¡Parranda en Barrancabermeja!

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BARRANCABERMEJA – Un Nombre tan largo que ellos mismos lo ponen como “B/Bermeja” en las matriculas de los autos, separada en dos – Barranca Bermeja – o simplemente decir Barranca.

Mi experiencia en Barranca fue en gran medida la mejor experiencia que he tenido en Colombia desde que visité este hermoso país por primera vez en Medellín hace dos años. Barranca es una ciudad llena de vida, felicidad, calor y un gran orgullo. Su calor y su alta humedad convierten a su gente en la más amable que allá conocido en Colombia. Te saludan como si fueses un viejo amigo o un pariente perdido lejano al que no solo reciben con los brazos abiertos sino que literalmente te arrastran a sus casas para ofrecerte comida y bebidas para refrescarse del calor.

La historia de Barranca es una de tantas que Colombia tiene para compartir. Barranca es la capital petrolera del país y no es únicamente la espina dorsal de la economía sino también su orgullo y alegría. Por años grupos armados como las FARC y Paramilitares se esforzaron por alcanzar el control de la población persiguiendo el codicioso petróleo.

Hoy, ninguno de ustedes sabría que tal historia pudiese ocurrir en un lugar tan maravilloso, su cara a cambiado completamente de una lucha desesperada a una cara de triunfo, paz y esperanza. La violencia ha quedado en el pasado y su renacer esta más que lista para salir a la luz del mundo.

Oliver Diglesias, nuestro camarógrafo Juan y yo viajamos para cubrir las festividades de la ciudad en su 87 aniversario. Barranca fue apenas habitada desde el descubrimiento del petróleo y hoy es una de las ciudades más pobladas con más de 200.000 habitantes.

Llegamos el viernes alrededor de las 12:30 pm, quede fascinado en cuanto a cómo era el verde del paisaje, mirado desde nuestros minúsculos aviones Fokker 50 de Avianca. ¡Aún más, no podría creer el calor cuando bajamos! Barranca es la región más caliente de Colombia, con las temperaturas más altas extendiéndose a partir de los 90° a mas de 100°F (32°to 40° C) con humedad alta y casi ningún viento para refrescarte.

Sude cada minuto durante todo el día al menos tuve que tomar dos o tres duchas! Pero me encantó. Proveniente desde Connecticut en U.S., donde me congelaba el trasero durante el invierno no existía para mi tal cosa que yo sintiera realmente como calor.

Al primer lugar que fuimos fue el museo del Petróleo, el único en América latina y el segundo museo más importante de Petróleo en el mundo. Hice mi primer show allí y era educado en cuanto a cómo el petróleo era perforado de la tierra. El equipo y yo estábamos con un grupo de estudiantes que tomaron fotos conmigo.

Después de acomodarnos en nuestro hotel, tomamos en la tarde un viaje al río Magdalena, donde comimos en un restaurante con vista al rio. Fue una visión absolutamente impresionante con la puesta del sol reflejando los colores más hermosos en el río. Intenté probar Bagre frito por primera vez fresco atrapado del río Magdalena y no pude creer lo delicioso que fue. No tengo gusto por el pescado, pero Colombia ha encontrado la forma de sorprenderme de nuevo.

Luego dimos un paseo en bote por el rio magdalena donde hice mi segundo show, navegamos alrededor de la refinería de petróleos de Ecopetrol y pasamos brevemente en inmediaciones del departamento de Antioquia donde hice mi closing al frente de los vendedores de pescados.

Esa noche conocimos al alcalde Carlos Alberto Contreras, que reflejó grandemente el calor y la hospitalidad de la gente de Barranca. Carlos es orgulloso y apasionado sobre su ciudad y no pude evitar en ver cómo relucían sus ojos mientras que hablaba de ella con esa gran sonrisa. Puso su corazón y alma para cerciorarse de que todos nosotros tuviéramos un gran rato y que gozáramos de la ciudad, y realmente lo hicimos. Honestamente me olvide que estaba en esta ciudad para trabajar.

La noche sin embargo seguía siendo joven, encontramos la manera de ir a un concierto de vallenato. Luifer Cuello, cantante de éxitos tales como “A Chillar A Otra Parte” fue el primer concierto hecho por parte de la alcaldía, he hice mi siguiente show basado en él. En algún punto de mi presentación Luifer caminó hacia mi mientras cantaba, sorprendido entonces baile vallenato al lado de él y al frente de centenares de personas, no fue la mejor presentación de mi vida sin embargo me dijeron que baile mejor que cualquier gringo que los hubiese visitado antes.

