2008/01/02

Cali的某個下午

在哥倫比亞的城市中,街道的設計都是以數字來區分,如32街(CALLE)15路(CARRERA)

這樣的數字命名道路設計在美國很多城市都是採用這種方法,這種命名方式可以讓所有的民眾或觀光客清楚的知道方向及位置,只要能知道地址司機一定找的到路,觀光客也不用太擔心計程車司機會繞路,這跟台灣的道路命名方式是給予一個名字是有很大的不同,如果沒有地圖或居住在該地,很難清楚掌握該路線及方向位置。

當對街道命名有概念之際,路易就可以帶著大家在街道的小徑及馬路上邊走邊逛,因為地形的關係(山勢的走向為南北)城市大都是以南北發展的長型都市,因為國家的經濟發展尚未達到一定的程度,城市規劃的概念尚未實際的實現,以致於走在一些富裕的家庭區塊之後,緊接著而來的可能是髒亂、破碎的階級醫或階級二的家庭,雖然哥倫比亞的綁架案事件日漸減少,而且哥倫比亞政府也開始和FRAC展開人質交換的計畫,不過走在這些貧窮區塊的時候,以亞洲人的身分出現在該區還是一項不是十分明智的舉動。

教堂似乎是到處可見的,宗教在哥倫比亞還是佔有很大的分量,在卡里的山上可以看見很大的十字架,告誡民眾耶穌基督的精神。一下子轉個彎,登上小山坡,路易的朋友帶著我去當地Cali人心目中的結婚教堂St. Antonio,據說這一間教堂是大部份每個Cali女孩都希望自己的單身結束儀式是在這裡舉行,不過這裡的結婚預定若是沒有提前個半年一年的預訂,在這裡舉辦婚禮的機會並不大,因為都早已經被預訂完畢。

坐在教堂的前面,望著城市的全貌,哥倫比亞的城市,不像大部份路易旅遊的國家中城市規劃,富裕的區域當中很少看見落差極大的生活步調,這裡是貧窮與富裕混雜在一起,一下子在美麗的西班牙殖民建築風采當中,幾條街之外卻又看見了一堆黑暗雜亂的街道,一天在城市裡漫走,富裕與落後的生活就這樣不斷的衝擊在腦海當中,也不免讓路易想起,台灣人其實幸福多了…

不一會兒,在街上遇見了居住在哥倫比亞七年的美國人Matt,他目前的職業是老師,在哥倫比亞當外籍英文老師的收入約是台灣的外籍英文老師的兩倍至三倍,再加上哥倫比亞的年均收入遠低於台灣,大家可想而知,外籍教師在這裡可是屬於一等一的職業,在這裡英文教師都會彼此認識就像是一個小型的社交場合。

Matt邀請我們去他家作客,家裡的裝潢建築是西班牙殖民時期,地方很大約70M*9M的面積(含後院),他說這是他理想中的房子,不過礙於產權糾紛,目前只能用租賃的方式居住在此,路易也藉此機會拍了幾張照片,給大家看看頗有西班牙殖民時期的居家建築


就這樣的在雨聲、談笑聲中,路易又度過了一個不一樣的下午。

11 則留言:

匿名 提到...

哇~~~ 一等一的職業...
其實...
你也可以去哥倫比亞教英文 :p

>< 今天早上開會,因為一個芝麻綠豆的小事,我又被唸了!

LOUIS 提到...

我如果去哥倫比亞工作也應該是教中文吧
亞洲語文現在在南美開始新盛
應該可以佔到好位子吧

被念有沒有更加強你的信念阿
lol

匿名 提到...

你就這樣別人約了就跟他回家啊!?
不怕危險嗎??

LOUIS 提到...

To 貓
Matt是Nalini的三年同事
大家剛好遇到
就去他家聚在一起了

我也想要被陌生人約
不過沒有 :(

Unknown 提到...

The street design in Columbia is perfect for me, Taiwan's street naming system is so confusing at times. I had to carry a tourist map else I'd get lost while I was there this winter :P But I find that the best way to get the feel of a city one hasn't been before is to roam about freely to fully absorb the culture and atmosphere, especially in a city filled with history.

I remember seeing the extremes of rich and poor when I went to Thailand as a kid, it's very similar to what you described, pretty much heaven and hell on opposite sides of the street.

I was planning a trip to Columbia myself to visit my friend and his family. The plan was to fly there with my friend, spend some time with his family on their coffee plantation, and then roam about the country myself. But then he told me not to go since some tourists got kidnapped and killed over $200 USD cash that month. They were set up by the taxi driver who were supposed to drive them to the hotel. x_x

I was shocked how little human lives are worth there and decided to cancel the trip. He told me that some people who work for the airlines actually sell the passenger lists to kidnappers. All they had to do is look at the last names of the passengers to pick who to kidnap since it is so easy to recognize an Asian or American last name among Spanish names, so I ended up not going.

The St. Antonia church is very beautiful, I can imagine why most of the girls in Cali would want to marry there.

Before I read the responses, I thought of the same thing, that you'd just go to a stranger's house. o_O Quite a shocker you gave heh..wasn't I a stranger when I asked you to hang out? You barely knew me then, weren't you scared that I'd kidnap you? x)

LOUIS 提到...

To Patricia
Colombia is a different country I have ever visited. Still I would not recommend you to go there just yourself. It's much better to go with people who live there. I have some stories I have not published. Wait until the stories are finished, then decide whether you will like to go there just for a few days. Many places is very dangerous; however, those places are one of the most beautiful places in colombia. pitty but for safety reasons.
I think I should improve my chinese writing. Maybe I am just too lazy to write the whole story so that people have wrong idea that I went to a stranger's house. :P

本均 提到...

旅行中,真的可以發現很多的不一樣。
好羨慕 LOUIS 可以這樣走在一個陌生的城市,透過你的眼,我們似乎也可以看到每一個不同的角落。

台灣也曾是一個殖民國家,可以在北投發現日北、在淡水看到葡萄牙...在時空的交錯中,真的很多故事...不是嗎?

Unknown 提到...

Hmm..I'll be waiting for your stories then, so don't be lazy now. :P The most dangerous is the most beautiful place, isn't it almost always that way? Quite a pity indeed.

I think you shocked your friends by not writing the whole story out, but we all know you won't really just go to a stranger's house upon invitation...right? ;D

匿名 提到...

1月19日是你的生日

要向你補說生日快樂

事事順心又快樂喔

那你.....已經回來台灣了嗎??

匿名 提到...

Louis:

今天才看到1/19是您的生日
遲來的祝福......
祝您生日快樂唷~ ^^"

快過年了也,你要開始忙了嗎??

匿名 提到...

目前當然還是當客服人員阿
有些畜生還等的我去教訓內~*

1/19是您路易滴生日呀
恭喜您又老一歲摟 (這是該說恭喜嗎)

花紅包滴日子也近了..
希望 新的一年
我們都要Fighting喔 ღ(‧'''‧