Fotos of Feria XXXV - Day Three

This fellow is operating a cotton candy
machine that reminded me of the ones
we had at fairs when I was small.

Today will all be about color.... colors that people are wearing, colors of the floats, colors all around. I have noticed in the past that Colombians are very particular about what they wear and whether or not it all 'matches.' If a woman or girl is wearing pink shoes, you can be sure she also has pink in her shirt and in her hair or the purse she carries.

The floats are traditionally quite colorful and show off the products from each vereda as well as what Santander as a whole has to offer... coffee, corn, tobacco, chickens, beans, yucca, mandarins, oranges, mangos, pineapples, and more.

Girl in pink with pink ballon.

This is also the day of the parade - at 2 p.m. - so if a float is not yet finished, you can bet there are teams of people at work on it in the morning. No vereda (shire) would want to be ridiculed for being lazy or shirking their responsibility of being ready for their candidate's display. Remembering back to the representative we sponsored, this is a day of excitement for the families of the girls being presented. The girls are treated like princesses at home, allowed certain privileges not normally permitted, and reminded by their brothers or sisters that after the parade, they will have to return their 'golden slippers and crown' and be normal again. There is a sense that this is a huge joke, but one to be enjoyed to the fullest.

UPDATE: Because the Mayor did not put up roadblocks to prevent people from parking their cars around the park, the parade started very late, and of course ended late as well. There were announcements that people should move their cars, but that certainly didn't happen.

There were a lot of wonderfully creative floats, and I want to post a lot of the photos, but because of all the people here tonight, I cannot get modem speed to upload them. I will post as soon as I have some speed. It turns out that I knew one of the princesses because she was in our Radio/Theatre group and I also do not have the news of who the winners were at this time. More to come...

This was a school entry... Wow!

Casa di Cultura's Flower Float - it
was hard from where I was standing
to get a good shot of the whole thing.

These dancers are not Colombian, but were a lively addition to the event.

This is a giant chicken made from corn cobs and
papier mache... really impressive!

The Casa di Cultura float.

The Casa di Cultura float was indeed among the prettiest, but I don't think we won any awards. The dress worn by our princess was a perfect color for her and for the float.

There were 34 floats in the parade and it took almost two hours for all of them to make their way into the  central plaza for judging. When I find out who were the leaders (1st, 2nd, 3rd) and who was voted into Queenship, I will post an addendum here. There were too many floats to publish them all, so I will set up a Photobucket file and link it for your entertainment.

UPDATE: The young lady voted Queen of Barichara was in fact the only one I knew - Angie! She was also the tallest, and as it happens, is the daughter of one of my ceramic class members. She won a two-night stay in one of the top hotels in Santa Marta since the Mayor's office cannot award something like a scholarship. From what I understand it would be using public funds for a private reward. Perhaps I will work to create a scholarship fund so that the desire to be a princess will be enhanced by the desire to continue their education, too.

This is "Angie" on her float looking like the mariposa she is... lovely!

Fotos of Feria XXXV- Day Two

Cathedral de Barichara

Day Two started earlier (!!!) than 5 a.m. when someone set off fireworks that sounded like cannons. This was followed by the band marching past my house on toward the central park. Groan.... I had slept through most of the downpour and heard very little of the music from the fairgrounds. No going back to sleep now.

This fellow is selling all  he can carry.
I love the bright colors in the serape.

The schedule for today includes going to help again with the float, probably about 3 p.m. And I am definitely going to go up and hear the music for awhile tonight.

An acquaintance, Patty, someone I met while taking art lessons from Shayo, has a wonderfully calm and very large yellow Labrador called Lucas. On most days, it is likely you will see Patty, her mother and Lucas there. It is one of his favorite outings to be allowed off leash to wander around the city's central park smelling all the 'messages' left by friends - the somewhat mangy black and tan mix, the tiny tawny terrier, and the aggressive Chihuahua-Pinscher mix to name a few - and then, after checking almost all of the trees, he comes and collapses underneath the bench where Patty is sitting. I think Lucas is smiling most of the time; it certainly seems so in this photo. Whatever the stories are, he doesn't seem to find anything upsetting.

