I walked into a small country restaurant in rural Colombia with a couple of associates. After being served coffee and food, I asked where the bathroom was.
They pointed me to the wall.
I looked and seeing nothing asked again. They looked at me like I was stupid so I walked over to the wall and noticed a small, tile shelf with a little drain in it. On the wall, out in the open.
The urinal.
So, standing in the middle of a busy restaurant, I used it.
When in Rome, do as the Romans!
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Trucks, Trucks and More Trucks
As we were traveling out into the countryside of Colombian, we passed a truck stop...
...with over 500 trucks parked...Really!
We passed dozens of truck stops, all with hundreds of trucks parked.
You see, there are no railroads or pipelines in Colombia to move goods and fuel around the country.
Everything is moved by truck. What a pain in the ass!
There are almost 50 million people in Colombia, more than in Spain, for example. All these people eat, consume and drive. The highways are packed with trucks supplying the people with stuff.
This is a hilly, mountainous place. Trucks going 20 miles an hour are the norm...up and down hill. And it's all a hill.
This is by far the most dangerous place I've seen on the road.
Everyone is trying to pass, all the time, in a desperate attempt to get somewhere! We saw so many near misses that I stopped counting. I just closed my eyes and gritted my teeth.
Mayhem!
In the US, if you are going 100 miles, you know about how long it will take.
Not in Colombia. It may take 2 hours, 9 hours or more.
And the roads suck!
Most paved roads are lumpy because the soil is so bad. All the mountain roads are falling off the mountain...many roads are under construction so you drive on raw, bumpy dirt before it is paved.
I have a sore back. 3 Days in a pickup truck under these conditions was more than I ever want to experience again.
I'd rather walk!
Oh, did I mentions how incredibly beautiful it is here?
...with over 500 trucks parked...Really!
We passed dozens of truck stops, all with hundreds of trucks parked.
You see, there are no railroads or pipelines in Colombia to move goods and fuel around the country.
Everything is moved by truck. What a pain in the ass!
There are almost 50 million people in Colombia, more than in Spain, for example. All these people eat, consume and drive. The highways are packed with trucks supplying the people with stuff.
This is a hilly, mountainous place. Trucks going 20 miles an hour are the norm...up and down hill. And it's all a hill.
This is by far the most dangerous place I've seen on the road.
Everyone is trying to pass, all the time, in a desperate attempt to get somewhere! We saw so many near misses that I stopped counting. I just closed my eyes and gritted my teeth.
Mayhem!
In the US, if you are going 100 miles, you know about how long it will take.
Not in Colombia. It may take 2 hours, 9 hours or more.
And the roads suck!
Most paved roads are lumpy because the soil is so bad. All the mountain roads are falling off the mountain...many roads are under construction so you drive on raw, bumpy dirt before it is paved.
I have a sore back. 3 Days in a pickup truck under these conditions was more than I ever want to experience again.
I'd rather walk!
Oh, did I mentions how incredibly beautiful it is here?
Hacienda
You just don't know what you are going to find in a "3rd" World nation.
We traveled out of Bogota south in search of more coal reserves and barge ports on the Magdalena River. We overnighted for 2 nights at our Colombian partner's father's hacienda.
I call it a hacienda because I'm not sure what to call it.
It is a 5000 acre ranch that supports over 2000 head of cattle.
This is a woefully inadequate description of this ranch.
They are so advanced in their importing, breeding and husbandry of the animals that I can't possibly understand it.
The father knows the name of EVERY animal on the ranch. No shit! We tested him.
Not only does he know every name, so does the full time vet and most of 40 workers on his various ranches.
I have rarely seen animals cared for so tenderly.
The owner has a passion for cattle. That's the only way to explain it.
He knows all the breeds available around the world, focusing on Brazil (Apparently the leader in cattle breeding in the world), India (Where of course they don't eat them), and the US. They use artificial insemination and in vitro stuff, whatever that is. Apparently, they can split the embryo into four sections to get four calfs.
Who would figure?
They breed to maximize mild production as well as meat production.
