Going on Week 4...

Well, almost a month in-country and we wish we had an update on the adoption case but it is still sitting in court #22 somewhere.  We may have an update later in the week, but today is another holiday.  There are many holidays here in Colombia and to us, it just means another day has gone by with no progress being made as far as our return home.  On a positive note, the little guy is moving up to real food instead of the formula bottles all the time.  He has blown through a few bottles of squash, peaches, and apples.  We think little Matthew likes peaches the most so far.  Jim has tried all of them as well, squash seems to suit his palette best.  Mainly pumpkin with a hint of butternut he says. 

This past weekend was a very active one for Matthew.  On Saturday we went outside of Bogota into the North country.  We first made a stop in the little town of Cajica'.  We had pastries, coffee, hot chocolate, a spectacular fruit tea and a wonderful coffee bread with arequipe which the Colombians call caramel or dulce de leche as we know it back in the U.S.  Then we were off to Zipaquira' which is home to several salt mines.  We went to the one without the Catholic Cathedral in it down the road less traveled (It is called Nemocon).  It was a very unique experience.  Not near as many tourists, much fewer souvenir shops with a better opportunity to take it all in. The cool dark atmosphere gave Matthew the opportunity to catch a 20 minute cat nap.  The snowy looking stuff behind us is all salt believe it or not.

Here was the most awesome part of the salt mine which is a channel of very shallow water that runs alongside the walking path.  It creates an optical illusion making the tunnels appear like a chasm that goes down about 20 or 30 more feet.  The pictures do not do it justice but you can get a general idea.  It really MUST be seen in person.  Next it was off to Andres Carne de Res which we heard was one of the most unique restaurants in Colombia.. We were really looking forward to it.

Andres' Carne de Res...(The original one in Chia just outside Bogota) What can we say... AMAZING!!! They have so much stuff nailed to the wall, on the ceilings, in the bathrooms, you cannot even begin to imagine.  It was by far THE most unique eatery we have ever been to anywhere in our travels.  The menu, which resembled a giant comic book, was significantly bigger than that of Cheesecake Factory's, which we never thought would be possible. They have a massive sandbox for kids, face painting, wooden rocking horses, WOW.  There were no less than 6 or 7 birthday parties going on simultaneously.  The place was huge and the food and drinks were awesome.  

Our day today was one that was very unique and special for us, as we got to enjoy it with some new friends.  A couple is staying in the hotel with us for about a week and they are here in Bogota for a very special trip.  Ken and Nicole are here to explore Ken's roots and birth place as Ken was adopted from FANA 34 years ago, the same agency we adopted little Matthew from.  This is Ken's first trip back to Colombia since he was born.  We shared food, drinks, and a lot of great conversation about adoption and everything else going on.  It was so interesting hearing the perspectives of a  FANA kid and his upbringing and how we can relate to what his parents went through.  

Sunday, we took Ken and Nicole to Usaquen to visit the flea market and have lunch at Archie's.  Afterwards, we had our driver meet us and take us up to Monserrate which offers panoramic views of almost the entire cityscape.  Jim took this panoramic shot with his camera.  You cannot imagine how dense of a city Bogota is until you see it from the view up here.

We will post any updates we hear about the adoption case as soon as we find out anything.  Until then, we are just waiting on the Judge to issue the setencia.