Islas del Rosario

We wouldn´t have set our alarm for 7am had we known we´d be waken up by Eye of the Tiger reverberating throughout the entire hotel the next morning. Why would that song and other boxing anthems be blasting at 6:30am in the morning?! Confused we stumbled to the window and indeed saw a empty boxing ring with a few hotel employees loitering next to it. Once the the MC started practicing his announcments we gave up on the extre 30 minutes of sleep and started to prepare for our departure to the coral islands off the coast of Cartagena.

The exorbitant tour price quoted to us at our hotel for an hour boat ride was the first indication that we would need to beware of similar tourist traps throughout the day. We forwent the hotel tour option ($75) after consulting our tour guide/friend Juan who insisted we could find a better value at the port. So that morning we hopped out of a taxi at the Muelle Touristico prepared to hunt for a cheaper tour package. To say we were bombarded at the port is a sever understatement. Hats, tours, necklaces, water, you name it were shoved into our face. We went around to a few ticket offices inquiring about prices and what was included. Angelica and I were quite the team forging our Spanish skills to do business. Finally we decided on Isla Pirata for about half the price the hotel quoted us. Upon paying the port tarif and entering the port the ticket lady told us she in fact could not swipe our credit card. Ughhh. So I exited the port and walked down some ghetto street solo to find a cajero automatico. It was broken of course to I asked some mechanics where another one was. Thankfully not too far, and functioning. Cash in hand, I made my way back with purpose ignoring the usual hissing, whistling and various comments from the men hanging around on the sidewalks. To my luck once I got back there were only two seats left on the tour so we settled for a less desirable island, Cocoliso.

By nine we were herded onto the speed boat and there began an 1.5 hour swelteringly hot boat ride. Alas we arrived to our island to find barely a sliver of sandy beach! Not exactly what we were picturing but there was clear, temperate water and there were vacant lounge chairs so it was good enough. The pina coladas helped as well.  I can´t emphasize enough how HOT the sun feels here. It´s oppressive. Only short bouts are tolerable. We applied 50 spf and still managed to return back to the main land red as lobsters. The sun is no joke.

That night we primped, attempted to cover up our red faces and headed to the walled city for an italian dinner. Later that night we met up with Juan and his friend Luis for a cocktail and to wander around the walled city. We are excited about the possibility of Luis accompanying us to Tayrona this Friday.

Cartagena

We left the city of eternal spring for a tropical inferno, a pristinely preserved vestige of Colombia´s colonial past, the caribbean city of Cartagena. With no intention of relinquishing his expert and thoughtful role as our official tour guide, Chepe coordinated to have a friend of his, Juan, pick us up from the airport and show us around Cartagena. When we arrived Sunday evening we were promptly greeted by Juan and his adorable girlfriend. They brought us to our home for the next week, the Hotel Caribe.

Over a much needed western meal of crepes and salad we discussed our itinerary for the week. Juan is an excellent resource. Having lived in London for five years and currently teaching English in Cartagena he had a command of English that was comforting in a country where you definitely can´t expect people to be able to communicate with you in English at a sophisticated level. I actually appreciate that not everyone speaks English because it has forced me to dig into my personal language archives and use my Spanish. What´s more is that knowing that I have to use Spanish as a means of survival makes a significant difference psychologically in how well I communicate. Unlike Europe where whatever language skills you may have are surely trumped by the European you are speaking with, here I am way less timide and self-concious about making errors.  

After dinner Juan and his girlfriend took us on a tour of the city pointing out some restaurants, cafes, clubs and bars. We hopped out of the car at Castillo San Felipe de Barajas to photograph the fort illuminated by the night lights. We intend the old pirate watch point again during the day time.

Monday morning Juj and I grabbed a taxi and headed to the airport to pick up Angelica! Deciding to take it easy, that day spent the afternoon by our hotel pool. We made the mistake of ordering lunch poolside, an experience that was a poor introduction to Colombian food for Angelica. She called her ceviche ¨shameful¨ and the entire meal ¨wack¨.