Lucas - front and center

Lucas - tucked  under the bench

Looks good enough to eat, don't you think?

Today I tried to find the animal exhibition hall, but the only animals there were the Chino Santanderiano vacas, which you can see here. The baby is really cute, but his 'aunties' didn't seem to like him much and he was getting head-butted by everyone. The owner said the meat from these cows is really delicious and when I asked him how I could buy some, he misunderstood and was ready to sell me the whole cow. I said I lived in an apartment and I wanted the cow in pieces... he looked shocked at first, and then realized what I was asking. He said there is a place in VillaNueva - the next village over - where he sells the meat. Apparently I have to call him first and then he lets me know when a cow has been butchered and I then have to hightail it over to VillaNueva to buy it, before everyone else does. Sounds like a lot of work for me right now.

About 100 children with parents, older siblings or grandparents (or all of
them!) arrived at the Parque Cemetario to do some painting. (Note to E:
Two of the four girls sitting at the first table are the twins who said hi!)

After the cow exchange I went over to the Parque Cemetario to watch about 100 kids painting - and competing for prizes - until someone started playing reggae music which caused most of the kids to quite painting and start dancing. I wonder which of the 100 will take their art skills on to make it their business thinking that a bucket of candy is a great reward for one's creativity.

This is "Ventana" (2010) taken from my view in La Loma.

It didn't take me long to realize that I had forgotten to go to the art exhibition in the Casa di Cultura so I headed there next. It is a display of art by local artists, of which I am happily considered to be one. And there in a corner was my canvas "Ventana" (window) hanging for all to see along with some of my classmates' work. This makes exhibition #2 for this painting - and me - so I feel as if I can truly say, when asked, "What do you do?" that "I am a painter, an artist."

Kids were asked to wear hats and were given the horse and
the 'ruana' (shawl). A nice memory for some to have.

Since I had missed the Cabelgata with the grown-ups, I determined that I wasn't going to miss the one for the children. About 1:45 p.m. the kids and their parents began lining up and it looked to me like several stables of horses were going to be required, and even at that, it was going to take hours for each child to have his or her walk on the pony. Who else, besides me, was disappointed when they began  handing out nicely made horse's heads on sticks? I wanted the real thing... and from conversations I overheard, there were several youngster who agreed with me.

Pedro (#21) looks like he's frustrated at this point. It was
getting dark, and the concept was not coming together.

I headed home for a cup of tea after that huge let-down... still have to do the float and gear myself up for a night of music. From where I am sitting right now - about 3:30 p.m. - I can hear the highly magnified music from the fairgrounds, as well as someone's car radio at max volume, a smaller band in the city park, and a Andean flute wafting its notes like a ribbon through clouds, making such a wierd jumble of 'music' that I want to turn it all oFF!

The daughter of one of the adults
 working on the float got right in the
 middle of it and helped a lot!

Got the call to come and help with the float and at first I wondered how much good I could do, but I went along and did a few things. Then the Organizer decided to change things and everything I had done was really wasted, except the learning experience.

One of the things I learned is that these women here in Barichara know how to make something out of nothing and make it look lovely! Wait until you see the float tomorrow!

So I came home and made myself some dinner and ended up walking back into town with a neighbor to listen to the ‘Serenade’ concert. Colombians and the Spaniards have long traditions of serenading - for love, for disappointment, for fun. And tonight’s concert was very special with a variety of guitarists, including Tiple, performing for the 14 candidates on balconies all around the city park.

As I sat on a curb I could smell the sweet night air, perfumed with the night flowers, mixed with the freshness of a village washed clean from the rain the night before. And I appreciated this rare event, where people gathered and listened to the music, wandered around with dogs and children and all combinations of family. I told my neighbor that this probably could not ever happen in the U.S. because of the culture, because of the lack of a village like this where the park is central to everything, and because of course, it isn’t Barichara.

e

Serenading some of the Queen candidates at Feria XXXV in Barichara.

(NOTE: I wanted to post this last night, but because everyone was  using their cellphones, there was no bandwidth for my modem to operate... sorry for the delay.)

Fotos of Feria XXXV - Day One

It's a sunny and bright day here in the Andes.

