Thursday, January 17, 2008

I keep meaning to post about my trip to Colombia in December and I keep not getting to it… somehow I got lucky enough to arrive the day my company was hosting their Xmas party, they had it at a place called Andres Carne de Res (Andrew's Beef would be the literal translation into English).

It’s a huge, very rustic and kitschy kind of place, with so many funky decorations you just don't know where to look. For those in the NJ area - the best way I can describe it is like a "Jose Tejas" on steroids. The music was fantastic, the food was excellent, and the whole atmosphere just screamed PARTY TIME. Fun place, I wish I could bring all my friends there, it would be such a blast!

This
blog entry gives a good feel (and pictures) of the place. I especially agree with this description: "...it is sort of a cross between a restaurant, a bar, a house party, a discoteque/nightclub, and a carnival, a place where every night that it’s open is like Mardi Gras. "


Aside from the party, the business part of the trip went well, and going in/out of Colombia was very hassle free (easier than some airports I've been to in South America). The roads are in terrible condition, and traffic is so bad they're now restricting who can drive during rush hour. But there were cops all over which made me feel a bit safer. My co-worker from our offices in Bogota was wonderful, driving me all over and knowing all the tricks. I felt bad that he got stuck with chofer duties for me but he did it cheerfully. I was able to meet his wife during the Xmas party, a lovely lady. Wish I'd taken pictures!

My
hotel was gorgeous but unfortunately it was almost 45 min away from our offices, I'd have taken another hotel closer to my work if I'd had a choice.

One thing that caught my eye was the many Juan Valdez coffee shops. I hear there's one in
NYC , I'll have to visit its some day, the bag I brought home was excellent.

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