That afternoon we found ourselves a full service spa to do some waxing and nails. Of course it was very affordable and we were happy with all the end results. Freshly groomed we headed into the old city for a seafood dinner at a restaurant recommended to us, Juan del Mar. Being cold is the last thing on your mind here except for the climate in this well air-conditioned restaurant. After reaching her threshold Angelica requested that they turn the AC down. They brought her a baby blanket with animals on it instead.

After dinner we wandered around the colonial walled city which was glowing from all the countless street lamps and candelabras. The atmosphere was fairytale-like. I felt like I was in one of my favorite author Gabriel Garcia Marquez´s novels. We eventually ended up climbing the steps to walk on the old wall where most of Cartagená´s young residents spend the evening drinking, playing music, and dancing. We ended the night early to be well rested for our excursion to the Islas del Rosario in the morning.

Julia Arrives in Bogota!

Thank goodness I was chatting with Julia online Thursday night after Chepe and I returned home from the Zona Cafetera. We were discussing some last minute details for her departure when she realized that her flight was actually leaving this very night! You see, her flight was Friday at 2am which meant technically it was Thursday night. She was so close to overlooking this detail but managed to pack in a short hour, arrange a ride and get herself to the airport in time for her flight!

Friday morning in anticipation of her arrival Chepe and I set out to do some errands. Right before we left the house we took the family´s bulldog, Matteo, out of the flat to go to the bathroom. Walking back into the building I was texting Julia when out of no where Matteo PLOWED into my right ankle and snap, I rolled it big time. I started crying because it hurt so bad and thought immediately there was no way I could walk on it. Chepe insisted I try walking on it but it hurt so bad and I was frustrated because I felt like he didn´t realize what had just happened. I eventually limped into the building and took the elevator upstairs. He brought me ice and we took off my boot. Sure enough my ankle was already tripled in size and it hurt, bad :( Chepe said I was being a baby. Maybe I was, but it f*ing hurt and all I could think about was how the hell am I going to get around the rest of my trip with a sprained ankle!!!!! And really, did a bulldog just sprain my ankle?! That beast of a dog! He`s enormous.

After some ice and elevation and more tears we headed out to the red cross because I still had to get my yellow fever vaccination for Tayrona National Park. Next stop was the airport. Finally Julia was here! Don´t get me wrong I was having a fabulous time with Chepe and his family but.....it would be nice to have an accomplice for the next part of my trip.

First let me tell you how proud I was of Julia for traveling all the way here via Panama City by herself. This was her first time out of the country as a solo traveler and she arrived in good spirits and with an open mind! We headed to the Zona T, an area know for its restaurants, cafes, discotecas and bars. We settled on Colombian food as a first meal for her. Julia came to understand in no time the aftermath of the meat and potatoes diet here.

Come dinner time she was just as eager as me for some vegetables or a salad, anything green really! Chepe and his girlfriend took us to a part of Bogota called Usaquen known for a few convents and it´s more traditional feel. Kind of like the Candelara but with mostly white colonial buildings. Actually it sort of reminds me of a downtown Sonoma in a way- felt a little like home. Julia agreed. We ate a late dinner at Cafe Amarti a quaint, rustic Italian restaurant. We got our salad and some wine and we were oh-so-happy. Later we moved on to a bar with live music and we forced Julia to take her first shot of Aguardiente. She was a pretty good sport but I´m certain she won´t be drinking anymore of the Colombian firewater.

Saturday morning we sat down to a traditonal breakfast with the entire family (they all live together) and the grandmother who was visiting. We had the Colombian version of the tamale which is similar to a Mexican tamale but wrapped instead in a plantain leaf rather than a corn husk.

Our destination for the day was Zipaquira a town about 40 minutes outside of Bogota know for a Cathedral carved into a salt mine. We descended about 600ft into an enormous salt cave which featured a progression of the stations of the cross. Each with a cross carved entirely out of salt and illuminated with lights.

After descending further into the cave we reached the main part of the cathedral where masses and concerts are held. With all the colorful lights and acoustics we all thought it would make an excellent discoteca.

On our way out of the town we drove through the characteristically traditonal white town.