As expected, the firecrackers started going off before 5 a.m. and the world started waking up. But I was surprised to see so few people around this morning. And I misread the program so the Cabelgata STARTED at 10 a.m., but not here; it was at some place not too far away (by horse) called El Chorro and they will be arriving here about lunchtime... gotta run. Be back with photos I hope.

Not sure where he was headed. But
he was the only rider I saw this
morning.

Doctora in the yellow, I have my head down to make leaves,
and Norma made the most of anyone. We will be ready.

UPDATE: I have photos of the band competition, but the horses and their riders arrived long after the expected time, while I was working with the Casa de Cultura float team, making leaves to put on a tree with dead leaves already on it. It was a bit challenging, but we made some good progress. When I asked how a giant watering can, a large branch with dead leaves and six wire baskets with false flowers in them were going to be assembled, I was told to stop asking questions and just make more leaves. I can tell you I have gotten very good at taking two shades of green crepe paper and wire and making them look like leaves now.

Pedro Gomez-Montanez, 6,  (wearing
the helmet)was the winner in his division
in the Barichara youth biking races.

The Giant Watering Pot

I don't think the scheduling of events this year has gone as well as last year. They have changed the timing for the candidates from 7 to 6 p.m. and I have only just gotten home from spending three hours on the float, so I don't think I will make it to that part.

Also, it turns out that one of my acquaintances here, who lives right across the street from the night-time hot spot, The Mirador, is desperate for a good night's sleep. She is willing to put up with two cats and have a sleeping bag on an inflatable mat if it will give her some distance from the booming music that practically shakes the dirt out of the rafters.

So I think my night may be an early one, meaning I won't make it up to the fairgrounds to see the dancing tonight. Shucks.

The 13 candidates being trucked past the Parque today.

It sounds like a Karioke event from the several blocks away where I am. Whoever is singing is doing it off-key although the background music appears to be OK. Perhaps they have turned a simple walk down the aisle to a talent show, where 14 teen-aged Colombian rural girls have their go at the limelight.

I know this is an important night for some of these young women, and some will go on from here to other opportunities to take advantage of their loveliness. Others will, just as in talent and beauty contests in other countries, feel they were disregarded or worse. I personally think contests about ‘looks’ are sending a very wrong message to young people. That’s what I’ve always thought, so being a grandmother hasn’t changed that opinion.

One of the bands going past the judge's viewpoint.

I can stand loud music if it is on-key, on beat... but listening to this is torturesome.

The main park is to the left, the judges are on the second floor of the
building to the right. You can see a bus waiting to take people to San Gil
just beyond the band group. Not much stops the busses.

The lluvia (pronounced Yoo-bee-ah) started just as the presentation ended and I was walking past the park with my friend, who may not have many issues with the music if it’s raining after all. Although they have rigged up a huge cover for the orchestra/bands and a dance floor, the rain will dampen the sound’s movement through the night air. If anything keeps us awake, it is quite likely to be the thunder which is really loud right now.

Everything smells earthy tonight. I saw a fellow who was on the trip in May to Chinquinqira in the park tonight. He says he wants to learn English but he never takes the step to call me to set up a time to sit and talk in the park as a beginning. Perhaps his girlfriend doesn’t want him to learn... this is an interesting dynamic with Colombians - if one half of the partnership wants to learn English and the other is against it (for whatever reason) the one who wants that opportunity decides to forget about it. My son saw the same thing in the group he was teaching last year even though the group was older. He said that half the class dropped out once their spouses learned they were taking the class.

It is no surprise that the advertisements for learning English on local TV are directed at the 30-somethings who are single.

The Andes were getting rain this afternoon and it arrived later tonight in
the village. I love these colors, but it is unstable earth, even if there are
rocks in it. That is why trees are so critical in Colombia.

Countdown to the Feria (Fair) XXXV !

In 48 hours, starting at 5 a.m. (before the flipping sun has even come up, for heaven's sake!) the Feria begins, and today there were people all over the village posting the schedules on doors, just in case you were not one of the impatient ones and got your schedule a week ago when the printer dropped them off.... like me. And by the way, Feria starts every day this way... and ends sometime after 1 a.m.

I love this view of the village, taken from La Loma about 9 a.m.

