Bogota, Colombia: Journey 14393
June 5-12, 2018
We had a wonderful journey to Bogota, Colombia, where we learned about the culture of the ambassadors who visited us in 2017. We renewed our friendships and made new friends. We were 21 FF Members: 19 members from Baton Rouge, one member from Dayton, Ohio and one from Chicago, Illinois. We had a busy schedule from morning to late afternoon.
Bogota is the capitol and largest city in Colombia. Bogota is Colombia's beating heart, an engaging and vibrant capital cradled by chilly Andean peaks and steeped in sophisticated urban cool. The city's cultural epicenter is La Candelaria, the cobbled historic downtown to which most travelers gravitate. Here, a potpourri of preciously preserved colonial buildings house museums, restaurants, hotels and bars peppered amid 300-year-old homes, churches and convents.
We arrived in Bogota on June 5. We were welcome with a succulent Colombian Dinner, saw a wonderful Colombian Folklore Show and danced Salsa at our Welcome Dinner party. It was delightful and fun evening. Some of the highlights of our trip were: Ministry of Culture of Colombia, Museum Santa Clara (which is one of Bogota’s most famous Churches with European paintings and sculptures), a huge rose plantation in the Andes Mountains, Basilica Nuestra Senora de Fatima, University of Sabana in Chia Town, Salt Cathedral in City of Zipaquira (a Roman Catholic Church built within the tunnels of a salt mine 200 meters underground), Monserrate Hill with an 8500 feet view of the capital of Bogota, the Gold Museum (impressive 55,000 pre-Hispanic culture pieces of gold), Museo Botero (paintings and sculptures of Fernando Botera, Colombia’s most famous artist), Bocaya Bridge (one of the most important battlefields of Colombian modern history), Villa de Leyva (in 1819 Simon Bolivar defeated Spanish troops finalizing Colombia’s independence, one of the most beautiful colonial towns in Colombia)
The elevation in Bogota is 8,000 feet and this did slow down some of the ambassadors. It takes a bit longer to catch your breath when you are at that elevation.
The farewell lunch was fabulous and we danced all kind of salsa, Cumbria and cha cha cha the whole afternoon. We celebrated Colombia's Carnival and Louisiana's Mardi Gras. We didn't let a little rain slow down the fun, our beautiful outdoor venue had a cover and everyone stayed dry.
In conclusion our journey to Colombia was full of great surprises and happy times. Colombians are warm and good people. If you have a chance to go on a FFI Journey, please do! You will feel at ease and with much comradery
Morena Cazedessus, Ambassador Coordinator
Bogota is the capitol and largest city in Colombia. Bogota is Colombia's beating heart, an engaging and vibrant capital cradled by chilly Andean peaks and steeped in sophisticated urban cool. The city's cultural epicenter is La Candelaria, the cobbled historic downtown to which most travelers gravitate. Here, a potpourri of preciously preserved colonial buildings house museums, restaurants, hotels and bars peppered amid 300-year-old homes, churches and convents.
We arrived in Bogota on June 5. We were welcome with a succulent Colombian Dinner, saw a wonderful Colombian Folklore Show and danced Salsa at our Welcome Dinner party. It was delightful and fun evening. Some of the highlights of our trip were: Ministry of Culture of Colombia, Museum Santa Clara (which is one of Bogota’s most famous Churches with European paintings and sculptures), a huge rose plantation in the Andes Mountains, Basilica Nuestra Senora de Fatima, University of Sabana in Chia Town, Salt Cathedral in City of Zipaquira (a Roman Catholic Church built within the tunnels of a salt mine 200 meters underground), Monserrate Hill with an 8500 feet view of the capital of Bogota, the Gold Museum (impressive 55,000 pre-Hispanic culture pieces of gold), Museo Botero (paintings and sculptures of Fernando Botera, Colombia’s most famous artist), Bocaya Bridge (one of the most important battlefields of Colombian modern history), Villa de Leyva (in 1819 Simon Bolivar defeated Spanish troops finalizing Colombia’s independence, one of the most beautiful colonial towns in Colombia)
The elevation in Bogota is 8,000 feet and this did slow down some of the ambassadors. It takes a bit longer to catch your breath when you are at that elevation.
The farewell lunch was fabulous and we danced all kind of salsa, Cumbria and cha cha cha the whole afternoon. We celebrated Colombia's Carnival and Louisiana's Mardi Gras. We didn't let a little rain slow down the fun, our beautiful outdoor venue had a cover and everyone stayed dry.
