BogotaJan 31, 2012
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| Thought I would add one more entry in before things actually got busy. This past week in Bogota has been a fairly good adjustment period. I really didnt know exactly where I was going when I got in so it was semi planning and semi trying to experience Bogota. First thing I realized when I got out the first morning was it was absolutly huge. Something crazy like 10 million people live in this town. Staying with the south america way the traffic is crazy. For the first time today I saw a pedestrian get the right of way and that was still only because there were two big busses bearing down on where the driver wanted to go. The kicker, he still seemed pretty uneasy giving up the right of way even then. I guess that is just the culture down here. For the first couple days I was still feeling a little under the weather so I thought I would just lay fairly low. Walk around a bit, maybe experience some south american food. From what I{ve seen colombian food looks a lot like ours, basic hambergur joints line the streets here. I know its not the original food but in terms of right now big city colombians like their burgers and fries. The only difference is they are a lot cheaper to get out here. After you get over the typical burger joints the similairities between Bogota and a regular north american city get significantly less. One aspect that is totally different is the amount of graffiti or street art around here. It is everywhere. Not just meaningless tags though (although there is a fair bit of that). This is much more organised whether it be quick stencils or huge murals. There are quite a few artists that do a lot of political messages and some that are just there to look good. The reason why theres so much is that its not illegal just frowned upon, if you are caught by a cop you just have to bribe him the equivalent of 20$ and then continue on. Very relaxed. Bogota like any andean city is also surrounded by mountains. I did I hike up to the top of a popular one a few days ago. Its staired and it leads to a church at the top (the reason most people go). The view from the top is sensational and you really get a feel for how big Bogota is. The only down side on the climb up is you have to get passed by a lot of locals on the way. They came in all ages, I was frequently being passed by little ones that didnt come up past my knee. A little demoralizing but all worth it in the end. The best part though came only from me straying from the path on the way down near the top. It lead me to the other side of the mountain where you can see nothing but rainforest. Thats all you can hear as well despite the city being just to your left about half a kilometer. An experience that Ive never had, was up there for about 30 minutes just trying to take it in. I have a lot of good pictures but since I cant upload them you will all have to wait before they can do it justice. And even then its entirely possible it could come up short. I believe those have been the two highlights of being in Bogota so far. That and realizing my new camera makes me appear much more talented then I am, something I will continue to exploit. Spanish is okay, I definitely have a base of knowledge that has come back since my last trip. New words are coming to me every day. It is very hard to get past that base with people here talking the 2000 words per minute minium that I guess is normal for locals. Im sure it will get better as time goes on but without any classes I am pretty sure I can see my peak. If I woulda had more time I would stay in one city and just do lesssons for 2 or 3 weeks but save that for next time. For now I gotta put my rusty tent into some use at some of the national parks here. Cities are great but I feel to properly explore one like this I may need another one or two years. One last highlight I forgot, yesturday I was walking through town and got to play frisbee with some locals. Not a very popular sport down here but just happened to walk by a park at the right time. Couldnt discuss a lot with them but I feel my throws did the talking (last cheesy line of entry). You can go half way accross the world and still feel the need to play fris when you get the chance. Time to head south and see where I end up and what I can get up to. Hope all is well with all of you |
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