There is a palpable thrumming of energy throughout the village and since this is also a sort of 'homecoming' period, a lot of guests are beginning to arrive. I met an older woman who lives on my street this morning as I was sweeping it (this is another story I have to tell...) and she introduced me to her sister. This afternoon I met someone's cousin, and tomorrow an entire family will be coming to my house to collect the things they have been buying for the past two weeks. (Not exactly a garage sale, but productive nonetheless.) The trucks bringing beer and soft drinks have been unloading beverages at every little tienda all week long. It would not do to run out of beer! Tomorrow the military will arrive to begin setting up the check points coming into the city and also going into various venues where lots of people will be. They do check for guns and knives.

My art teacher said today when only one child showed up for class (usually there are six or seven), "Everyone is thinking only about the Feria and practicing for the parade and not about learning art." And in the distance I could hear the sounds of bands practicing, a sure sign that Feria is near. What is called the Battle of the Bands in the U.S. is called "Ecuentro de Bandas de Marcha" and it's at 4 p.m. on Friday, the 12th.

But my favorite, and the one I wish I could participate in, is the Cabalgata or horse ride...at 10 a.m. on Friday. I  adore watching all the riders on their high stepping, gleaming-coated Paso Finos and other breeds. I find it less appealing to see the drunks astride some spavined, underfed and mistreated creature they have nearly drug into town for the event. Yes, it's a mix, but that is Feria. Here's a photo from last year's event before the ride got under way.

The undisputed high point of the day for the women is the presentation of the young women who are vying to be Queen of Barichara. They are candidates from all the vedetas (equivalent to 'shires' or regions in this area) and they represent Barichara at various events throughout the state of Santander and sometimes beyond. Two years ago I sewed the dress for the representative from Salitre, the vedeta where Corasoma (the finca I was affiliated with) was located. She did not win, but came in third. This event is at 7 p.m. and is attended by all the girl's families and other relatives and friends, so it is a huge, huge gathering. I enjoy watching the girls make their 'walk' down the aisle, escorted by a young man who is usually part of the group of the military presence here during the festival.

There will be a dance every night up on the fairgrounds, where people can drink and eat and laugh and joke and have four days of carousing with family and friends. The new mayor of Barichara is quite firm about keeping the drinking up there and not all over the city, but we will see how well he manages.

Sabado/Saturday is about expositions and animals and presentations (more fiesta!) of traditional dances and foods, so it will be somewhat subdued after Friday's grand opening with all those intense activities.

Some very creative designs and use of materials last year.

It is on Domingo/Sunday when the Queen candidates are installed on their floats, something that takes several hours, after Mass of course. Floats are lined up all over the village, girls are either sitting or standing on them, braced to wave and throw candy for about two hours as they wend their way through the streets and past the judges. The parade starts at 2 p.m. and the judges' decision is announced at 7:30 p.m. up at the fairgrounds. Then the dancing will begin and those not chosen will wander about with tight groups of friends mingling and giggling until their feet are too sore to take another step and they finally head home.

After all of these days of getting up before 5 a.m., finally reason prevails and nothing happens on Monday until 8 a.m. And the day is scheduled to unfold somewhat sedately with parades of cows, festivals of chickens, gatherings of camposinos and acknowledgement of Guane, the nearest and oldest village in the state (I think) and finally another dance at 8:30 p.m. to close out Feria XXXV, "Ferias and Fiestas Culturales de la solidaridad y el retourno de Barichara" for 2012.

I'm charging up my camera batteries for the Feria, but I'm nearly worn out writing about it!

Change of Scene

Discovery Bay near Sequim, Washington

I was granted some time off for good behavior with the twins, and their parents, and by the grace and goodness of my son-in-law, was provided some transportation to go and visit Sequim, (pronounced SQWIM) over on the Olympic Peninsula, and to catch up with an Intender Buddy there.

Now better known as the lavender capital of North America, it was once the hunting grounds for the S'Klallam Tribe and apparently the word sequim means just that... hunting grounds. I guess for me it was a kind of hunting, looking for a change of scene/pace/sound/energy. You can read more about this part of the Olympic Peninsula here and see some aerial photos.