They buy, sell and breed cattle like we used to trade baseball cards as kids.
It was a rare privilege to experience something like this!
We traveled out of Bogota south in search of more coal reserves and barge ports on the Magdalena River. We overnighted for 2 nights at our Colombian partner's father's hacienda.
I call it a hacienda because I'm not sure what to call it.
It is a 5000 acre ranch that supports over 2000 head of cattle.
This is a woefully inadequate description of this ranch.
They are so advanced in their importing, breeding and husbandry of the animals that I can't possibly understand it.
The father knows the name of EVERY animal on the ranch. No shit! We tested him.
Not only does he know every name, so does the full time vet and most of 40 workers on his various ranches.
I have rarely seen animals cared for so tenderly.
The owner has a passion for cattle. That's the only way to explain it.
He knows all the breeds available around the world, focusing on Brazil (Apparently the leader in cattle breeding in the world), India (Where of course they don't eat them), and the US. They use artificial insemination and in vitro stuff, whatever that is. Apparently, they can split the embryo into four sections to get four calfs.
Who would figure?
They breed to maximize mild production as well as meat production.
They buy, sell and breed cattle like we used to trade baseball cards as kids.
It was a rare privilege to experience something like this!
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Spinning My Wheels
And here I sit in Bogota...
This deal making stuff is frustrating.
Yesterday I sat in our Colombian partner's office all morning, trying to move things forward, moving in so many directions at once that nothing got done.
My partner from Boquete is recovering from an altitude caused lung problem so I was on my own all morning. Finally, we had a lunch meeting, seemingly making progress.
But not!
Most of the afternoon I sat in the hotel, getting nothing done.
Frustration!
Now, this morning, we are still sitting in the hotel.
Things seem to be happening. New business opportunities appear and disappear and re-appear and get lost.
Up, down, sideways...
I know that we will eventually get a deal done.
Colombia is an rapidly developing or emerging nation in the area of international raw materials. We are at the right time, the right place and I trust that it will happen.
I just don't like the frustration.
Fortunately, my Boquete partner is a master at this type of work. I feel lucky to be working with him. And, I learn much in the process.
So, at this point, I will quit bitching.
Thanks for listening!
This deal making stuff is frustrating.
Yesterday I sat in our Colombian partner's office all morning, trying to move things forward, moving in so many directions at once that nothing got done.
My partner from Boquete is recovering from an altitude caused lung problem so I was on my own all morning. Finally, we had a lunch meeting, seemingly making progress.
But not!
Most of the afternoon I sat in the hotel, getting nothing done.
Frustration!
Now, this morning, we are still sitting in the hotel.
Things seem to be happening. New business opportunities appear and disappear and re-appear and get lost.
Up, down, sideways...
I know that we will eventually get a deal done.
Colombia is an rapidly developing or emerging nation in the area of international raw materials. We are at the right time, the right place and I trust that it will happen.
I just don't like the frustration.
Fortunately, my Boquete partner is a master at this type of work. I feel lucky to be working with him. And, I learn much in the process.
So, at this point, I will quit bitching.
Thanks for listening!
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Oxygen
My business associate is sick. One major cold/flu thing.
The people in bogota think the elevation (8500 feet) and lack of oxygen is making it feel worse than it is. I don't know. He looks pretty miserable!
They sell small bottles of oxygen here. I don't think we could get them in the US or Panama without a doctors prescription. I hear that a couple of whiffs of pure oxygen makes you feel more vital and alive.
I think I will try to sneak a whiff when he is not looking.
I am working on my own today because he is in bed. A little scary because he is the lead man on this project.
There is a sense of urgency to get things done because we are on the road and paying big bucks for hotels and food. The pressure is on!
The world of big buck business is new to me. These folks talk about millions of dollars like you and I would talk about hundreds. Weird!
The say, "we can throw a few million at it and see what happens."
Hey, throw some this way if it is that easy!
Here's a picture of the local country side a short distance from Bogota. A lot of clouds but very little rain. And the humidity is reasonable. Not like home in Boquete where the humidity in the rainy season is off the chart!