Con los acontecimientos directos encendiéndose por el aniversario de la ciudad, éramos afortunados en conseguir cuatro horas de sueño por noche; pero valió totalmente la pena. Conseguí disfrutar de cada minuto en Barrancabermeja en absoluto, Hacíamos algo interesante cada minuto y nuestros cuatro días allí se sintieron como si fuesen más bien dos semanas.

Al día siguiente tuve el placer de conocer a la Señorita Santander Maria Alejandra Sampayo. Alejandra se fue con nosotros por el resto del viaje, así que tuve la oportunidad de familiarizarme con ella muy bien. No sólo es ella absolutamente imponente físicamente sino que también es muy inteligente y aun - más importante - muy humilde. Cada hombre que pasaba por su lado la silbaba y quería una foto con ella pero nunca se le subió a su cabeza, ella habló con todos como si no tuviese ningún título de belleza, y la admiro grandemente por eso, ella es una persona muy especial.

El resto del viaje continuó siendo diversión pura. Intenté esquí náutico por primera vez con poco éxito. Siempre que intentaba levantarme me caía completamente de cara, teniendo el agua por encima de mi nariz. Después, fuimos a un barrio en donde el alcalde habló en un pequeño festival de la calle. El alcalde pidió que hablara delante de la gente para mostrar la perspectiva de un extranjero de la ciudad. Varias señoras mayores en vestido tradicional me pidieron bailar con ellas en el medio de la calle. ¡Nunca en mi vida había recibido tanta atención!

Esa noche fuimos en Chiva, un autobús colombiano tradicional de fiestas y tuvimos un rato impresionante. Música a todo volumen, bailamos y agitamos a toda la gente en la calle, que se divirtió con nosotros detrás. La Chiva nos llevó a un juego de fútbol donde el equipo nacional jugó contra un compilado de todas las estrellas de la televisión Colombiana. También tuve la oportunidad de conocer a la leyenda del fútbol colombiano Carlos el “Pibe” Valderrama.

Después del juego comimos en un restaurante hamburguesas de búfalo, que gocé plenamente al ser el gringo cheeseburger-cariñoso que soy. Entonces recordé todas esas cosas locas que había hecho para alcanzar mi sueño, sintiéndome feliz de que Dios me concediera una vida tan maravillosa. Me Sentí tan contento en ese momento que comencé a sentir que mi pecho latía.

Para nuestro ultimo día en Barranca, ya había completado 5 shows los últimos que faltaban fueron hechos por Oliver. Fuimos a un barrio donde prepararon una “cocada” gigante un postre tradicional hecho para el aniversario de la ciudad.

Oliver hizo un pedazo de cocada para su segmento “cocinando con Diglesias” que aparecerá en nuestro noticiero hecho para Avianca: Guillermo Aka “Guilligan” otro de los periodistas de RCN que fue con nosotros hizo algunos segmentos y entrevistas para el programa estilo RCN. Aprovechando reunió a todos los cocineros para decir “¡Esta cocada es Estilo RCN!” Luego, el equipo y yo fuimos con los niños, desfilamos en el centro de la ciudad, donde Oliver terminó su trabajo para la edición del fin de semana.

Oliver, la Srta. Santander, junto con algunos de nuestros nuevos amigos y yo fuimos recompensados por Barranca por el trabajo realizado yendo al Aquaparque de la ciudad a refrescarnos y complacernos en lo que ellos pudieren hacerlo. Había piscinas, toboganes gigantes y tejo, un juego colombiano popular donde tienes que intentar lanzar un minúsculo objeto de diferente peso con el objetivo de meterlo sobre un triángulo blanco de mechas en el medio de un cuadrado hecho de arcilla.

Me sentí muy triste dejando Barranca pero al día siguiente recuerdo sentirme feliz de lo que pude experimentar en un lugar tan maravilloso. Es de las grandes ciudades como Barranca que prueban que Colombia es un pequeño pedazo de cielo en la tierra.

Barranca tendrá siempre un lugar especial en mi corazón y miro adelante el día en el cual tenga la oportunidad de volver a tan gran ciudad. Sr. alcalde, usted ha encontrado un Barranqueño de corazón. ¡Muchas Gracias Barrancabermeja por darme algunas de las mejores memorias de mi vida! Usted tiene no sólo una de las mejores ciudades en Colombia sino una de las mejores en el mundo.