Heading back to Bogota Sebastion took an alternative route home through a part of Bogota called La Calera, an area that serves as a seconde countryside residence for Bogota´s most affluent. Another prominent feature of the countryside is the myriad flower farms scattered all over. The massive transparent tents house mostly roses. At one point we we turned down a quiet road where Chepe pointed out a formidable white fortress. This hacienda was President Uribe´s private finca (farm). We stopped briefly by the Alpina factory to get some dessert. Chepe´s brother Sebastion, an architect, helped to design this modern looking dairy factory. There we enjoyed fresh strawberries with cream and a Colombianized version of cannoli w/ arequipe (a carmel like filling) instead of cream. As we approached Bogota we passed through several luxurious housing settlements (mostly second homes) and country clubs contrasted by some smaller more modest villages.

That afternoon back at the flat Chepe insisted we must try some junk food. Great.....So he ordered some hot dogs to be delivered. One really nice thing about Colombia is that you can have ANYTHING delivered. If you are out of milk or eggs or want a liter of Coke all you need to do is pick up the phone and call the store and they promptly deliver anything you want, at no charge! What´s more is that you can have almost any restaurant deliver meals to you. So today we have hot dogs Colombian style which meant with crushed potatoes chips, pineapple, bacon, and cheese. Needless to say we had stomach aches after.

Our last night we decided to take Julia to Andres Carne de Res, an essential Bogota experience. Before we went out, however, we met up with my friend Victoria´s (friend from Milwaukee I met in Germany) uncle. Victoria´s aunt marriend a Colombian man. So Alberto came up to the flat for a short visit. He was super friendly and might I add extremely handsome :) He offered to set us up with a friend in Cartagena to see a polo match.

At about seven we hopped into the car with Sebastion and two of his friends and set out to the town of Chia, home to the Andres Carne de Res. Julia´s Colombian classmate in LA raved about Andres so she had been anticipating this night for a while. First things first we ordered some yummy fruit cocktails and food from the grill. Eventually we headed into the main room which is home to the dance floor. We danced a few songs with Sebastion and his friends, attempting to master salsa and meringue. Let me point out some observations about the nightlife in Colombia. On significant contrast to nightlife in the US is that Colombian nightlife is centered around couples. Chepe confirmed this observation telling me that most often Colombians go out as couple in a group rather than go out in groups of singles girls or guys. This is also noticeable on the dance floors as everyone is paired up. What´s nice about this is that no guys are creeping up on you on the dance floor. On the other hand, if you don´t have a date you miss out on dancing! Unless some Colombian girls is willing to share her man with you.....which she most certainly isn´t. Let me tell you how possessive the Colombian women are about there men. Chepe´s girlfriend was outwardly nice to Julia and myself but really she showed zero interest in befriending us. She was cordial, greeting us with the customary kiss on the cheek but then completely ignoring us the rest of the time. What happened to the universal girl code that we are all on the same team?? Even more, when she was around she completely monopolized Chepe´s attention. I mean she wouldn´t even make eye contact with Julia and I. Sure, it´s only human to be a little jealous or perhaps protective of your guy around other girls but her indifference was plain RUDE. In attempts to prevent a dynamic of this very sort I exhausted myself being friendly, engaging her in conversation, and giving her complements. My efforts were fruitless. It took Julia no more than a few hours in her company to realize this Colombian chica was not our friend.

So there we were observing the dance floor and trying not to notice the obscene PDA going on across the table between Chepe and his girlfriend. I mean Colombian displays of affection between couples takes it to a level I have never seen before. It´s plain uncomfortable. Get a room, seriously! At some point Julia and I huddled and decided to get the away from this table where we were subject to gross displays of affection. Determined to make this a successful night we left to wander around the entire restaurant. We settled at an empty table far away from the amorous couple. Within minutes we were approached by a nice good-looking group of Colombian and Mexican men. They bought us drinks and within minutes we forgot about the uncomfortable first part of the night. We even took to our own dance floor with them dancing to salsa and meringue. At the end of the night we were having fun and I was proud of us for turning the night around.

By Sunday were very much anticipating Angelica´s arrival and the next part of our journey, Cartagena.....

