Sunday March 19
Breakfast on stools, sampling new fruits and the difference between coca and cocoa
Although not her style of trip planning, this time because of the difficulty booking domestic flights, June used a trip planner and as a result we had a guide and driver. This really allowed us to hit the ground running. No need to figure out how to get to the hotel to drop off stuff or work the public transit system. Just throw our stuff in the car and go. We were greeted at the airport by Margarita and Alvaro.
With our minimal luggage in the back of a mini sprinter type van, we headed to the Paloquemao Market. This local market is where different local produce from all corners of Colombia come to be sold.
Our guide for the day was Sarah, a very passionate woman working to promote the sustainability of local produce. She was immensely knowledgeable, bubbly and has a love of fruits like no one over ever seen before.
Outside the main entry of the market we had sweet oat milk (tasted like melted vanilla ice cream) and a deep fried buñuelo filled with a cheese that reminded me of the rind of a brie.
On the bottom are at left-pandeyuca cassava-a baked bread with cheese (and oat milk) and on the right-similar crusted breads but one with guava. Notice a common theme here? Cheese. Cheese on everything. Tomorrow I’m going to bring my lactaid.
I’m not joking-Colombians cheese up all their foods, even their coffee.
Here at the herbalist stall we got a bag of coca leaves to share. Before being refined and mass produced to the world, the leaves were traditionally used by chieftains and shaman to renew and transmit sacred knowledge. The herbalist stall (not sure if that’s the correct term) also has spices for cooking, tinctures for health, and candles for wishful thinking.
The leaves were semi -dried and tasted like a green tea. After a few minutes of chewing, I could feel a numbness in my mouth. It was kind of like the mala numbing that Szechuan peppercorns give.
Next we had empanadas with various sauces from a local stall owner who had taken over for his grandfather.
The empanadas came with 5 different tasting sauces.
The empanadas cost around 2500 colpesos each so maybe 60 cents US.
Fruit Tasting
In the same market we sat down with a few plates of fruit in front of us. For the fruit tasting I was sure that (coming from Hawaii) I would probably have tasted mostly everything out there but turns out I was wrong.
Below was my favorite fruit of the tasting. Granaridga-sweet and juicy encased in light blobs of skin. The seeds are really crunchy. Crack it on your head then suck ’em up!
Golden berry. Hiding in a bougainvillea-like wrapping we exposed these individual berries to the world one at a time after making a wish. Tart and sweet.
Here’s a Tree Tomato. Tart! Are they normally like that?
Oddly this was called Sapote. It looked like another brown-skinned and meat fruit we tried (and also have here in Hawaii). The edible meat is the inside part and is dry like a (chestnut)?
This Chirimoya tasted like a miniature sour sop. Or was it sweet sop
Rambutan? Had that before. We also tried a Sugar Mango. Hard to compare to years of tasting Hawaii mangoes though.
Yellow Dragonfruit
Sarah closed the fruit tasting event by asking us what our thoughts were if there was ever to be a one of a kind in the world fruit. What would that fruit be worth at the market? She followed by saying that that fruit would be priceless and that each of us is that special fruit. Mind. Food. Connection.
Coffee Tasting
So although we were falling behind schedule, we were learning so much. Especially me because I have no shame on these tours asking lots of questions to quench my thirst for info.
We stopped at Casona Mercado Artesanal stall within the market to do a tasting of coffee. Carmen runs a small cafe promoting locally made goods. She literally runs around the small shop serving coffee and snacks while chatting with customers and pausing to explain to us the nuances of each coffee we tasted, where they were grown, etc.
We tasted two Colombian grown coffees French press style and then had our favorite of the two made into an espresso. We got caffeinated while talking about the different flavor profiles.
The kids had hot chocolate made from local cocoa beans. Sweet and lightly spicy. Local. Mean!
When we left we had no problem impulse buying a few items off her shelves knowing that whatever money we spent was going to the shopkeeper and her local vendors.
*One last tidbit I remember reading about is that most locals don’t drink Colombian coffee the way we might imagine-at coffee shops picking what color roast and in what style. Because of the export value, most locals will usually have a cup of instant tipico-a very dark (to hide the nuances) quick coffee.
The Gold Museum
Since it was raining slash hailing on our way from the market, we decided to head indoors to visit the Gold Museum of Bogota.
Gold=Wealth? Yes and no. By today’s standards it is. However for the pre-Spanish indigenous, our guide told us that gold was mainly cherished due to its resemblance to the sun, and its importance to life on Earth, especially subsistence farming. Typically only the king and the shaman wore gold as far as historians currently believe. Gold was given as offerings to the gods in hopes of gaining good favor and luck. Anyone seen the Dreamworks movie The Road to El Dorado?
Lake Guatavita, now a protected national park, was thought to be a gateway to the heavens. Thus during special ceremonies, gold offerings were made here to the gods by tossing golden objects into the water off of a boat.
The lake was purposely drained about 10 meters deep. Many artifacts were collected from the shores and placed into the museum.
I especially was interested in the gold nose piercing adornments
In addition to gold, there were small clay sculptures and other displays. Here’s a typical burial style. I’m kind of obsessed with death.
Off to Dinner and Mass
We ate nearby the Santa Maria Catholic church so it would be easy for June to attend mass.
This was a crepe and waffle place. Not my ideal choice, but we were on a time schedule. As we ate Alvaro noted that the restaurant was staffed entirely by women, the reason being that the owner specifically hires single working mothers to help provide support. Now that’s the kind of tidbit I like to hear about.
Crepes before beer, you’re in the clear. Something like that anyway.
Goodnight!
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