Monteria isn't a very big city ( about 500,000 people) but that traffic here is totally insane! There are very few traffic lights and literally hundreds of motorbikes on the road. The motorbikes are everywhere and weave between cars like maniacs. I am terrified even as a passenger. I just close my eyes and hope I will get wherever we are going in one piece. The main roads are paved but most of the side streets are just dirt with massive lumps and potholes. I thought driving and traffic were bad in San Jose but at least they seemed to have rules, lights and way fewer motorbikes. 

There is no tourism here at all and I don't think that there ever will be as there is nothing here that would attract them. They do have a beautiful park that runs along the river and full of iguanas, monkeys, and music. There are strange covered ferries (at least a dozen) that go back and forth across the river. On Sunday the street that runs along the park is closed to cars so there are many food and drink vendors and much loud music. People  even set up ping pong tables and for few cents you can play ping pong. The park has dedicated bike and walking paths and people just come to walk, ride and visit. We came at 7:00 am and left before noon. Little happens in the park midday because of the heat so people come in the morning or early evening.

 

This area is primarily an agricultural area so very flat. They grow rice and cotton here which is interesting to see and raise cattle. Some scary looking bramas in the fields. Some people have acreages just outside the city but apparently the land is very expensive. The city is a concrete jungle. The homes are all concrete and the majority share a wall so they are like town houses. No one has a yard. Hot water does not exist in even the wealthiest of homes. It took me sometime to get used to the cold showers but in this heat they are a blessing. It is so darn hot that I shower 3 or 4 times per day. Air conditioning is a luxury so a home may have a unit in the master bedroom but that is it. Sleeping in the heat has been a huge challenge for me.

 

My days start really early because we need to be at the school by 6:00 a.m. Another challenge...….morning person I am not. The schools here are very poor. They have no air-conditioning in the classrooms so they are really hot. There are no computers and little in the way of technological tools like projectors and such. Teachers here have to pay personally for photocopies, paper and pens! Crazy.

t is dry season right now so everything is brown. The heat is unbelievable. It has not been below 28 (and that is at night) since I have been here. Apparently the temperature is always like this. In rainy season it is just as hot but extremely humid and muggy. The city is at least 70kms from the nearest coast so no nice ocean breezes to cool things down. I like the heat but this is ridiculous. 

 

I am a real curiosity here and people are very curious about what I am doing here. People stop and stare at me! Not a good place to be self conscious. I am changing schools every two weeks so am now in my second school. The first was in the city and the second in a small village. Children are much better behaved in the country for sure and also shy but all of them want to touch and talk to me. This morning they actually wanted autographs! Too funny! I was surrounded by kids all pushing, shoving and trying to get their notebook to me first. 

 

For the most part people are very friendly but other than a few English teachers no one speaks English. I don't know if I will ever understand what they say because they talk so fast. My hosts mother shouts and talks really slowly in hopes I will understand her. I can tell you that this technique {I am sure we have all used at some point} does not work. The mother cannot read so Google translate is useless! We mostly use charades.

 

Colombia is very much third world and unlike Costa Rica. I think it is different in the cities like Bogota, Medellin and Cartagena but few people here have been out of this immediate area. The people I have met are very nice and friendly and have a need to feed me. The food is similar to that in Costa Rica. Rice and rice with beans is a staple. They eat a lot of bread, empanadas, churros and other very fattening things. They do not use much in the way of seasoning or spice so I do find that most food is quite bland.

 

This Sunday we are supposed to go to the beach so I am excited about that. I understand that it is about 40 kms away but on these roads it takes an hour to get there.

 

I miss everyone a lot! I have decided that heat like this is just as bad as the cold at home! Take care. Please write and let me know what is happening in your world.