¡Parranda en Barrancabermeja!

Para español, haga clic aquí

BARRANCABERMEJA – A name so long they shorten it to “B/Bermeja” on the license plates, separate it into two words – Barranca Bermeja – or simply just say, “Barranca.”

My experience in Barranca was by far the best experience I’ve had in Colombia since I visited this beautiful country for the first time in Medellín two years ago. Barranca is a city full of life, happiness, warmth and great pride. With its hot weather and high humidity comes the warmest and most friendly people you’ll ever meet in Colombia. They’ll greet you like an old friend or a long-lost relative, and not only welcome you with open arms but also literally drag you into their homes to offer you food and a refreshment to cool off.

The story of Barranca is one that several cities in Colombia share. Barranca is the oil capital of Colombia and is not only the backbone of the city’s economy but also its pride and joy. For years, guerrilla groups such as the FARC and the paramilitaries strived to seize control of the city, lusting for a piece of the oil wealth.

Today, you never would’ve known such a story existed in this wonderful place. The face has completely changed from one of desperate struggle to one of triumph, peace and hope. The violence is all past and with its rebirth is more than ready to show itself to the world.

Oliver Diglesias, our cameraman Juan and I traveled to Barrancabermeja to cover the festivities for the city’s 87th anniversary. Barranca was hardly inhabited until the town struck oil. Now it's a large city with over 200,000 people.

We arrived there on Friday at around 12:30 p.m. I was wowed as to how green the landscape was, looking from our tiny Avianca Fokker 50 aircraft. Even more, I couldn’t believe the heat when we got off! Barranca is the hottest region in Colombia, with temperatures ranging from 90° to over 100° F (32°to 40° C) with high humidity and almost no wind to cool you off.

I was sweating every minute of the day and would have to take at least two or three showers but I loved it. Coming from Connecticut in the U.S., where I froze my butt off during the winter, there’s no such thing for me as too much heat

The first place we went to was the oil museum, the only one in Latin America and the second-most important oil museum in the world. I did my first news show there and was educated as to how oil was drilled from the ground. The crew and I were with a group of students who kept wanting to take pictures with me.

After settling into our hotel we took a trip to the Magdalena River that evening and ate at a restaurant overlooking the water. It was an absolutely breathtaking view with the sunset reflecting the most beautiful colors on the river. I tried fried catfish for the first time (called “bagre” in Spanish), caught fresh from the Magdalena River and I couldn’t believe how delicious it was. I don’t like the taste of fish, but Colombia has managed to surprise me once again.

We then took a boat tour of the Magdalena River, which became my second news show. We sailed past the EcoPetrol oil refinery, and took a peek at the department of Antioquia. After that I did my closing in front of fish vendors.

That night we met Mayor Carlos Alberto Contreras, who greatly reflected the warmth and hospitality of Barranca’s people. Carlos was proud and passionate about his city and I couldn’t help but notice how his eyes glistened as he talked about it with a smile. He put his heart and soul into making sure all of us were having a great time and enjoying the city, and we sure did. I honestly kept forgetting I was here in this city to work.

The night however was still young and we made our way to a vallenato concert. Luifer Cuello, singer of hits such as A Chillar a Otra Parte was the first major act, and I made my next news show based around it. At one point I went onstage to do a presentation and Luifer himself walked up to me while singing. Surprised, I then danced vallenato next to him in front of the screaming hundreds of people in the crowd. It wasn’t the best performance on my part but I was told, however, I dance better than any gringo they’ve seen dance it before.

With the nonstop events going on for the city’s anniversary, we were lucky to get four hours of sleep per night; but it was all well worth it. I got to enjoy every minute of Barrancabermeja to the absolute fullest. We were doing something interesting every minute and our four days there felt more like two weeks.

The next day I was given the pleasure to meet Señorita Santander Maria Alejandra Sampayo. Alejandra stuck with us for the rest of the trip, so I got the chance to get to know her very well. Not only is she absolutely stunning physically but she is also very intelligent and – most importantly – very humble. Every man she walked by gawked, whistled and asked for a picture with her, but it never got to her head at all. She talked to everybody at her level as if she didn’t hold a beauty queen title at all, and I admire her greatly for that. She’s a very rare and very special person.