Hood Canal bridge is a relatively new replacement.

It is, in my opinion, faster to catch the ferry north of Seattle than to go to the port for the trip to the peninsula. The ferry ride from Edmonds is less than half an hour on the water, but the line to get on can take a lot longer. Then the drive to Sequim is about 45 minutes more through some incredible scenic views of the Olympic National Park and harbors. I went over there once when I first arrived, before the babies did, and had a short visit which only whetted my appetite for another one.

You cross over the Hood Canal bridge after leaving Kingston, going toward Port Townsend. Well maintained in its Victorian era housing, Port Townsend is rather well identified as an 'artist's city,' but it also seems to carry some of the taint of artists who aren't doing much more than claiming to be one from what I was hearing by residents of other villages in the area.

Oh well.... I didn't have the time to investigate for myself, so take it with a grain of salt water from the Puget Sound. Passing the Jamestown S'Klallam tribal center and casino going around Discovery Bay is a lovely drive. To be fully appreciated it probably should be done in the fall on a bicycle... slower pace to enjoy all the various colors.

Bond Ranch Retreat is just what is needed for some peace & quiet.

I was booked into a B&B called Bond Ranch Retreat just past Sequim on the road to Port Angeles, which is about 15-20 minutes further along the peninsula. Port Angeles is where one catches the ferry to British Columbia and is an easy cruise for a day trip. What a special place this B&B is!! From the moment you arrive until Tess waves goodbye to you, you are treated as a special person with lots of sweet details.

Lavender in a small vase...

First of all, the beds are incredibly comfortable! Anyone who has traveled knows that some places economize on the beds, but that isn't the case here. Tucked into the Rose Room with a large down comforter over a hand-made quilt in rose and yellow tones, a small bowl of fresh raspberries had been put on the nightstand with a special message and a small sprig of fresh flowers - it made me feel warmly welcomed. I slept almost without interruption... is it possible to hear twin babies crying across the water in Seattle? I woke up at 3 a.m. briefly and realized I didn't have to go to them and went back to sleep.

Campfires are a great way to meet new people, too.

The nights on the peninsula at this time of year are getting brisker, and it was a good reason to snuggle but I'm basically an early riser and was up at 8 to have a 'farm breakfast' of all natural and good foods: eggs, sausage, bagel, yogurt with fresh fruits and orange juice. I was hungry when we discussed breakfast the night before, but my appetite that morning didn't do this wonderful breakfast justice.

I took some time after breakfast to walk around the farm, looking at all the outbuildings and the place where they offer a nightly campfire, a cottage for a family fully self-contained, a chapel, a place for having a cookout and meal as a group, really it seems as if all you have to do is call or e-mail Tess and let her know what you need and she will find a way to put it all together in her unique and artistic way.

One of Bond Ranch's best...

This is still a working ranch as Morris, the founder of the facility, raises Quarter horses. This lovely creature took time out of her breakfast munching to look up at me.

One of several inviting places to sit and enjoy nature.

There are lots of places to gather for conversation, to play cards, to have a cup of coffee or tea inside or out, places to walk or bicycle, and both days I saw plenty of local wildlife, including deer that at first I thought were lawn ornaments, but then they moved!

I came to the ranch, exhausted from too many nights of interrupted sleep, and in just one very quiet evening, I was restored enough to go back for more with these special twins.

I am grateful Tess was such an attentive hostess, checking to be sure all my needs within her purvue were being met, and everything was clean and fresh and pleasant. Go to their website and read their story, and then when you are thinking about a weekend getaway or an event with friends or relatives, consider this treasure on the Olympic Peninsula.

And for me... one night is not enough. I will come back again.

Getting Away - Ubate/Sutatausa (Part 4)

Lake Fuquene on the way south to Ubate/Sutatausa

Sutatausa Church

The trip from Chiquinquirá to Ubate and then to Sutatausa should have taken a shorter time than it did. For reasons I could not comprehend, the driver was not driving as fast as the conditions would allow and so it took quite awhile to cover the kilometers.

By the time we arrived at the church it was beginning to get cloudy and while we were there it absolutely poured buckets.

