Cali, Colombia

Oh wow! Yesterday, we finally landed in Colombia and made our way through Cali to the home of my host family, the Lopez'. They have a girl, Carolina, who is my age and a younger brother, Andres, who is 12 years old. They have been so kind to me and so understanding of how tired I am after traveling all day. I am so thankful that we were all able to just relax last night and get to know each other a bit.

We did have a very delicious meal, though. The food here is absolutely delicious. I love Mexican type food in America, but this is so much better! Last night, I was introduced to a National favorite- "bandeja paisa" or paisa platter in English. This is a great blend of rice, red beans, beef, plaintain (which I've never had before), dirty rice, chorizo, chicharron(fried pork rinds), avocado and fried egg. Sounds a little weird, but it was so good. To go along with it, we also had some "agua panela" which is a very popular drink in Colombia. It is made by dissolving panela (sugar loaf) in hot water. I added some lime juice to mine for flavor and the Lopez' put some cheese in theirs. The cheese actually melts into the drink because of the hot water. I tasted a little sip and it was o.k. I think I have to get used to cheese in my drink!

For breakfast this morning, we had all kinds of fruits- like I have never seen before! And some yummy pastries from the "panaderia" down the street from the house. Then, we spent the whole day exploring the city of Cali, Colombia.