Day 3 Zona Cafetera

Day three began with what I know considered a morning ritual: shower, heaps of sunscreen and bug repellant. Regardless of this ritual I had still been eaten alive. Never have I ever been bitten so many times. Mind you I've traveled to Cambodia where there are infinite amounts of mosquitoes (some carry the malaria virus) everywhere and I was still not bitten as much. Both precautions, bug spray and wearing long pants, did not seem to keep them away! Or maybe they did....maybe I would have had twice the bites. That's scary.  In any event, Colombian mosquitoes love to bite the hips. Isn't that sort of fitting for a S. American mosquito? They are also sexist. Chepe had close to no bites. He attributes this to his blood being acid and mine sweet.

In any event, this day we hopped on a bus and headed to El Parque Cafe. I was sort of hesitant to visit here since it´s reputed to be a sort of coffe theme park. I also heared, however, that with the right attitude it can be very educational. We set out to visit the cultural part of the park and learned quite a bit about the coffee process. The highlight of the day was definitely the dance show we saw featuring dance styles from each of Colombia´s states. In the end I think the visit was nice but if pressed for time could be skipped.

That night I had a spa appointment when we got home :) For the grand total of $70 I spent two hours in a cabana in the forest getting a body scrub, wrap, facial and massage. 

Our last half-day we spent lounging by the pretty pool at our resort before heading back to Bogota to prepare for Julia´s arrival!

La Zona Cafetera

There are three things Colombia is well known for: cocaine, coffee and plastic surgery. We all know something about the white powder produced here but what about the other popular export? Colombia is not only the second largest coffee producer in the world (after Brazil) producing about 12% of the world's coffee, but the country is considered to produce the highest quality coffee beans.

Early Monday afternoon we boarded a tiny plane to visit a region north west of Bogota known for it's coffee production. It took no more than a few steps off the little airplane to see exactly why a visit to the La Zona Cafetera came highly recommended by every Colombian I discussed my trip with. We exited the plane to be greeted by balmy weather and a panaorama of exotic green scenery. My immediate surroundings were an unexpected and certainly unfamiliar marriage of mountains and rainforest- I know we're in the Andes but this feels like a jungle! For the next hour we wove through several small, modest villages and passed some exquisite coffee plantations. Gated properties, long driveways, two-story colonial houses, wrap around porches- I don't know about you but this is sort of how I fantasized about Colombia.

We rattled down a dusty unpaved driveway to our home for the week, an all-inclusive resort just outside of a town called Armenia. The hotel looked and felt like a coffee plantation with the added bonus of a pool, two restaurants, gym, spa. The hammock on our balcony was a nice touch too.

That evening we followed up dinner with some drinks at the hotel bar (all you can drink, fyi). That night was my first introduction the official Colombian liquor Aguardiente, an anise-flavoured liqueur derived from sugar cane. The Colombian firewater is never mixed but taken straight as a shot. When in Rome......well in my case this meant multiple shots and I am not particuarly a hard liquor lover nor a shot taker. Let it suffice to say the finer details of the evening were difficult to recall the next morning. Over way to early breakfast with an annoying guayabo (headache) Chepe reccounted the previous nights events.

Chepe- Who is my cousin?

Me- Wha? What are you talking about?

Chepe- You said last night that you found my cousin!

Me- I have NO idea what you are talking about.

Chepe- Last night you said you met someone that is my cousin, who is it?

Me- Wow, no more Aguardiente for me!

For the record, Chepe's cousin definitely wasn't at our hotel....

Other highlights according to Chepe- I'm talented at creating a spontaneous dance floor where non exists. To my credit I did get other couples to start salsa dancing in the bar. And, at the end of this disasterous night I decided to go to bed only to try and get into a room that was not mine.

The guayabo only slightly ameliorated by my two quickly consumed cups of coffee we hopped in a car with our driver for the day and headed to the Valle de Cocora and the town of Salento. Despite the windy and at time bumpy car ride + hangover combination the interesting scenery was enough to knock me to my senses and start snapping some pictures. My picture count in the first 2.5 days in Colombia is already 200+. My incessant picture taking has earned me the nickname "crazy shooter". Like I said, Chepe's sayings are frequent and priceless.  Luckily our driver was more than happy to slam on the breaks everytime I saw something I wanted to photograph. We passed plantain orchard after plaintain orchard, thick bamboo forests (I know I was surprised to discover they grow here), and or course coffee plants. