Yee haw, Señor(a)!Come sta usted?
Muay bien? Good to see you. Soon as you fill your coffee mug and load a plate
with delectable virtual treats for the journey, we’re off to Columbia and this
trip will give you the Willys!
The Yipao is a
unique annual tradition in Colombia’s Coffee Triangle dedicated to
the Willys Jeeps, the iconic American car the locals have been relying on
since the 1940s.
For the people of Quindío
district, Jeeps have been a source of livelihood and a significant part of
daily life since the 1940s. The unpaved roads of the coffee mountains are
filled with Jeeps that transport people and their belongings – including piles
of coffee bags, livestock, harvested produce, and more.
When families have to
relocate, they often pile all their belongings onto one Jeep and move in a
single trip.
Jeeps are such an integral
part of life that they’re fondly known in Spanish as ‘mulitas mécanicas
(mechanical mules). The country’s farmers use them to get to places that were
previously accessible only by riding pack animals. Given how deeply Jeeps have
impacted the life of locals, it’s only befitting that they pay homage to the
vehicle during the annual Yipao parade.
Every year, in June, locals get together to show off
their Jeep-piling skills. Hundreds of Jeeps from all over the region are loaded
with all kinds of things that bear some kind of importance to the locals, from
household items, to agricultural products or livestock, and there’s even a
contest to see who can stuff the most into their vehicles.
Contests are divided into four categories –
agricultural products (coffee, corn, bananas, and other harvest), house moving
(household furniture), free category (Jeeps are decorated with ornaments, icons
and flashy accessories in a kitsch style), and the Pique contest (piling nearly
2,000 kg of stuff on the rear of the Jeep so that the vehicle drives only
on its rear wheels).
The objective of the pique category is to drive for
as long as possible on the rear wheels. Pique is the favorite event of local
Jeep “cowboys” who like to hang off the front of the vehicle as it’s being
driven, to get the crowd cheering.
The festival holds a Guinness Record for the world’s
longest Jeep parade, lasting a total of five days.
Yee haw! Can you imagine decking out your vehicle in a similar
manner? I remember an episode of Mr. Bean where he was driving his little
yellow mini while perched atop the car in an easy chair. That was pretty funny
but these amazing creations are, well, ah...INSANE!
See ya, eh. Got to rush out to my local Chrysler/Jeep
dealer...
Bob
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