Colombia (Part 8)-Retiro and meeting the family of Dr. Olga
When we arrived in Retiro at 2:30 p.m., Olga was nowhere to be seen. We stood around in the town square for about 10 minutes second guessing our decision. What had we been thinking? We meet a stranger in an airport in Bogotá, Colombia and then drive out to the countryside to meet her in a small town? But, our gut told us we were still doing the right thing. It was an opportunity to have a unique experience. One of life’s “wow” moments! Finally, we heard a horn honk, and there was Dr.Olga!
Here is a photo of the town square of Retiro:
Germán was a little nervous about what we were getting into so he didn’t want to leave us until he met Olga. He spoke with her and her sister for a few minutes and when he felt everything was fine he gave us the “thumbs up” and left. We piled into her SUV, luggage and all. Olga drove us a couple of miles through beautiful countryside where there were a number of what I would call very nice, “weekend country homes”. When we got to their house, they introduced us to the other 2 family members: another sister and their 82 year old father. They showed us around the house, walked outside with us on the beautifully manicured grounds while explaining about the different types of plants. Then we all went inside and for 2 hours drank Colombian coffee, ate cookies, and had very stimulating conversation about the economic and political climate of South America and the relationship with the U.S. It helped to have done a little research on Colombia before our trip. The family was all very highly educated and well-read. They knew all about what was happening on the campaign trail in the U.S. Presidential race It was a great experience to spend those 2 hours with such a nice family.
At 4:30, Olga and her sister drove us to the airport for our 6 p.m. flight to Cartagena where we would spend the next 5 days in a very different kind of life.Next-Cartagena and my new family