The rest of the trip continued to be pure fun. I tried waterskiing for the first time with little success. Whenever I tried to stand up I would fall flat on my face, having water shoot up my nose. Later on, we went to a neighborhood where the mayor spoke at a little street festival. The mayor asked me to speak in front of the people to show them a foreigner’s perspective of the city. I was then asked by several old ladies in traditional dress to dance with them in the middle of the street. Never in my life have I received so much attention!

That night we went on a chiva, a traditional Colombian party bus and had an awesome time. We blasted music, danced and waved to all the people on the street, who would then wave back. The chiva took us to a soccer game where we the former Colombian national team played a team compiled of all the television stars of Colombia. I also got a chance to meet Colombian soccer legend Carlos “El Pibe” Valderrama.

After the game we ate dinner at a buffalo burger restaurant, which I highly enjoyed being the cheeseburger-loving gringo that I am. I then reflected on the crazy things I had gone through in order to achieve my dream, feeling so happy God was so kind to grant me such a wonderful life. I felt so content at that moment that I began to feel my chest tingle.

By our last full day in Barranca I had already completed five news shows. The only ones left where the ones Oliver had to finish his stories. We went to a neighborhood where they were making a giant cocada – a traditional dessert – for the city’s anniversary.

Oliver made a piece on the cocada for his “Dining with Diglesias” segment, which will appear on our Avianca newscast. Guillermo aka “Gilligan” – one of the other RCN journalists with us – conducted some interviews for Estilo RCN. He made the whole group of cooks get together and say, “¡Esta cocada es Estilo RCN!” Afterwards, the crew and I went to the Children’s Rights parade in the downtown area, where Oliver completed his work doing a weekend edition newscast.

Oliver, Miss Santander, along with some of our other new Barranca friends and I rewarded our hard work by going to the city’s waterpark to cool off and indulge in it as much as we could. There were pools, giant waterslides and tejo, a popular Colombian game where you have to try to throw tiny weight onto an exploding white triangle in the middle of a clay square.

It was sad leaving Barranca the next day but I remember feeling so happy I was able to experience such a wonderful place. It’s the great cities like Barranca that prove Colombia is a little piece of heaven on Earth. Barranca will always have a special place in my heart and I look forward to the day I have the opportunity to return to such a great city. Mr. Mayor, you have found a Barranqueño de corazón. Thank you so much Barrancabermeja for giving me some of the best memories of my life! You have not only one of the best cities in Colombia but one of the best in the world.

Viviendo Villavo!

Crazy weekend in Villavicencio but a great one nevertheless. Brian sent Oliver and I on assignment there to cover the Señorita Meta pageant. We went on a bus full of RCN journalists, including famous Colombian gossip journalist, La Negra Candela. (this time doing a piece for her RCN show El Lavadero) I was asked to do as many reports as possible but we didn't arrive in Villavo until dark, so I couldn't do anything.

As a journalist, it's my job to report the news. It's rare for journalists, however, to be the news, but that's what exactly happened to me. At the Señorita Meta pageant, one of the judges didn't show up, so the officals then asked me to be the replacement. You can easily guess what my answer was.

So for one night I felt like a celebrity. They announced my name over the loudspeaker and I stood up in the spotlight, waving to a screaming crowd. There were several intermissions throughout the contest and lots of young ladies came up to me, asking for a picture. I even signed my first autograph. Wild stuff!

Judging the ladies of course was a very nice experience. Colombian women, as you know, are among the most beautiful in the world, and here I was, judging the best of the best from the department of Meta. There were also some gorgeous waitresses giving me free aguardiente and rum, which only made the women look better of course. ;-)

When you're a foreigner working in television, you often come across some interesting people without knowing who they are. One of the judges I sat next to was a very pretty lady. She spoke English and was a very nice person, and we had some funny conversations throughout the competition.

Eventually I asked her what she did for a living. Turns out she was Anna Beatriz Osorio, a famous Venezuelan actress working here in Colombia. She works mainly for Caracol (the other major Colombian television network), acting in novelas; but she's also starred in shows on Telemundo; some shows I actually used to watch long before coming to Colombia. It's funny how I meet these famous people not knowing who they are.

