Día 290: "Expectabo."

I was awoken at midnight by the sounds of a Mariachi serenade -- ohhh, Sudamerica!

Fathers' Day could equally appropriately have been called "Food Day" in the world of Ratna. I think I consumed more calories today than I have all year.


The stuffing of my face commenced with a grand breakfast Viviana had prepared for her father with pancakes, pan de yuca, scrambled eggs, and hot chocolate. Despues de desayuno, I talked to my own "Papa" on Skype, and then did a massive reorganization of all the photos on my computer, digging up some old gems!


Soon, Elena Auntie came home! We greeted her outside and headed across the street to Unicentro, where the ladies bought Fathers' Day presents for Mario as I snuck off for a scoop of hazelnut ice cream at Crepes & Waffles (guilt is impossible when the culprit is so good) and snooped around drooling over empanadas being sold at a nearby cafe. I am impossibly spoiled here, and before I knew it, the empanadas were being bought as the appetizer for our lunch!


We had a most sumptuous feast as our almuerza, with the whole family here. The cheesy snack above was followed by sushi, a special type of ham, and another traditional rice dish.

Leo, Elena, Viviana, Rosalia, Mario

The force with which I "hit the sack" after this meal actually had Vivi and her family worried for my life. I sleepwalked back into the dining room like a zombie two hours later, and everyone taunted me by telling me I was in a dream, and offering me more food every time I turned the corner. Ah!

I can't say I didn't end up trying some of the foods they dangled in front of me, before packing my things to return to Elena's apartment. It's a bit scary how quickly one can pack up and leave from a place that has been such a wonderful home, even if for a short time.

I now sit back in Elena Auntie's kitchen, typing this post after having made a tentative schedule for my remaining three weekends in Colombia!

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