I got to the airport in Rio Negro
with ample time to sit and enjoy a coffee before boarding. As I sat and
pondered as I am accustomed to doing from time to time- it’s called thinking
and reflecting, try it sometime!- I realized airport security here in Colombia is
like a dream compared to the TSA! There are no scanners shooting X-rays through
your body, possibly damaging cells, and no thugs patting down children or
Grandma Ethel in an inappropriate manner. Just good ole’ fashioned metal
detectors and security guards who treat you as a human being and paying
customer. How refreshing.
Anyway, I got a third call from my buddy Henry in the span
of an hour and a half before boarding the plane-he just wanted to make sure I
knew where I was going. Seriously though, Colombians can be that caring, but
then at other times could care less about what you are saying, like in the
middle of a conversation they will just stop listening to you and focus on
something else. It’s actually rather amusing and has happened to me a number of
times.
So we skipped out of the building and headed to the first
place anyone would go after getting their visa successfully…The Bogota Beer
Company, Yippee! Now, this is quality handcrafted beer and we ordered two
pitchers because it was Happy Hour. I also must point out at this moment that
there was actual sun shining this day, a rare occurrence in Bogota because the
majority of the year it is cold, grey skies, or rainy. Although when the sun
comes out, watch out. Although he rarely shows his face, when he does, he’ll
burn yours off if you are a pale gringo like me of course. After two hours of chugging brew and good
conversation, we headed to grab some food at the biggest mall I have ever seen
in my life, the name alone conveys this: TITAN Plaza.
I ate a 11/ 2 lb
burger that would have made Ronald McDonald proud and topped it off with some
Crepes n Waffles’ ice cream, which I have to say rivals some of the best ice
creams I’ve had the pleasure of getting brain freezes from. But after all this
excitement and food, we headed back to the Henry’s apartment for a long nap.
The next day, Saturday, I went out on my own to meet up with
a friend of a friend. This Colombian helped me in the preliminary stages of
deciding on where I wanted to study in this county. Her name is Juliana and she
is one good journalist, I’ll tell ya. She basically wrote reports on each city
for me, making my decision more informed and easier in the end. So, we met at
the bus stop by her boyfriend’s house around 1pm and we proceeded to walk down Seventh Street, a
famous walk way only open to pedestrians strolling their way through the city.
Again, the reporter in her came out as we walked and she told me the history of
Bogota and the
areas we were passing through. After Seventh
street, we ran into Bolivar Plaza,
where the three main branches of government all have their buildings. In the
center of the plaza is a statue of the man who liberated this country from
Spanish rule, Simon Bolivar. She told me, there is never a time when a pigeon
is not sitting on his head (see pic below).
Then, we walked into an old church which rivals the scope of some I’ve seen in Europe. The next zone we traversed is called the
Candaleria, which the oldest part of the city. It is full of funny street names
and colorful buildings, which kind of reminded me of the neighborhood of Boca
in Argentina.
Juliana showed me some other cool spots like museums and libraries I wish I
could have spent more time in, but we were on a tight schedule. So, we trudged
on and made our way to apparently the oldest part of the city where a fountain
marks the spot and the six original buildings that made up the settlement, as
good a place as any to have lunch. I basically had the best juice I ever had in
my life, but I can’t remember what it was now, seeing as I am writing this
three weeks later since I drank it. O well, Juliana, if you are reading this,
comment on the side what it was please!
After a nice lunch, Juliana had an engagement, so I thanked her for
being a great guide and host, then we said our goodbyes and went on our own
ways.
The flight to Bogota
was great; in the air for no more than 50 minutes. Now that is how I like to
travel. I got there at 8pm, which was my plan to avoid the world famous traffic
there. I got to Henry’s house 20 minutes later and talked with him and his
sister before turning in for the night because I had an early wake-up call to
get my Visa. Now, Henry had class, but his sister took me on the famous bus
line “The Transmillennium.”which is the only major transport system for the
city. Medellin is the only city with a metro in Colombia! In
comparison with the flight, traveling by this system is a nightmare; buses are
crowded, run confusing routes, and have to stop at traffic lights. The best
part of the ride is getting off, which I did around the city center where I met
Henry after his class. He and I went to the government building and were there
for no more than 30 minutes. Was this real? 30 minutes to do a GOVERNMENTAL
process? I was amazed that things were taken care of the rapidly and
efficiently, not what I expected from the Colombian government.
So we skipped out of the building and headed to the first
place anyone would go after getting their visa successfully…The Bogota Beer
Company, Yippee! Now, this is quality handcrafted beer and we ordered two
pitchers because it was Happy Hour. I also must point out at this moment that
there was actual sun shining this day, a rare occurrence in Bogota because the
majority of the year it is cold, grey skies, or rainy. Although when the sun
comes out, watch out. Although he rarely shows his face, when he does, he’ll
burn yours off if you are a pale gringo like me of course. After two hours of chugging brew and good
conversation, we headed to grab some food at the biggest mall I have ever seen
in my life, the name alone conveys this: TITAN Plaza.