The competition ended at 2 a.m. and Oliver and I had to wake up at 6 a.m. that morning to do some more reports. All of the RCN journalists and I went to Bioparque Los Ocarros, a little zoo with 150 species of animals. I dedicated an entire show to just the park and Oliver was featured in a portion of it as well. There was also a place where you could practice shooting ''poison darts.'' I of course gave it a shot. (pun intended)

After our taping, it was time to go back to Bogotá. One thing I will say is that the road between Bogotá and Villavicencio is absolutely gorgeous. You just see one giant green mountain after another and it's absolutely breathtaking. At the same time it's also a little sad to look at because in between mindboggles me, however, is that some of these people are still able to afford DirecTV satellites. It makes me chuckle seeing a rusty old shack with a modern, polished piece of technology standing at the top. I honestly think the satellites cost more than the houses.

I couldn't help but think of the stark contrast Colombia has with the United States. In the U.S., the small towns are traditionally more rich while most of the poor population tend to live in the cities. In Colombia, however, it's the exact opposite. All of your small towns are very poor while the cities are more rich and generally much more developed. At the same time, it's funny because there's very few cars in the towns between but once you hit the cities, you're smacked with your usual bumper-to-bumper traffic. One moment, you're free; the next moment, you've teleported to a different world.

On my way to Villavicencio and back, I got to see Ciudad Bolívar for the first time. Ciudad Bolívar is one of the southernmost localities of Bogotá and is also by far the most poor and from what I've been told the most dangerous. Ciudad Bolívar is one gigantic slum; well-hidden from view from the main area of Bogotá, and so isolated that it's considered to be a city within a city. You see layers and layers of poorly constructed brick shanties stretch for miles and miles over the landscape and onto the sides of the mountains. Some of the houses don't have roofs and from what I've been told, some don't have running-water either. Apparently, some people keep a barrel to collect rainwater, using that to drink, bathe and wash their clothes. I couldn't help but gawk in amazement not only as to how poor Ciudad Bolívar was but as to how enormous this slum area was. I really couldn't believe this place was still considered a part of Bogotá.

When I finally arrived back to the station - tired as I was - I had to work on all of my reports. I could hardly stay awake around 8 PM., since I was running on four hours of sleep, but everything got done; and, Farandula - the entertainment portion of Noticias RCN (the Spanish RCN newscast) - featured a little tidbit on me in Chismes, Chismes (Gossip, Gossip). They basically talked about how I was the judge at Señorita Meta and showed a clip of me doing my standup and waving to the camera. I looked like such an elegant celebrity. Who would've thought? Hahaha!

April Fools? Not this Year...

For those familiar with the U.S., you all know that April 1 there is April Fool's Day. It's a day where many people love to pull pranks on each other, and since I'm a very gullible person, I'm an easy target.

I woke up this morning with a phone call from Brian Andrews, and he tells me I need to come to the studio right away. Muy Buenos Dias, which is the Today Show of Colombia, wanted Brian and I to appear... in one hour!

I jumped out of my bed and ran into the shower. This was my big break... I was going to appear on Colombian national television and I needed to get ready fast!

As I was shaving, I told my roomates' mother I had to appear on Muy Buenos Dias soon.

''But it's April Fool's Day in the U.S.,'' she says. ''Brian is just pulling your leg.''

I thought about it for a minute and then got worried. I sent Brian a text message asking him if this was an April Fool's joke. ''No,'' Brian replied. ''This is the real deal.''

Still a littke skeptical, I finished washing-up and threw on my clothes. I skipped breakfast and literally ran out the door to catch a cab. I was getting a little nervous because there were some traffic jams but I arrived at RCN in 15 minutes.

I ran into the studio and met with Alejo, one of the RCN marketing guys. No, this wasn't an April Fool's joke. This was really happening!

Alejo rushed me into makeup, and within 15 more minutes, Brian and I were sitting on the Muy Buenos Dias couch. This was my third interview in Spanish and I was very excited.

So there you have it... just one hour after I woke up, I was on live national television with Brian, Laura Acuña, Jessica Cediel and Jota Mario Valencia. Absolutely crazy! I was full of adrenaline from rushing out of bed, getting here, and now here I was on one of Colombia's most popular shows.

They started out with simple questions like where I was from and stuff like that. But Brian and I ended-up stealing the show, not even following the intinerary Jota Mario had for us. We talked about all sorts of crazy things like imitating the TransMilenio voice to making chicken noises. They also cracked up when I called Colombian drivers, ''brutos.'' We both showed a lot of personality and I think we did great!

Our interview only lasted 10 minutes but it went by super fast! It still hasn't totally hit me yet that I was just on national Colombian televison but I'm very excited for the things to come. It may have been April Fools Day in the United States but this was definitely no prank. This was another step in introducing myself to Colombia!