Lots of "Woooos". He is so adorable. He even found a friend on the plane. A little girl , Marianna who was also his same age. They played nicely in the aisle. She even  kissed Daniel. He was shocked. It was funny & cute. Everything was fine until the pilot placed the seat belt sign. Slight melt down occured but we have definety experienced worse.

Then at 6:26pm we landed and Daniel simultaneously became an American Citizen. Boy, I love the USA!!!!!

We boarded off of the plane and started to weave ourselves into the maze of lines called Immigration/Customs. Luckily , a very nice officer approached us. She asked if we were adopting. I wonder what gave it away...the huge novel /package in my arms from the US Embassy for Immigration. Regardless, she plucked us out of the line to the very front. Talk about quick service. The one officer checked our passports and then escorted us to another locked room. Where we waited!!!!! This room was packed. Several minutes later Daniel started crying and crying. Lots of stares. He was tired, hungry or maybe he was trying to help us get out of this room. Well it worked. They quickly processed our papers and we were off. Out of the locked room and detained no more. Yippee!!! Watch out USA!!!

When we finally left baggage claim then we were greeted by MeeMaw & PeePaw. It was really great to see the smiling faces of family. We were almost out of the airport when we had more technical difficulties with the car seat. Hey , give us a break we are rookie parents. Thank goodness Jerry stepped in to help us out . We went to dinner . We are all hungry!! We then went to the hotel off the beach. Mom & Jerry checked us in and thought of everything. They had the room all set up for us. We can't thank you enough. We had a beautiful view of the ocean. Daniel of course was sleeping. We had a very very long long day .

Our last full day in Bogota

Packing and Resting is the plan for the day. We both feel pretty awful. We pray that Daniel doesn't get sick. We have packed all of our things. We are so grateful that our time in Colombia was so productive. We are grateful that our wait time was not very long.

We are curious about how Daniel will do on the airplane. He will probably do just fine. We will find out soon.

 Our last outing is with Silvia and  Jaime , very appropriate. We went out for dinner to a restaurant called Crepes and Waffles. We wanted to spend some time with them before we left. They helped us so much and we will be forever grateful.

We loved this restaurant. Good think we did not discover it at the beginning of our trip . However they said they had one in Miami. I believe Daniel will eat forever if you don't stop him. Where does it go?

Good Night Colombia !!

Panaca Sabana & Birthday Party

Another fun filled day for the Davis'. Bright and early Freddy arrived to take us to the Panaca Sabana. It is a theme park /zoo filled with farm animals such as Cows, sheep, goats, pigs, dogs, rabbits,chickens,ducks and horses. I am sure I am missing some animals. I hope they forgive me!

It was a beautiful sunny day. Just perfect. We milked a cow, feed the goats and calf with a bottle, feed the sheep. Daniel rode a pony. We watched a cow/sheep show and a piglet race. Just another day hanging with the animals.

Of course Daniel enjoyed the chickens, birds and turkeys the most. He is very loyal to his feathered friends. He also was able to hold and chase rabbits. He enjoyed chasing them or watching Mommy chase them . But they were quick and jumped into their rabbit holes. We did manage to hold some bunnies. We are persistent. Gary had a great laugh.

We then left the Panaca to head back to Bogota. Tonight we are headed to Daniel's first Birthday party for Marisa at Hotel Paris. Marisa is the little girl of another family in Colombia adopting another little girl. She turned four. Thanks Jeff & Jennifer for inviting us. We had a really nice time. Daniel loved playing with all of the other children.

Tomorrow we plan on resting and packing. Unfortunately  we  are feeling pretty bad with sore throats.  Great just what we need to get sick before we travel. Regardless we had  a wonderful last weekend in Colombia. Lots of memories.We are excited because we are getting closer and closer to home. However, we will miss Colombia.

Lake Guatavita & The Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira

We are officially the Davis Family of three. All the paperwork is done. First available flight for us is on Tues. Until then we are determined to continue enjoying Colombia. The plan for weekend  is to absorb as much of Colombia's beauty. This morning we were picked up by Freddie to head to Guatavita and Zipaquira. Freddie is extremely knowledgable about Colombia and our destination spots.

We drove through the town of Sesquile. It is named after a member of the Chibcha tribe, who fought against the Spanish. This town has the Tomine reservoir which is a water source for Bogota and its 8 million people. The town was quaint with white buildings and houses.

After driving through the beautiful countryside.We arrived at Lake Guatavita.
Lake Guatavita (Laguna de Guatavita) which is located in the municipality of Sesquile , in the Cundinamarca department of Colombia, 35 miles north-east of Bogota, the capital of the Colombia. This lake is a huge circular lake in the mountains about 10,000 feet above sea level. We were not really prepared for this hike. Wrong shoes and a toddler to name a few. But we made it to the top. It was well worth it. BEAUTIFUL!! The old Muisca tradition became the origin of the El Dorado legend. The chief (Zipa) used to cover his body in gold dust and, from his raft, he offered treasures to the Guatavita goddess in the middle of the sacred lake. We saw a model of the Gold Raft on display in the Gold Museum.

Daniel loved climbing the mountain on Gary's shoulders. Poor Daddy! The altitude really impacted me. I wanted to vomit off the side of the mountain. Very embarrassing.  Thank goodness the lake was beautiful. Well worth it.

