Colombia 2005

CHRONICLE & PICTURES

XII International Kite Festival Colombia

July 30 - August 16, 2005

(pictures are at the end of the chronicle)

We have been very lucky to be invited to participate in this traditional Kite Festival which allowed us to know lots of good kite people and also to visit Bogotá city.

The members that attend were: LAlo Loescher, Ariel Ballerini, Ezequiel Fernández, Fabián Fernández and Adriana R. Fernández (mother & wife of Eze and Fabián respectively and official crew of our kites during the whole festival).

Colombia has a very strong kite culture and every August they have the Summer Festival, with hundred of activities and shows in different places of Bogotá. The XII Colombia International Kite Festival is one of those activities.

El Fabuloso Team, because of its time possibilities, arrived for the final part of what was the great activity developed by Asociación Ecológica de Cometeros del Volador -YARIPA, headed by Jairo Montoya and Inés Elvira Uribe. Before we arrived, the whole group of international kiteflyers had already traveled to Quito (Ecuador) and Medellin (Colombia).

The international kite flyers were:

Domingo León (Spain). He sew and flies all kind of kites, inclusive giant inflatable ones.

Pedro and Esteban González Molina (Spain). They are specialists in giant inflatables.

Víctor Rodríguez García (Canary Islands). He presents shows where he acts and flies stunt kites even with his feet.

Jose Vicent (France). He flies kites of all type. He is the organizer of the Marseille Kite Festival (France).

Dan Eaton (England). He is a specialist in traction kites; he flies where it is impossible to do it.

There were also kite flyiers from other parts of Colombia, included José el Paisa and Freddy, old friends of LAlo, since the 2001 Colombia Kite Festival.

Saturday, August 13

We left Buenos Aires at 6:00 AM and we arrived Bogotá, after some scales, at 5:00 PM, local time. They were 11 hours in total.

That night we have dinner in the Hotel Dann 19th Avenue and we met the rest of the people that conformed the group of international kite flyers.

We went to sleep early because we were tired because of the trip and because the following day it awaited us the first presentation.

Sunday, August 14

We had breakfast at 7:30 AM and we left the hotel in a buseta (little bus) toward the Park El Tunal at 8:30 AM.

Once we got in the Park the organizers gave us blue T-shirts that would identify us. We set up our banners and then we tested the Alma Ultra Light kites, since there was no wind at all and we had only been able to fly them 20 minutes in Buenos Aires: they were really new kites.

We had to fly when any of the kites of the international and Columbian kite flyers could fly. In our first presentation, without our prepared music, we flew our Alma UL kites while it sprinkled.

The wind in Bogotá is one of the most difficult: it ascends in sudden strong bursts, it maintains 10 minutes so you change the kite because you don't resist it anymore; when you take off the vented kite, in that right moment the wind turns to zero, you change to the UL, and again the 35 km/h. You adjust the kite for a certain wind velocity but it changes again. In the meantime, the wind can rotate its orientation 180 degrees.

In another of our presentations (windless of course) we suffered a cloudburst that soaked us totally. Fortunately, while we flew, something of wind began to blow and we could maintain the ALMA UL kites in the air in spite of being soaked.

As an end of the Festival of that day, 4:00 PM we all went to the center of the "stage" where we had been flying at and we greet and thanked to the audience.

It is remarkable that in spite of the fact that the day didn't invite to be outdoors (see the pictures), people stood stoic under the rain as the same as the audience in the World Cup 2004 in France. In Argentina, if people see that the day is little bit ugly they don't leave their house; and if they feel two rain drops: they escape instantly from where they are.

We arrived the hotel later and after having dinner we went for a walk by the city, visiting a church from colony time, with brick walls seated with adobe, their inner roof was all wooden one and its altar was completely golden; it was simply wonderful. We also visit the central square, in front of Government's house.

We went to sleep early, because we were very tired.

Monday, August 15

This would be the most important and difficult day as the organizers said.

We have breakfast early again, but the bus was late. We arrived at the Parque Simón Bolívar, a wonderful place with a surface of 690 acres (280 hectares), with lakes, gyms, hoisted areas. Everything with a very good maintenance.

The kite festival was held in a kind of stadium: a 230 ft (70 meters) round central area, with a wide street entrance and exit opposed, with tribunes on both sides.

Unfortunately, as a part of the Summer Festival a show will be held at night by a foreign group and the show organizer had built on one of the tribunes an big scenario, all wall closed, with two screens on both sides. EXACTLY IN THE SIDE WHERE THE WIND BLOWS FROM. We were with serious problems!!

We tried to bend halves our light lines so that, without cutting them, we could fly inside the circle. But it is impossible to fly four kites in team with 70 ft (21 meters) lines. We set our only spare line to 88 ft (27 meters) so that at least Ezequiel could fly some individual routine with the Alma UL with zero wind: running in circles, as an indoor kite (he is a teenager).

