Semana Santa in Popayan!

Dear readers,

Remember my last post of Popayan, Colombia? If not, I promised I would write a post about Semana Santa in Popayan, also known as "holy week". The procession in Popayan is the biggest in Colombia and the second biggest of Latin America, so it is quite the experience. I thought it was so honourful of the people to walk the processions and aside from that I really found it beautiful, especially the music and the statues that are carried by the people. To have an impression of this festivity, here some photos:

My nephew hanging prominently on the wall in a hotel :) This picture was made the year before during the processions for the children.

Photo taken inside the church from where the statues are carried out

My brother-in-law carrying a statue!

As you can tell from the pictures, during the procession the story of Jesus Christ is told through the statues. The statues itself are by the way VERY heavy, but the people who carry them feel honoured to do so. That is why there is a long waiting list of people who want to carry the statues.

Since it is a holy week you can watch the processions every day starting from Tuesday until Sunday. Also, on Wednesday there is the children procession which is really nice to see. Unfortunately, since it was raining this year I could only see part of it.

That's it for today's post! Just wanted to give you an insight of what the processions during the holy week are all about! Oh and, if you ever have the chance to see a procession for yourself, DO SO...it is worth it! I know that the ones in Spain, in Colombia and in Guatemala are the nicest and the biggest ones :)

Love, Melissa

Heaven is for real!

Dear readers,

When my mom got back from a trip last February she gave me a book which she had bought at the airport in Atlanta while waiting for her flight. She told me she had read the book in one time and that she LOVED it. Of course she made me curious, so I decided to take it with me on my trip to Colombia. Once I started reading the book I was intrigued by its topic and could not put it down simply because I was so curious as to what else that little boy had to say with regards to heaven. I know this book is controversial, but I did want to share it with you guys, because I do not only find it a remarkable story, but because I do consider it a true story...YES, I BELIEVE IT!!! Buy it, read it and decide for yourself :)

Oh, and let me know what you think of the book!!!

Love, Melissa

P.S. Tomorrow I will share with you our experience in Cartagena, Colombia!