We then went to the New Guatavita town. Apparently the old town was flooded and the government relocated the new town. Freddy took us to a very nice restaurant for lunch. We also walked around a shopping area with local vendors. Once we were all rested and full we headed to our next destination of Zipaquira.

In Zipaquira we visited The Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá which is an underground church built within the tunnels of a salt mines 650 feet underground. At the entrance of the church, there are 14 small chapels, representing the Stations of the Cross , which illustrate the events of Jesus' last journey. Each station has a cross and several kneeling platforms . You then enter a beautiful cathedral . There were so many hidden treasures down in the mines.

We had an amazing day.Thanks Freddy for sharing so much about Colombia. Again Daniel did great even in the dark mines. He is such a lil trooper.

We then meet some friends for dinner. We had a fantastic time.Their hospitality was wonderful.  It was like we were back at home. Daniel discovered the fruit,Granadilla . It doesn't look pretty but it is delicious. Honestly the inside looks like seeds covered in snot. I was daring and tried it. I figured if my son could eat it , I would at least try it.  I love it and so does Daniel.

Tomorrow we are headed to the Panaca which is a zoo for domesticated animals. Daniel will love it.

Monserrate

Today we went to Monserrate with Jaime. Monserate is a mountain that dominates the city centre of Bogotá,  It rises to 3,152 metres (10,341 ft) above the sea level, where there is a church (built in the 17th century) with a shrine, devoted to "El Señor Caído" (Fallen Lord). Monserrate can be accessed by an aerial tramway, funicular (inclined railway) or by foot.We went on the funicular. The aerial tram was not opened and actually the climbing path was also closed for repairs. On top of the mountain along with the church are restaurants, souvenior shops/vendors and a beautiful Stations of the Cross reflecting the Passion of Christ. The view is a spectacular.On a clear day you can see all of downtown and south Bogota and some of  North Bogota. Unfortunately it was partly cloudy . We did not care. The view is amazing. We also stopped for a typical Colombian treat called Bunuelos. They are not sweet and are made with a small curd white cheese and formed into doughy balls then fried golden brown. It is a traditional Christmas dish.  Yummy!!
On our way to the car I spotted a llama. Yes, I love llamas. Don't ask me why maybe I am jealous of their long eyelashes. Anyway we took a picture with the llama. Yep, Daniel was on a llama. Love it!!
When we returned back to the hotel to Gary's sweet surprise the had Empanadas for lunch. Gary was excited. They are his favorite. The hotel is filling up with families from Italy. Daniel is so curious and loves watching people. I personally love watching Daniel. Juan Carlos, the hotel manager helped us get the most adorable Colombian Soccer Uniform with Davis on the back. Oh yeah , he also told us that all the best players are #10. So of course , Daniel is #10. I can't wait to put it on him. They just never cease to amaze us .
 After Daniel's nap we went to go get his hair cut. Really it just needed to be cleaned up alittle. We went to the Peluqueria D'Norberto which is a nice salon  for adults and children. Their children's  section is amazing and they cater to the kids.  Daniel was seated in a grey volkswagon Bug. He did not cry and was very cooperative. They gave him a toy police car and a lollipop afterwards. He looks adorable with his hair full of gel. Very GQ!
Tomorrow we are headed to the Zipaquira for the  Salt Cathedral and then Guatavita. We are looking forward to enjoying  our last Saturday in Bogota.
 We have so many pictures it is crazy! I will post  them later. Here is a sneak peek!

Riding the Funicular going down the mountain

Church on top of Monserrate

The old funicular that dates 1929-1964

 

Botanical Gardens & US Embassy

This morning we head out to the Jose Celestino Mutis Botanical Gardens of Bogota. What a beautiful HUGE garden paradise  in the middle of such a large  busy city. We enjoyed the opportunity to walk around and appreciate all of the natural beauty . They had a large rose garden, greenhouse that had several Orchids including the National flower and different plants from various climates throughout Colombia. Some of the interesting plants were of course the Coffee tree, huge palm trees ,cactus, beautiful birds of paradise and my favorite were the huge lily pads .  Daniel of course did great. He started to fall asleep right when we were ready to leave.

We went back to the hotel . Silvia and Jaime picked me up to head back to the US Embassy to pick up Daniel's Visa and  Passport. Again this was quick and easy. It's official we are ready to go home. Woo Hoo!! I went with Jaime to pick up some translated documents and  that wrapped up all of the official business.
Daniel and Gary stayed at the hotel . They  played and  did laundry. They are so productive.  Today was long but what a relief that our time in Bogota was successful.

We can not thank our entire Gladney team enough. The incountry team handled us like family with such care. Thanks Jaime,Silvia,Graciela and Nora.

Then as our day was wrapping up I received a beautiful email from my friend Jodi. She made us a video. Check it out  http://video214.com/play/Kd4DoSf7acMBbjX4bIEw0A/s/dark.  We love it.  Thanks Jodi for your sweet thoughtfulness.

Just Chillin at the Gardens about ready to fall asleep!

Our very sweet, smart and young Greenhouse tour guides.

The Colombian National Flower

US Embassy in Bogota

Almost Home!

The US Embassy guard dog taking a break!

Mission Accomplished!