In conclusion our journey to Colombia was full of great surprises and happy times. Colombians are warm and good people. If you have a chance to go on a FFI Journey, please do! You will feel at ease and with much comradery
Morena Cazedessus, Ambassador Coordinator
Western Michigan
Journey 14373
June 19 - 26, 2018
This was an excellent journey with a very friendly club. FF of Baton Rouge had 10 enthusiastic ambassadors. Our journey began with a pizza party that made for a very casual evening with little work. FF Western Colorado members still showed their creativity in bringing a variety of salads and desserts. They also served one of the local beers.
On Wednesday, we visited the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum and the Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. Small dinner parties were held in Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids this evening.
Thursday morning's tour of a house that Frank Lloyd Wright built began our day. We toured a local brewery and a distillery. Two of our hosts (Dan and Barb Grinwis) opened the Oasis of Hope Center to provide free health care to anyone who can't afford it. We got to see this great facility which has been operating for 10 years.
An Amish family served us a fantastic lunch in their home on Friday. The mother, grandmother, and four children helped cook and serve a great home-grown country meal. The pies were a big hit! Even though it was raining, we were able to take buggy rides before leaving. We were able to ask them a few questions about their customs. We were given a tour of an Amish market and drove home by-way-of a historic one-lane covered bridge.
On Saturday the weather was better and we rode a huge dune buggy on the Saugatuck dunes. These huge dunes are much bigger than any thing in Florida! Lunch at Westside County Park gave everyone the opportunity to put our feet in Lake Michigan. Afternoon activities included festivals or rides along the Lake to small villages.
Sunday was an unscheduled day. On Monday we had a very nice good-bye meal at the Kellogg Manor House. The house and gardens were home to the Kellogg family for years. One of our favorite moments was when our hosts spelled Western Michigan backwards! All ambassadors headed home on Tuesday.
This journey had a good balance of scheduled and unscheduled time. It was not too exhausting since we did not start too early or stay up too late.
On Wednesday, we visited the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum and the Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. Small dinner parties were held in Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids this evening.
Thursday morning's tour of a house that Frank Lloyd Wright built began our day. We toured a local brewery and a distillery. Two of our hosts (Dan and Barb Grinwis) opened the Oasis of Hope Center to provide free health care to anyone who can't afford it. We got to see this great facility which has been operating for 10 years.
An Amish family served us a fantastic lunch in their home on Friday. The mother, grandmother, and four children helped cook and serve a great home-grown country meal. The pies were a big hit! Even though it was raining, we were able to take buggy rides before leaving. We were able to ask them a few questions about their customs. We were given a tour of an Amish market and drove home by-way-of a historic one-lane covered bridge.
On Saturday the weather was better and we rode a huge dune buggy on the Saugatuck dunes. These huge dunes are much bigger than any thing in Florida! Lunch at Westside County Park gave everyone the opportunity to put our feet in Lake Michigan. Afternoon activities included festivals or rides along the Lake to small villages.
Sunday was an unscheduled day. On Monday we had a very nice good-bye meal at the Kellogg Manor House. The house and gardens were home to the Kellogg family for years. One of our favorite moments was when our hosts spelled Western Michigan backwards! All ambassadors headed home on Tuesday.
This journey had a good balance of scheduled and unscheduled time. It was not too exhausting since we did not start too early or stay up too late.
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Western Colorado
October 2 - 9, 2018
Ambassadors spent a week in Grand Junction, Colorado, which is west of the Rocky Mountains on the Colorado Plateau. Highlights of the exchange included a float trip down the Colorado River, riding on the Colorado Plateau, and an overnight stay in Moab, Utah where beautiful mountain views were enjoyed in the Arches National Park. On the way to Moab, ambassadors went to a dinosaur exhibit and were able to stop on the sides of the road and see petroglyphs and petrographs. Western Colorado was a memorable place to visit and the Friendship Force Club of Colorado members were very accommodating. One Baton Rouge ambassador was on a plant-based diet and every effort was made to ensure she had something to eat at every meal. Another way that the Friendship Force of Colorado was very accommodating was on October 9, when 8 Ambassadors had their flights cancelled because of bad weather. Colorado members found homes for them to stay and took them to visit places not on the itinerary without any complaints and smiles on their faces! They were very welcoming and even cooked the ambassadors bear meat to try at the farewell party.