We decided to fly standing as pilots in one of the streets of the stadium, in this way the kites will be far from the shade of wind that was made by the scenario, flying with lines of 140 ft (43 meters); sometimes our kites were flying over the tribunes with people. It was not pleasant because we know that it is dangerous. We flew all the maneuvers higher to avoid inconveniences.

That day the Columbian team Atemoc also participated in the Festival. It was very pleasing to know them and we crew each other as it happens in the international festivals.

As a closing act to the festival we flew a megateam with Atemoc (5), Domingo León (Spain), José Vicent (France) and El Fabuloso Team (4). Eleven kites. As it is a tradition in most megateam flights, crashes and other disasters happen. The public enjoys a lot these accidents.

We left the park after saying goodbye to the kiteflyers that had come from cities of Colombia to participate at the festival. They went back to their houses.

Back at the hotel and after having dinner we went to sleep.

Tuesday, August 16

We had breakfast early, we prepared our suitcases and then we leave to take a walk, with a target: to visit the Museum of Gold (www.banrep.gov.co/museo).

In this museum there is an immense collection of pre Columbus perfectly classified pieces of gold exhibited with the explanations of how, who and why they used them in the ancient times. A real magic place.

Then we visited a handmade fair, we made some small purchases and we returned to the hotel to lunch togheter with the international kiteflyers and then we left to the El Dorado airport.

We had to be there at 3 hs PM because in Colombia three hours of advance are needed. Jorge Beltrán of the Team 2600 went to say goodbye to our team. Between Equipo 2600 and El Fabuloso Team exists a great friendship of years and we were together in the World Cup France 2004. Jorge will also pick up LAlo because he will be in Colombia two days more, lodging in Beltrán's house.

We left Colombia coming back to Buenos Aires, leaving LAlo with Jorge Beltrán.

When we arrived our country we went urgently to our jobs and school.

LAlo with Beltrán family

The Beltrán family, Jorge and his wife Nilza has a beautiful apartment with a guest room. If we add to that that they stopped to go to their jobs to stay with me, you can have an idea of how I enjoyed this two days.

Tuesday, August 16

Once we arrived to the house, we were talking with Jorge about the Festival of Villa de Leyva that had been carried out at the same time that the Kite Festival where we were in Bogotá. The Festival of Villa de Leyva to which they attended was a scored competence for their national championship in lots of categories: single, two and four liners, as well as buggy. Equipo 2600 won the team competition.

Later we should meet with other members of Equipo 2600 and Atemoc at the Aeronautical Club. Regrettably, as many of them were very tired because of the activities of the weekend, we were only Germán Rosero (Atemoc), Nilza and Jorge Beltrán (Equipo 2600) and me. Germán invited us then to have dinner at the dining room of the Club. Very good dinner.

Wednesday, August 17

Early that day I went with Jorge and Nilza Beltrán to the Hill of Monserrate that is 10,341 ft (3.152 meters) high where it is possible to reach by funicular, cable car or on foot. Since the city of Bogotá is 8,530 ft (2600 meters) high there is a difference of 550 meters which offers an extraordinary view. Some pictures are shown.

The sanctuary is very interesting, with very pretty and old vitreauxs, gardens with groves and fountains. It is habitual that processions are made; some believers reach the top walking on their knees. Incredible!

Before this visit we went to the Parque Simón Bolívar, where we would meet with Germán Rosero and Jaime Garzón (captain) of the team Atemoc. I also met there Giovanni that was flying a R-Sky Nirvana.

I could test other kites and they were flying and testing different settings in the Alma Standard and UL kites. No exception: wind ascended and lowered its velocity constantly.

Then we went to the Colony's Fair that resembles me the Rural Fair of Argentina. The different regions expose the main articles that they elaborate, including: food!!!

I could taste infinity of new things for me. One better than other. I bought diverse things to share with my family at Buenos Aires.

Then, we have dinner in that fair (me: fish with rice with coconut) and later we returned to Beltrán's to see some videos that I had taken of the beginnings of El Fabuloso Team and to see pictures of the festivals in those that we had been the weekend: Villa de Leyva and Bogotá.

Thursday, August 18

Early in the morning Jorge and Nilza went for a while to their respective jobs and César Rodríguez of Equipo 2600 came to pick me up to have breakfast together at a bakery near the house.

Then we were at Beltrán's seeing some videos and pictures, copying CDs with pictures, looking some kites. I finished my baggage and we left to a commercial center where we would eat (me: mondongo) and I would buy some more things (me and my craziness about soaps).

Then we headed to the El Dorado airport where after some long process of check-in we say goodbye and I get the airplane.

This trip to Colombia and being some days with the Beltráns was a dream that I had and that we chatted about with Jorge, as well as Equipo 2600 has the dream of visiting Argentina and that could not still be possible for the Kite Festival of Rosario (Argentina) of the two last years, but it will happen in 2006. I bet.

PICTURES