Much to say we spent the Christmas and New Years period with paulo's family which was good as Paulo spent Xmas 2002 + 2003 with me and my family in Tasmania. We spent Christmas at Paulos uncle's house, Alvaro Andres where we did the whole secret santa with the whole extended family (maternal extended family). Not a late affair (to what I was used to in Brazil = till the sun comes up) home by 1am I think, but considering I was tired with bandicoot eyes as had yet to have caught up on sleep it was a welcome early Christmas night. As in most other areas in South America, Chrismas is celebrated on the "Eve" with the feast eaten the night before and presents opened at midnight. Christmas day is spent recovering and paying respects to Jesus.
Cali has just been in festival since boxing day to the 30th. businesses only open till midday and
they have heaps of things going on. we went to the SUPERCONCIERTO, like 40 000 people in the Cali Soccer ground oh my goodness!!! It went from 5pm to 5am the next day, 15 bands, singers from all over latin america(mostly Colombia, Porto Rican and Domincan Republic though) with genres covering Salsa (of course), Merengue, Vallenato & Regaton. There are also other parades and parties happening in the streets and 
various venues. The CABALGATA or horse parade is the focal activity of the festival each year. Next time I will make paulo organise a horse so I can actually ride in it instead of just watching! Though watching is fun, especially as i got to spray everyone I could with foam (used to be water and flour now they have banned it and subsituted with commercial foam which decintegrate
s ;). There are a lot of cultural things going on as well. I was happy to relax yesterday after a festive filled week. New years was fine we spent the beginning of the night at paulos aunty Mariela`s house with her 3 daughters and neice and Mariela made tomales, a traditional Colombian dish I hadnt tried yet. Its a floury mixture with meat and potato in it cooked in boiling water inside big banana (or plantane) leaves. After midnight we headed off to paulo`s cousin, Silvia and husband Carlos' house where another batch of aunties, cousins and second cousins were. There we partied and danced until 4am. Today we were invited out to dinner by Edgar`s mum and dad. Edgar came to Tassie the same time as Paulo who also has the tassie gfriend(now wife). well he and amanda (his wife) are here in Colombia too so we have done a few things with them. We were invited out to dinner with them to a restaurant in the mountains - a mountain in yet another side of Cali. Its so cool in the mountains - I like the city much better from the mountains.
The day before yesterday we went up another part of the moun
tains (there are a million mountains around Cali and they go so far they look like ther go into the sky), where there is a huge statue of Jesus there (like in Rio de Janeiro) and had a look. Then we went to a sugar cane museum about 45mins outside of cali. Its a former sugar cane farm reformned into a museaum of life on a sugar cane farm, displays of old sugar cane farm machinery and displays of typical houses from around Colombia including typical indian style houses. & now i am here!!! i managed to get mine and paulos room in order yesterday for the new year, now we can actually walk around rather than have to dodge all the suitcases!!!http://www.berraco.com/index.php/cali/index Feria de Cali
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