I ate a 11/ 2 lb
burger that would have made Ronald McDonald proud and topped it off with some
Crepes n Waffles’ ice cream, which I have to say rivals some of the best ice
creams I’ve had the pleasure of getting brain freezes from. But after all this
excitement and food, we headed back to the Henry’s apartment for a long nap.
Upon awaking, we showered and headed out to the “T –Zone,”
which is like the place to go out in Bogota,
definitely a more wealthy area. I have to say though, while walking through I couldn’t
help feel like I was in Boston
or some other big hip city in the U.S. Basically, it was a chill night. We went
to two bars and had a few beers. I got to meet Henry’s cousin and other
friends. Reggae bar was the last stop. However, there is one funny story from
this bar. As we were casually sipping on our cervezas, Henry noticed a drunken
group of people sitting outside. The one fellow was off his rocker drunk,
barely able to sit up straight. All of sudden Henry bursted out laughing and we
spun our heads around to see this guy puking on the floor like it was his own
bathroom. No one around seemed to notice or care, so he just kept going. The
funniest thing was that drunk as he was, he was still trying to hide his sickly
state by using a small coaster to cover his mouth as he turned to the side to
upchuck his dinner. Yeah dude, don’t worry, no one sees the stream falling to
the floor as long as you hide your mouth. After Henry doing a hilarious
impression with his own coaster, sound included, we all laughed our way into a
cab and headed home.
The next day, Saturday, I went out on my own to meet up with
a friend of a friend. This Colombian helped me in the preliminary stages of
deciding on where I wanted to study in this county. Her name is Juliana and she
is one good journalist, I’ll tell ya. She basically wrote reports on each city
for me, making my decision more informed and easier in the end. So, we met at
the bus stop by her boyfriend’s house around 1pm and we proceeded to walk down Seventh Street, a
famous walk way only open to pedestrians strolling their way through the city.
Again, the reporter in her came out as we walked and she told me the history of
Bogota and the
areas we were passing through. After Seventh
street, we ran into Bolivar Plaza,
where the three main branches of government all have their buildings. In the
center of the plaza is a statue of the man who liberated this country from
Spanish rule, Simon Bolivar. She told me, there is never a time when a pigeon
is not sitting on his head (see pic below).
Then, we walked into an old church which rivals the scope of some I’ve seen in Europe. The next zone we traversed is called the
Candaleria, which the oldest part of the city. It is full of funny street names
and colorful buildings, which kind of reminded me of the neighborhood of Boca
in Argentina.
Juliana showed me some other cool spots like museums and libraries I wish I
could have spent more time in, but we were on a tight schedule. So, we trudged
on and made our way to apparently the oldest part of the city where a fountain
marks the spot and the six original buildings that made up the settlement, as
good a place as any to have lunch. I basically had the best juice I ever had in
my life, but I can’t remember what it was now, seeing as I am writing this
three weeks later since I drank it. O well, Juliana, if you are reading this,
comment on the side what it was please!
After a nice lunch, Juliana had an engagement, so I thanked her for
being a great guide and host, then we said our goodbyes and went on our own
ways.
I decided to make a pit stop in the famous Gold Museum
before heading back to see Henry. Now, this museum has more gold than the city
of El Dorado and Atlantis and Fort Knox
combined (well maybe that’s a stretch) and has some great exhibits. It is
pretty amazing some of the designs and metal work they were doing in those
ancient times. Check out some of the pics I snapped below.
I headed back around sunset to Henry’s and ate a quick
dinner, so we could get to the birthday party of his friend on time. We got
there and it was a pretty cool scene, seeing that it was the bar and restaurant
of one of the most famous Colombian male singers, Carlos Vives; pretty good
singer but no my cup of tea. All the songs sound the same and are overdramatic.
I did an improvised impression of what the songs sound like to me and all the
Colombians around me thought it was hilarious. Anyway, this girl was loaded I
think so we had three big tables rented out on the second floor and all the
booze we wanted to drink. Now, I maintain that I was doing a good job, not
getting drunk and drinking water to remain hydrated. However, that is difficult
to do seeing that all we did was dance for like three hours straight. As the
night went on, my defenses weakened as the party goers all loosened up and
wanted to get the only Gringo on the premise drunk. By around 2am they achieved
their goal and the Aguardiente had me down for the count, so all of us hopped
in a cab and headed back to Henry’s.
The next day was absolutely painful and I had to travel back
to Medellin to
make things worse. Apparently there was an earthquake, but yeah, I slept right
through it thanks to the night before. So, Henry and I ate lunch together and I
thanked him for everything, including being a gracious host and introducing me
to all his friends. I then got my bags, fumbled my way into a cab, and went to
the airport. Thank goodness for a short plane ride and I was back in the city I
love. My buddy picked me up from the airport and I made my way back to my
place. After throwing my bags in the corner and drinking a tall glass of water,
I laid my head down to rest. Thus, the end to my Bogota adventure. It wasn’t my favorite city,
but I believe I see it again before I leave. They’ll want their favorite gringo
to return for round two I’m sure.
 | |
| This Jesus piece is located in a church on Seventh Street in Bogota, apparently | every year the hair miraculously grows. |
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