Well, back to work. That sounds strange after 3 1/2 years of retirement!
The people in bogota think the elevation (8500 feet) and lack of oxygen is making it feel worse than it is. I don't know. He looks pretty miserable!
They sell small bottles of oxygen here. I don't think we could get them in the US or Panama without a doctors prescription. I hear that a couple of whiffs of pure oxygen makes you feel more vital and alive.
I think I will try to sneak a whiff when he is not looking.
I am working on my own today because he is in bed. A little scary because he is the lead man on this project.
There is a sense of urgency to get things done because we are on the road and paying big bucks for hotels and food. The pressure is on!
The world of big buck business is new to me. These folks talk about millions of dollars like you and I would talk about hundreds. Weird!
The say, "we can throw a few million at it and see what happens."
Hey, throw some this way if it is that easy!
Here's a picture of the local country side a short distance from Bogota. A lot of clouds but very little rain. And the humidity is reasonable. Not like home in Boquete where the humidity in the rainy season is off the chart!
Well, back to work. That sounds strange after 3 1/2 years of retirement!
Monday, May 21, 2012
Colombia
I sit in Bogota, Colombia. I will be here for 2 weeks to try and drum up some business deals.
The more I travel, the more I realize that I know nothing about the world. Living in the US for most of my life has left me ignorant. Our dear country does indeed fed us highly spun mis-information.
Now I sit in Bogota, in the dreaded, dastardly evil drug producing, FARC kidnapping country of Colombia. Well, that's what we were told. Now it is a 1st World city of 8 million people.
So far Colombia has been a double edged sword.
First the bad.
Our first morning here, after receiving a security briefing, my friend and I got conned and scammed out of $1200. It was so slick that it didn't even occur to either of us that we were in trouble.
As we left the hotel, walking down the sidewalk, an old, old, kindly man asked for directions. We couldn't help him but we did start to talk. That was our first mistake.
As we were talking, a detective in a 3 piece suit, approached us, showed us his "credentials" and asked us to follow him to the neighborhood police station to register our business intentions and log in our money. All things that we were told we have to do anyway.
As we walked toward the "police station", another police officer joined us and said the line at the station was long so he would help us by taking our money and registering it for us.
You guessed it. They were gone with our money.
The money hadn't left my hand more than a nano second before I figured it out...too late...by, by money.
Shit, did I feel stupid!
The problem is that we, as trusting Americans, can't actually hear instructions like, "don't talk to ANYONE!" It is impolite to avoid talking to a kindly old man, for God's sake.
Lesson learned.
Everything else, and I mean everything else, has been fantastic!
The people are wonderful. Polite, happy, helpful and delightful!
We spent 3 long, arduous days out in the wild country, touring mineral sites. Traveling on dirt tracks to goat tracks, meeting people in the remotest places. Staying in hotels that cost $2 a night, eating meals for $1.
We were in a party of 8 with 2 vehicles. It looked like the United Nations with an Indian (Sub continent India) geologist, a mining engineer from who knows where, us and Colombians.
The mountains were as beautiful as the Himalayas. Steep, lush, farmed or grazed all the way to the top and rugged.
This is a populated country, even in the hinter lands. About 50 million people.
The major towns like Bogota, Medellin and Cartagena are 1st World. And as expensive as the US. Yet out in the country it is not quite 3rd World and dirt cheap.
It is drier with less humidity than Panama, something that is pleasant. Slightly cool at 8500 feet in Bogota. We all wear light jackets unless the sun is out.
I have another week and a half here. Can't wait!
Today is a holiday so I have time to, well, write a blog.
The more I travel, the more I realize that I know nothing about the world. Living in the US for most of my life has left me ignorant. Our dear country does indeed fed us highly spun mis-information.
Now I sit in Bogota, in the dreaded, dastardly evil drug producing, FARC kidnapping country of Colombia. Well, that's what we were told. Now it is a 1st World city of 8 million people.
