One last "shot"! The truck below had blown it's transmission on this curve and steep "super highway" we were travelling on! The second picture is a means of transportation [Mules]that has been in use in these mountains for years, that was not more than 25 yards away from where the truck had faltered! There is excitement and adventure at every turn in the road in Colombia.

We are headed home finally! Nicolas [14], David [12] Fernando and myself. We look like we need a rest and a clean bed! This is outside of Bogota.

This is near the spot pictured above and gives you a look at a small mountain village a long way off in the distance. I hope by "clicking" on picture it will magnify?

A couple additional photos, and now I leave the subject.

Guess what this is? How many of you have seen a cock fight? Of course it is legal in Colombia. A champion Cock can sell for as much as Peso 1,000,000.00 equal to about
US$ 600.00. That is alot of incentive for folks in a small, way out in the bush village. The tradition in this event is that the owner of the dead Cock after being defeated must eat the bird. These birds are so muscular and "tough" that it is like something one never wants to do!! One way a "kill" is made by a "good champion bird"is that bird positions himself in such a way that he is able to get his spurs in both ears of the chicken and cause near instant death! This my friends is all I know about these events. It is probably too much already!
These particular birds were placed in the ring with "gloves" which shields the very sharp spurs. It was in one of the small villages in the Meta Region and was to show "the Gringo" how violent these Cocks can be!

Before reading passages to follow, I want to apologize for some mis-spelling that I became aware of after I hit the publish key!

To my Friends and Family.
I want to introduce you to an individual that I had the honor and privileged to meet! The Gentleman on the left is Chaddy Stendal. He joined the 4 X 4 Group at the river crossing. We recoginized each other as American and started to chat. There was something different and unique about this man that generated my curiosity. He had heard there was going to be a Gringo in the group and had no difficulty recognizing me! We would be passing through his ranch on the other side of the river and he would be insuring our passage for a couple days. In fact, he told me that he did alot of advance travel and communication with some of the villages and the Para-Military to communicate to them that the 4 X 4 group was not a threat, nor a "guerrilla faction" in disguise infiltrating their commumity.

Did I, or Fernando, or Alvaro [B-I-L] anticipate meeting a "reformed and resigned" FARC guerrilla?? Well it happened!! When stopped for a refuel and rest in a village that prior to Colombian spraying program, was a significant cocaine producing and distribution center, we met a young man through Chaddy, that had renounced his prior relationship with the FARC and is now a Para-Military. He stated that he began to realize that the FARC contributed nothing to resolve the plight and hardship of fellow villagers and was only interested in funding their political agenda! He now devotes himself to the reconstruction of the village and his fellow villagers, and is seeking ways to generate new business and economic opportunities. Chaddy told me that the Village and it's population was having a great deal of difficulty in the transition, but with faith, it will come about!

Chaddy told me that he has lived in this remote part of the country for 43 years, coming here at a very early age from Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was barefooted and wears shoes only when on business in Bogota or when he visits the USA. Still intrigued, I pressed for more detail. Why did you come to Colombia? The story is very intriguing.

This morning back in Bogota, I learned alot more about Chaddy's family and his Brother Russell when I went to Google. Please, please, go to Google.com and type in Russell Stendal,
then click on Stendal family page. Then click on Chaddy Stendal. I think you will understand why I am honored and privileged to have the opportunity to have met Chaddy!

While on the google page, take a look at Brother Russell who as a Bush pilot was kidnapped by the Marxist guerrilas in 1983! Russell has written numerous books since then and I look forward to reading. I ordered from Amazon this AM. I am intrigued with these adventurers and the work they are doing! If you are interested in understanding the ongoing plight of these peoples, and the why and how terrorism plays out with poverished communities, I think you will benefit these works.

On a last note, take a look at the ransom letter the family received from the FARC for the release of Russell. It is on the Google page.

Winching a vehicle from the mud flat.
Sometimes, manpower alone was all that was needed!
This vehicle got sideways after coming off the barge and nearly tipped over!
Refueling, but a good look at the distant landscape.

Vehicles such as this one, coming off the barge after a "sunset cruise" from the opposite shore started to experience difficulties navigating to dry land. The middle photo was an early "departee" and was able to make it to the bank and up the slope to safe ground!
