The reason for coming here at all is that this church is the 'indoctrination' church, an early church used by the Catholics to encourage people, most particularly the natives, to join up. Located about a hour north of Bogota, this early church was settled by the Franciscans and Spaniards. The initial view of the church is one of marvel that the people of the late 1600's could produce such an edifice. But finding out the deeper and more sinister aspect of the methods of encouraging people to join this religion left me feeling very sad indeed.

Interior of the church; secret room is off to the right.

Part of the design of capturing the people when conquering their lands is maintaining control. But with limited troops, the Spaniards in the late 1500's and early 1600's used the Franciscan friars to encourage people to become indoctrinated as Catholics using that religion to control the population. What is more than a little horrible about this 'encouragement' is the realization that if someone said 'No, I don't think so," they were candidates for a visit to a room where they could be convinced. Underneath one of the side altars of this church there is a very small room. (You can see a very small door, like that of one for a cupboard, to the right of the fellow's head in the picture of the side altar below.) My guess is that most of the indigenous peoples were pretty small in stature, so the space didn't need to be very large. But it was too large for me to go inside. And that's just as well, because what if I couldn't have gotten out again?

Barely visible, there is a small latching door at right of guy's head.

It was literally a torture chamber to convince individuals to become Catholics. Not much bigger than an average bathroom and a good deal shorter in height, it houses an ancient wooden rack to pull a person's body parts apart. It has a very small window with bars on it, about the size of someone's head - certainly not large enough, even squeezing sideways to escape. Frankly all you'd have to do is show it to me and I'm such a coward, I'd join right up. And perhaps that was enough for plenty of others, too. The priests could have had someone in there screaming their head off, and even if they weren't doing anything to him/her, that would have gotten the rumors going and anyone for miles around would have probably made the decision to become a Catholic.

Original frescoes on main wall of church were recently uncovered.

My Spanish is rotten, I admit. But when I was hearing the others in the group talking about this, I thought I was really mis-interpeting everything. We walked around and looked at the ancient frescoes painted on the walls which have only recently been uncovered. We went to the church's museum to see all the old paintings of apostles and such like, robes, candle holders, communion cups and plates, and some other antiques of the early period of this church. Then the 'best' was saved for last. Anyone who wanted to could go into this room - if they could fit.

One of the members of our group was small enough and had a camera and did take a photo, but she hasn't sent it to me yet. If/when she does, I will post it. (She was able to get out and return home with us, in case you were wondering.)

Don Pedro, in red cap, points out our location on map.

I don't want to end this journey on such a sombre note, so here are some other shots taken during the weekend that didn't have any particular place to fit except to show you some interesting looking people, places or things. The woman in costume is wearing the traditional comunero garb of a black dress, white blouse with embroidered colored flowers, black shawl and the hat with a black band and red ties on her black pigtails.

The group is standing on a bas-relief map of Colombia at the Nacional University College in Velez and our leader, who was the inspiration for doing a "Route of the Comuneros," is Don Pedro, an historian from Bogota and Barichara. He is wearing the red cap and pointing out where we are at present in the Andes.

Rider needs help dismounting; horse may be pleased.

This was the shot in Puene Nacional that caused my anxiety to rise as I realized that most of the men riding were probably also drinking. This fellow trying to dismount in the first photo had been riding around and perhaps someone told him to get off or he tried to on his own. But clearly he wasn't able to manage and yet a short while later (see him trying to put his foot in the stirrup?) he tried to get on someone else's horse that was left standing. (The metal railing I mentioned that gave away can be seen in the upper left hand portion of the second photo.)

'Borracho' means drunk and this fellow was...

A street in Chiquinquirá on a Sunday.

The last shot was taken as we were driving out of Chiquinquirá and I just pointed the camera as we passed a street or two... just to show what the edges of the city look like. There is a similarity to Mexico in that the houses and shops are brightly colored. But at least from what I saw from the van, the streets looked pretty clean and there was less trash piled up than what I have observed in other Colombian cities and villages.

I hope you have enjoyed this tour with me, although 'enjoy' is hardly the word to use for that last church visit. Right now I am working on a new oil painting and so my next trip is as yet unknown.
I have a few ideas up my sleeve for some other postings, and I look forward to your comments on this one.