So far Colombia has been a double edged sword.
First the bad.
Our first morning here, after receiving a security briefing, my friend and I got conned and scammed out of $1200. It was so slick that it didn't even occur to either of us that we were in trouble.
As we left the hotel, walking down the sidewalk, an old, old, kindly man asked for directions. We couldn't help him but we did start to talk. That was our first mistake.
As we were talking, a detective in a 3 piece suit, approached us, showed us his "credentials" and asked us to follow him to the neighborhood police station to register our business intentions and log in our money. All things that we were told we have to do anyway.
As we walked toward the "police station", another police officer joined us and said the line at the station was long so he would help us by taking our money and registering it for us.
You guessed it. They were gone with our money.
The money hadn't left my hand more than a nano second before I figured it out...too late...by, by money.
Shit, did I feel stupid!
The problem is that we, as trusting Americans, can't actually hear instructions like, "don't talk to ANYONE!" It is impolite to avoid talking to a kindly old man, for God's sake.
Lesson learned.
Everything else, and I mean everything else, has been fantastic!
The people are wonderful. Polite, happy, helpful and delightful!
We spent 3 long, arduous days out in the wild country, touring mineral sites. Traveling on dirt tracks to goat tracks, meeting people in the remotest places. Staying in hotels that cost $2 a night, eating meals for $1.
We were in a party of 8 with 2 vehicles. It looked like the United Nations with an Indian (Sub continent India) geologist, a mining engineer from who knows where, us and Colombians.
The mountains were as beautiful as the Himalayas. Steep, lush, farmed or grazed all the way to the top and rugged.
This is a populated country, even in the hinter lands. About 50 million people.
The major towns like Bogota, Medellin and Cartagena are 1st World. And as expensive as the US. Yet out in the country it is not quite 3rd World and dirt cheap.
It is drier with less humidity than Panama, something that is pleasant. Slightly cool at 8500 feet in Bogota. We all wear light jackets unless the sun is out.
I have another week and a half here. Can't wait!
Today is a holiday so I have time to, well, write a blog.
Struggling to Continue Blogging
It's been awhile since my last blog.
Because I am conflicted.
It bothers me that I can't say what I want to say or use specific words in my blog because I am afraid my government, or for that matter, someone else, will get me for it.
This internet thing has taken a nasty turn. It is being used, in this case, by my government to monitor the activities of it's citizens.
I know, this has been the case for years, but I finally have done something that could get me in trouble. I have traveled to a place that is verboten...for no good reason...just misconstrued political horse shit.
There is no fun left in blogging for me.
And this sucks because I love to blog. But I refuse to edit my comments anymore out of fear.
I don't know what I am going to do.
Presently, I sit in a hotel in Colombia, an incredible country.
Now, it is OK for me to be here, legal and all that. So I'm going to try and blog again and see what happens. But just know that I have over 12 blogs that I will never write and you will never read. And hopefully not sounding self important, blogs that could have contributed to you in substantial ways.
F#$#@!!!! I used to love my government. It is a stretch for me now. Maybe I will re-bound as time progresses
Because I am conflicted.
It bothers me that I can't say what I want to say or use specific words in my blog because I am afraid my government, or for that matter, someone else, will get me for it.
This internet thing has taken a nasty turn. It is being used, in this case, by my government to monitor the activities of it's citizens.
I know, this has been the case for years, but I finally have done something that could get me in trouble. I have traveled to a place that is verboten...for no good reason...just misconstrued political horse shit.
There is no fun left in blogging for me.
And this sucks because I love to blog. But I refuse to edit my comments anymore out of fear.
I don't know what I am going to do.
Presently, I sit in a hotel in Colombia, an incredible country.
Now, it is OK for me to be here, legal and all that. So I'm going to try and blog again and see what happens. But just know that I have over 12 blogs that I will never write and you will never read. And hopefully not sounding self important, blogs that could have contributed to you in substantial ways.
F#$#@!!!! I used to love my government. It is a stretch for me now. Maybe I will re-bound as time progresses
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
