In the lands of the coffee, from the book, Searching for treasures        “Well… I can’t speak for the rest, for I would only be guessing, and I cannot honestly answer for them. Each one us surely had their own personal reason for moving out towards unknown, virgin lands (that is to say,…

In the lands of the coffee, from the book, Searching for treasures        “Let me tell you a bit more about my hometown. The founding fathers of Marsella came, precisely, from Villamaría. It all began when one of the bolder, daring men set the example, the rest merely followed, or should I say,…

In the lands of the coffee, from the book, Searching for treasures        “Do you know what a bambuco is, neighbor? You who come from distant lands where people have other manners in their speech…”      “No, Jon Jairo. I’ve never heard that word before. Is it, perhaps, some kind of food?”…

In the lands of the coffee, from the book, Searching for treasures        Suddenly, he began to sing in a low, but melodious voice.      “Breathless are those trails through the sierras of my Caldas; they are the strokes of manhood’s forceful strikes of machetes against the flesh of the ravines. Yearning…

In the lands of the coffee, from the book, Searching for treasures        “You ask me about the Antioquian colonization. I can talk about it for a simple reason. I got to live through it and to be a part of the process. I was a part of those times and the significant…

In the lands of the coffee, from the book, Searching for treasures   After the day’s lessons, I immediately headed back to my parent’s store & eating house. That’s when the day’s work began in earnest. The place was on the muleteer’s way, and though we weren’t rich, we didn’t lack the bare necessities. “As…

In the lands of the coffee, from the book, Searching for treasures        Jon Jairo began to quietly talk about the lands to the south of Medellin. He started by explaining how in contrast to the rest of the country, the so-called Coffee Zone or the Cultural Coffee Lands were colonized or settled…

In the lands of the coffee, from the book, Searching for treasures      “So, the last question comes from my mentioning who we Paisas are, am I right? Let’s see if this clears it up. I’m not from Medellin, but I am a Paisa, down into my bones, by the Sacred Virgin!”    …

In the lands of the coffee, from the book, Searching for treasures        “That’s just about right, and walking, it’s even a bit further. The Bandeja you ate, or better said that you weren’t capable of finishing up, can provide all the nourishment and strength necessary to do about a hard day’s work,…

In the lands of the coffee, from the book, Searching for treasures      He began to walk across the plaza when, suddenly and apparently, out of nowhere, Jon Jairo appeared beside him.      “How was that little lunch of yours?” he asked with a broad grin.      “Little lunch?” Jean Marie answered…