Excelsior - Originally Written on 4 July 2011

As mentioned in the title, I originally wrote this post on 4 July 2011, a day which I traveled from Bogotá, Colombia to Quito, Ecuador.  


Today is another travel day.  I leave my little vacation in Bogotá so that I may begin a new chapter of my life in Quito, Ecuador.


Yesterday, my last day in Bogotá, I did not do much.  I spent a while chatting online and then walked the city one last time in search of a late lunch.  All the while I was thinking back on my experiences here and what I had learned of Bogotá.


First of all, I discovered that the climate is generally the same everyday, but not every hour.  Throughout the day as clouds come and go the apparent temperature changes.  In reality, it varies about 10°F (5°C) but that is enough to make you feel comfortable at the warmest and chilled quite easily at the coolest.  I quickly learned that wearing layers is the best thing to do and always allow your outermost layer to be a coat that is easy to carry when the Sun appears.


I also found the people of Bogotá to be warm and inviting, but not overly so.  Walking down the street in Bogotá is much like walking in any major city.  People move at their own pace as if they are in a bubble and, though they don't smile while going about their business, they do not scowl either.  There is always a hint of contentedness at the corners of their mouth.


In addition, the people are not overly curious, though if they are it never showed in the form of striking up a conversation.  Perhaps, because I am such a pale Caucasian (and in my manner of dress) they could tell that I was from the United States and assumed that I did not speak Spanish.  Perhaps, it is not customary to strike up a conversation with strangers.  Whatever the case may be, once I had began speaking with someone (in Spanish) the conversations flowed easily and friendly.  It is once you break the invisible egg-shell between others and yourself that the Colombian people exude their reported warmth.


Then there is the matter of driving.  Those of you my friends that have lived in Florida and/or New York have complained at some point or other in your lives that the quality of your fellow drivers is faulty at best.  The phrase "worst drivers in the world" have been uttered by plenty of you in describing those with whom you share the road.


I'm not saying that Bogotá can lay claim to that tile either, however the style of driving in Bogotá, as in other Latin American cities, is completely different from that found in the USA.  Here they have speed limits and and road-signs indicating what is and is not permissible, but these are obeyed (if I can use that word) in a loose fashion and interpretation ,=.  Cars constantly change lanes without a signal or straddle two lanes at a time.  Intersections without lights are always a cause for a rolling stop (at best) and I am fairly sure that the pedestrian does NOT have the right of way.  In addition, there are many single men riding motorcycles, and many more taxis than you would find in most major Floridian cities (though not more than in NYC, probably about the same).


What else is there?  Ah, yes, the food!


Bogotá is very typical when it comes to food.  Many of the traditional dishes throughout Latin America is also found here, such as arroz con pollo, carne asada, and patacones.  They also have a soup particular to their valley called ajiaco. This is similar to chicken soup, but it is made with a variety of potato called a criollio.  This potato is peeled and boiled in the soup, but it falls apart into minuscule granules giving the ajiaco a texture  which I did not care for.


The food is generally prepared from fresh ingredients, unlike back in the USA (where everything contains preservatives and MSG is found in many flavor enhancers).  This fresh prep style of cooking lends itself to a cleaner flavor and, for me, a calmer gastrointestinal system.


That's most of what I discovered of Bogotá, Colombia in four days.  It's both a lot and leaves room for so much more.  I encourage all of you to shake off what you think you know about Colombia in general and Bogotá in particular in order to discover it for yourselves.