Fontamar Hotel Barranquilla

... the four English blokes I'm hanging out with, a mattress on the floor of this office was called home for the week. And so the carnage ensued, starting on Saturday with the Batalla de Flores; the biggest and most well attended parade. Life in the stands is a constant fight of Gringos versus the Colombians who have invested heavily in large bottles of spray foam. Post ...

... ready for transport back to Spain. The fortressed walls were frequently bombarded by pirates and have somehow managed to last from the 1600s. It's a beautiful part of the city, filled with brightly coloured houses, big flowers hanging from the upper balconies and little parks where you can hide from the afternoon sun. Hopefully I'll be able to go back and explore the modern part of the city before I leave. Pics to follow soon I promise!

... At some point during the night, she said that it frustrated her that I always drew a line between her and I, a line which I didn't want her to cross. What she said, opened up a wound, or, a door, which I had kept shut for a while now. I am afraid of getting hurt, a remainder of the break-up with Debbie, and I have not dealt with the problem. What I have done instead, is make sure that I don't let my feelings get involved too much, keeping people at a distance ...

... though she didn't want to. After all the names were "tapped" in, she said some more stuff, and voila, the charm was charged with the good luck powers to protect the new house and the family members I named. I have to admit, I got a bit involved with the ceremony, so when Lili and I left, I had a strange feeling, not bad, different, but I laughed it off. Today, when I told Lili's mom about it, her being very religious, she was like, "Oh no ...

... difference in people's lives, and I think this definitely qualifies. I am also appearing on local TV, TeleCaribe, on November 4th or 5th, for a short interview about my work here in Barranquilla, and have been asked to give a lecture at Universidad del Norte, the best university in the city. Overall, I have been improving the manner of work, increasing the efficiency, introducing systems and processes, and capacity building - taking the organization ...

... living room, drinking rum, smoking cigarettes, and listening to Itunes. They are four friends from Bogota, and very nice people, they offered me beer, and told me that they saw my by myself, and thought it would be nice to invite me, since they didn't know anyone else in Barranquilla either. It was fun to hang out with them, and it turns out that they will also be going to Tayrona next weekend, so I'm sure I'll see them there ...

... It was also Will's birthday (part of the American/Canadian group!) so after dinner I met them at another high rise bar, this one on the 26th floor and boasting wall to wall panoramic views of the city, which was (very aptly) called Piso 26. Had some cocktails and danced some salsa before heading to the more economic venue of "La Truja", where a bottle of beer will cost you a mere 50p. At 3.30 everyone was getting peckish ...

... given the fact that they don't speak English, and I have only been here for a week, but I am managing the best I can. I have started to implement some of the things I wanted to do, and the team has to plan for the Reintegracion Soccer Match, between the police y los reintegrados. The reintegrados are those guerilla fighters from the FARC who are coming back into society, and the government is throwing a lot of money at integrating ...

... that's what I called them), picked me up from the office and we went to dinner. Pizza is what they wanted! They were so happy to be there, they wanted to stay with Karen. We had a lot of fun, playing games, and they got a bit rowdy. They are, in one way, very much 10 and 11 years old, but then they are already pretty mature, and hardened form a tough life. Diana, one could tell, had parents which were not as attentive to her as Mari's were. So, it was a fun evening. 

... I attempt the queues at the bank! Nifty huh? Hopefully by Monday that'll be it sorted and I can really start enjoying myself! Well, for those of you who aren't on bebo / facebook / my mother's grapevine, you'll be pleased to know that I've found a flat! it's a great flat in the best part of the city, and really near the uni. I'm sharing with a guy called Pedro, who's really nice, but isn't in the flat much because he works a lot, so I've got the ...