Underway to the opposite shore. The barge and it's crew do not operate here full time. They came downriver for this event. It took them two days! After their work for the 4 X4 group, they tied up on the river bank, spent the night and were to depart the next morning, upstream this time. Their voyage "home" was probably going to take them at least 3 days, using the barge's powerful latest technology and power plant. A 40 [HP]horsepower Evenrude outboard motor !!!! It was apparent, just from it's looks, the engine has been in service for a lengthy period of time. I suspect that was the reason that a similiar looking and "aged" outboard was sitting at the ready nearby, in the event that a hasty "engine change" would be necessary to avert a disaster!

Wash-outs and erosion of the "freeway" are common here. With no roads and right-a-way budget, you just start a new track!
This is the "launching pad". This was taken from on board the river barge. Due to the shallowness of the water, it is essential to drive the distance from the barge to the shore. The first cars of the group were pretty sucessful getting to the shore. The last 12 vehicles were handicapped by two factors: One, whatever base beneath about two feet of water had been so "churned up" by the previous vehicles that they could not get traction. The second factor, by the time the barge made round trips to pick up 4 vehicles at a time it became dark. The last 12 vehicles had to be "winched" from this mud by vehicles from the river bank.

In this sector of Colombia soup made from beef bone and potato, as well as yucca, seasoned appropriately with onion, garlic and other spices is the ordinary breakfast. It is really quite good. My main problem was the time of day breakfast was served! As you might suspect, wake up is at 5:00 AM, a very quick cold water shower, and breakfast at 5:30 AM. Ready to hit the road.

This day we drove all day, had numerous incidents with vehicle mechanical problems and saw only one other ranch house, which also belonged to Nester. Our objective was to reach the car river barge with enough time to make at least 6 crossings before nightfall.

We did not get all the cars accross until 9:30 PM, and we were still 2 hours from where we were camping. Of course it started to rain, and the "track" turned into a large "mud pie".

This is the fueling truck. gasoline is trucked in 55 gallon drums, siphoned to 5 gallon cans, then vehicle was fueled from the 5 gallon can. OK, some American inguenity would have a manual pump in the drum and a hose long enough to reach the vehicle!

Loading river crossing barge. Barge can take up to 4 vehicles or 3 with a couple of ATV's.

The preparation started very early with packing the cars for the three day event, to brushing my teeth with a local "free range and very friendly" horse on the hotel grounds! There were 23 vehicles, 21 were Toyotas, 1 Nissan, 1 Jeep Wrangler. After 3 days of some very tough conditions, it became very apparent to me [a retired Chrysler employee] why Toyota is "WORLD CLASS"!!!

This Rallye partcipant believes in preparation for 3 days of hard driving, two cases of beer should be a good start?

The Town of San Martin , in the Colombian State of Meta, about 300 miles from Bogota in the interior, turned out for the event, with a speech by the Mayor in front of the Town Hall.

Once the Rallye began, there was plenty of time to "enter into new relationships". The changing of a tire created an opportunity to share a "slug of Aquadente" and practice espanol at the same time. After all this is an "educational endeavor". The gentleman below [on the left] talking with Fernando and Fernando's B-I-L Alvaro Veska is our host! He has granted the 4 X 4 Club permission to "play with their toys" on his 140,000 acre cattle ranch! It is not a typo, I did say 140,000 acres!!!!!! I have never experienced being in one spot on this earth, talking with an individual that controlled as far as one can see in all directions, and beyond that! Nester has over 7,000 Brahma cattle, mostly for breeding purpose, to maintain herd size and of course commercial purpose. He accompanied our group for two days as we crossed his land, had arranged for gasoline refueling, and his "cattlemen" killed a cow for an evening meal. I have never seen a crew of ranch hands making sure every need was covered.

SENOR TICO IS THE NEW "WILDLIFE EXHIBIT " THIS YEAR IN ANNAPOIMA.
HE IS FRIENDLY PROVIDED THERE IS A CHANCE THAT YOU GIVE HIM FOOD.
THESE "GUYS" YOU HAVE SEEN PREVIOUSLY. LORENZA AND PACO. TODAY THEY ARE RESTING WHILE PRETENDING THAT THEY ARE "HANGING AND IN PAIN"!

More Communion Photo's

When do we eat? Where is the Service?
Kids first!

Who has the biggest smile? This is Thomas, [9 months old] Son of Diana, Fernando's Sister.