Learning to Make Ajiaco!! Today I am starting to get over my cold thankfully and I am sure the main reason for this is all the love, food and comfort my wonderful host family has been giving me. I woke this morning to hot chocolate, eggs, arepa and fresh orange juice - something I could certainly get used to. I had to change some money and I wanted to print a nice photo of the family and I at the Salt Cathedral; so I headed to the huge mall just down the road. I couldn't help but have a look in the supermarket (one of my favorite past times) at all the sweets and unique foods to Colombia. Bocadillo, Arequipe, fruit treats, chocolates and every other delight you can imagine covered the shelfs and the only thing holding me back was my upcoming 6kg flight allowance (going to Panama). I returned to the house around 12 and there was some fresh tomato/fruit juice waiting for me and it was time to begin today's big cook-up. Today we are preparing a very typical chicken and potato soup from Bogota known as Ajiaco; consisting of many herbs, spices, 3 types of potatoes, vegetables and chicken. It turned out to be quite a job making the soup as it had many parts to it but the result was once again out of this world. The thick potato soup with strong flavour and coriander taste was served with a plate of shredded chicken, corn on the cob and avocado - with the choice of cream and capers; all to be mixed into the soup at your choice. Cooking the dish took hours and eating the dish took hours but the nice part was all the time we got to spend together sharing stories, info, smiles and laughs. After lunch Lizeths Father and I went for a 2 hour walk around Bogota and I got to see an interesting side of the city and learn a bit more about Bogota. I couldn't believe how fit and how much energy Lizeths father had and after 2 hours of walking his pace was still far above mine and I later found out he is 70 years old. The rest of the evening we shared time talking, laughing and working out a plan for tommorow as Lizeth has been given the day off so that she can hang-out with me - signifying just how incredible kind and giving their family is.

OBSERVATIONS:
- Cooking Ajiaco