Our Recommendations
Restaurants
- Granada Neighborhood – Rayuela (Vino y Carne) – fantastic steaks!
- Granada Neighborhood – The Passion (went there with our abogada…fantastic fish!)
- By the hotel(s) – Antonina’s, 4th floor terrace restaurant of Dann Carlton, Pizzeria Estelar in the Intercontinental
- Salerno pizzaria – homemade pasta
- El Rincon de Abuela
Shopping
- ChipeChape – giant outdoor shopping plaza in the north
- Unicento – southside of Cali; larger than ChipeChape
Grocery Shopping
- El Catorce (there is one in centerario) by Calle 6. It is on the lower level. It has everything (just like in the States)
Sightseeing
- A stroll through San Antonio
- A stroll along the river Cali and the parque de gato
Hotels
- HotelSuites was nice, but you have to ask to stay in the new tower. It has gorgeous apartments and a pool on top of the roof. La Catorce is right around the corner plus a bunch of major shops. Only drawback…mosquitos and a giant hill.
- Hotel Intercontinental is a 5 minute walk away and in a very safe area. It has the comforts of a major hotel chain and a bunch of restaurants are right down the way. Provides very good hotel security. Great walking through El Penon and barrios 5/6. Very safe. Hotel staff are great – everyone loved baby Laura and made us feel right at home for our first 10 days!
- Radisson Royal – perfect location for families. Holguines is attached to the hotel (indoor/outdoor plaza, grocery, food vendors) and right across the street is Unicentro and the public transportation. Who knew?!! The apartments/suites are large and comfortable, the food in the restaurant is great and the staff is wonderful.
Let Everything that has Breath PRAISE the LORD
December 28, 2010…
The Referral Phone Call and Email! I’m alternating between a crazy person who can’t sleep because we’ve never readied the house and an anxious mom who is dusting off her Spanish and reading developmental magazine articles on what to expect with 10 month olds (she’ll be almost 10 months when we meet her for the first time!) I will tell you that speaking Spanish in my car (Pimsleur CD’s) to and from work and errands is great…no one to complain about my accent!!
Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!
Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
ICBF Acceptance Finally Granted – May 22, 2008!
ICBF granted us approval for child of either sex between 3 months and 35 months and sent us the information via email on June 3, 2008 with an acceptance date of May 22, 2008. We’re part of the Dec 17, 2007 Wait List Queue. We have been told to expect a wait time up to 12 months.
Their approval read, “As a consequence of your petition, you are on a waiting list in the Group of Adoptions. The Regional Committee will let your agency know when a match of a child with your pre-selected characteristics has been made and what your next steps will be. During your wait we recommend you continue preparing as parents. This includes the learning of the Spanish language in order to facilitate the integration of your child.”
Revised Home Study Requested – Sent April 11, 2008
We had to respond to an additional information request which had to be notarized and translated prior to our acceptance – revised home study approved April 11, 2008.
Translation complete – awaiting approval (Jan 2008)
Due to the Christmas holiday, they asked / told us to wait until February for additional information.
Milestone Hit!
Dossier received by agency on Monday, Nov 12, 2007 and sent to Colombia on Wed, November 14, 2007. Our countdown begins!
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