Our Life in Illinois

Friday, 1 May 2015

Santa Fe de Antioquia Colombia - 1st May 2015

Santa Fe de Antioquia is a municipality in the Antioquia Department, Colombia. The city is located approximately 50 miles (80 km) north of Medellín, the department capital. It has a population of approximately 23,000 inhabitants.

Founded in 1541 by Jorge Robledo as Villa de Santafé on the western bank of the Cauca River, in 1545 it received the coat of arms and the title of City of Antioquia from King Philip II of Spain. It was elevated to the status of parish in 1547 by the bishop of Popayán. It changed its name in 1584 when it became the capital of Antioquia. It was a mining town from its beginnings and the gold mining operation has been the base of its economy.

Its cathedral was constructed in 1799 and elevated to Diocese of Antioquia in 1804 by Pope Pius VII. In 1813 Antioquia was declared a sovereign and independent state with Santa Fe as its capital, a status it maintained until 1826, when Medellín was chosen as the new departmental seat. Due to the state of conservation of its colonial architecture, it was declared a national monument in 1960.

Río Cauca

Family and Friends

Yarumo Blanco Tree

Blue Tanager

Town Square with the Cathederal in the back ground

Street Market

Motor Taxi

Smoked Chorizo

My favourite beer in Colombia

Deep fried Pig's intestines

Monday, 27 April 2015

River Amazon in Colombia - April 27th 2015

Leticia is the southernmost city in the Republic of Colombia, capital of the department of Amazonas, Colombia's southernmost town and one of the major ports on the Amazon river. It has an elevation of 96 meters above sea level and an average temperature of 27 °C (80.6 °F). Leticia has long been Colombia's shipping point for tropical fishes for the aquarium trade. Leticia has approximately 33,000 inhabitants on the left bank of the Amazon river, and is located at the point where Colombia, Brazil and Peru come together in an area called Tres Fronteras.

A long-standing border dispute involving Leticia, between Colombia and Peru, was decided in 1934 by the League of Nations after these two nations were engulfed in an armed conflict known as the Colombia-Peru War. This was the first instance of action by an international body using its powers covered by the Monroe Doctrine.

Amazon Jungle viewed from our Aeroplane

Leticia Airport Colombia

Cupuaçu, also spelled cupuassu, cupuazú, cupu assu, and copoasu, is a tropical rain forest tree related to cacao. Common throughout the Amazon basin, it is widely cultivated in the jungles of Colombia, Bolivia and Peru, with the largest production in Pará, followed by Amazonas, and Rondônia.

Cupuaçu trees usually range from 5 to 15 meters (16 to 50 feet) in height. They have brown bark and leaves are 25–35 cm (10–14 in) long and 6–10 cm (2–4 in) across, with 9 or 10 pairs of veins. As they mature, the leaves change from pink-tinted to green, and eventually they begin bearing fruit. Cupuaçu fruits are oblong, brown, and fuzzy, 20 cm (8 in) long, 1–2 kg (2–4 lb) in weight, and covered with a thick (4–7 mm), hard skin.