Our days in San Gil have been relaxing and fun. Sam's VIP Hostel is comfortable, our room is very quiet and we are using the very fancy kitchen for breakfasts during which we are enjoying talking with other international travelers.
Yesterday Keith & I walked down to the river and through a botanical garden that was a nice respite from the small city life.
The gardens have lovely paths that take you through forests of trees of all types, many types have vines and air plants growing on every branch. There were also many birds including parrots and peacocks to enjoy.
After lunch we took a thirty minute bus ride to Guane which is the afternoon paragliding spot in the area.
We only witnessed giant birds catching the thermals as we laid on park benches watching the sky while we rested. We needed a little pick-me-up so after heading back to San Gil we stopped at a fancy coffee shop for a frozen coffee, super yum! Colombian coffee is a treat, though you have to seek out a really good cup or you get stuck with watered-down instant.
Today, Wednesday, we had made a date with Mike Manning to hike to the waterfalls, 45 minutes away by bus. He has been enjoying all of the extreme adventure sports that this area is so famous for- white water rafting, rappelling in the canyons, caving, paragliding... we are living vicariously through him and taking it easy ourselves.
On the way up the steep mountain trail we passed a mama cow who was giving birth. There were three men standing around her watching as we walked by.
After a cool stay at the top of the trail listening to the flow of the falls we came down slowly enjoying the beautiful jungle-like scenery. Much to our dismay, the mama cow still had not delivered a couple of hours after we first spotted the situation.
Keith immediately went and offered his services as the men were now taking a more active role. A rope was tied around the baby calf's back hooves and you could see it's long tongue also sticking out of it's mother, what a position! Four men, including Keith pulled and pulled.
Keith suggested that maybe they should cut the opening a bit to help both mother and baby after hearing this mama had been in the process of giving birth for two days. The man sent his wife to get a knife but when she returned I was also helping to pull (think tug of war) and "POP" out came the calf.
After determining that it was a boy, the men pulled him over to a nearby tree, hung him upside down and took turns pushing again and again on his chest to stimulate breathing. Keith took his turn helping the baby breathe and was thrilled when he felt a strong heart beat in the minutes-old calf's chest.
They left the baby hung like that for quite a long time because it had swallowed so much fluid in the difficult birthing process. As the baby seemed to be okay, Keith and the 'main man', identified by the plastic gloves that reached the length of his arms, returned to the mother to help her deliver the afterbirth. That's when the rancher asked Keith if he was a doctor and Keith responded that no, this was his first time helping to deliver a calf!
Another memorable day here in Colombia, what's next?!
Jodi, you look like you have lost weight, based on the picture of you posing with the winged person.
ReplyDelete