Bogotá

“Hello … um I mean … Hola”, Gail spoke into the hotel phone as we were woken by a 5 am call from the concierge.   The caller asked “Had we been looking for the pharmacist?”  Gail curtly replied “Wrong room”.  This mistake phone call played into my preconceptions of drug-filled Colombia but the next three days would show me another country.   Embarrassingly, most of my understanding of Colombia comes from watching Gail’s favorite situation comedy “Modern Family,” so I had plenty to learn.

Politics

The country is full of oxymorons such as peace activists involved in gun crimes.  Or, rich communist politicians.  Or, closely allied governments funding the Colombian rebels.  Or, philanthropist drug lords.  Or, a mayor of Bogotá who is an ex-Guerilla. Because modern Colombia is complex, Colombians seem to be comfortable looking at a problem that does not have an easy solution.  The small group of Colombians we met seemed more interested in politics than people I encounter in the US.  This gave me hope; however, some of the crime stories seem to indicate there is a long way to go.  We have been told horrific crime stories that I hope have been embellished over time.  The car jack genre usually involves a cab driver and partners who blow drugs on the victim which causing them to enter a defenseless state.  Cognizant enough to know their bank pin code, they are driven to an ATM, but have no memory in the morning.  Our well-meaning hosts would tell us varieties of these stories to keep us safe but also to express their frustration.  Colombia seems to have been in this unfortunate state since 1948, when the Liberal leader, Gaitan, was assassinated by the Conservative government.  The largest and most infamous guerrilla group is FARC, with which the government is trying to broker a peace agreement after 60 years of civil war.  The road to peace seems bumpy as the leadership are juggling their desire for peace with the ability to absolve FARC of the violence. The only more stubborn civil war is currently in Papua New Guinea.

 

Bike Tour

There is no better way to explore a new city than on a bike tour.  Fortunately, we stopped frequently during the 5 hour trip, as the high altitude was making me short of breath.  We gorged on foreign fruits with names that seemed to all start with G; many claimed to be aphrodisiacs.

We pedaled through the red light district.  We stopped at a coffee shop and a chocolate shop which are musts in Colombia.   Gail, and a few other chocaphiles on the bike tour, gave the chocolate a failing grade.   Nobody partook of the odd refreshment of crab drink – yes, crabs pulverized in a blender. We visited cemeteries, statues of great Spaniards, memorials to revolutionaries, murals for the displaced farmers and half a dozen outdoor peace paintings. We saw some jugglers, entertaining cars who were stopped at a light.

Street Performers from Two Fish on Vimeo.

Navigating the streets was exciting as we fought with cars and motor bikes for space while avoiding large potholes.  Our enthusiastic leader had poor traffic sense and a meandering style which lead to a bit of chaos amongst his flock.  However, no one fell off their bikes despite the gears and brakes being of questionable quality.  My wheels were slightly bent so the brake would only engage at the bent portion of the wheel and with a strong vibration through the bike frame.  With vigorous application of the brake the bike would stop violently; this was tested several times as fellow riders seemed to keep popping up in front of me.

 

Not Your Average Emerging Market City

I enjoy cities like this that are growing. Bogotá seems proud of its heritage while also embracing change.   We were shown two examples that brought their into strong contrast.   The bull fighting stadium carries a tradition some Colombians find important to their Spanish heritage.   The current mayor closed the stadium months ago because of the cruelty to the bulls.   To add to the complexity, the bull fighters have joined forces with socialists sueing the city for barring their right to work.  Another strange association we were shown was a Catholic church with an abortion clinic on the side buildings.

Colombian Rapper from Two Fish on Vimeo.

 

Bogotá Rhythm

Bogotá’s streets are mostly arranged in a grid, with Calles running East-West and Carreras running North-South, making it easy to navigate.  A street address in Bogotá is very precise and offers much data as to the location. Calle 11 # 4-41, translates into Calle 11 near the intersection with Carrera 4, 41 meters from the intersection .  It is almost a Lat/Lon, London city planners are you listening?

We have enjoyed walking the city by daylight.  There is plenty of street art, commemorating important events. We also went to the Mercado de las Pulgas, which any Northern Californian will tell you is a flea market. We bought some Habas for a snack. You might know them as dried fava beans. We were told that world class cyclist Nairo Quintana claims to get his strength from these.

The statue of La Pola, commemorates a heroine of the Independence movement, Policarpa Salavarrietta. Bavaria breweries introduced a beer, La Pola, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Columbian independence. Since some time after that, pola has become slang for beer in Columbia.

 

Museums

Bogota hosts several museums with collections from history to gold but my primary goal was the Botero Art Museum.  I get Botero and Lipchitz confused.   The fourth photo is a sculpture I visited as a child in Philadelphia.  Lipschitz is older than Botero and my theory is that Botero drew inspiration from this sculpture.  Agree?

 

Ciclovia

Bogota is also known as being the first “car-free” Sunday city. In 1974, the mayor started the ciclovia and it has continued since then with every Sunday now being bike-free. We enjoyed the freedom to pedal and watch as most of Bogota seemed to empty into the streets.

Four days in Bogota is not enough but we liked the little we saw.  If you get a chance explore the town, your tastebuds will thank  you.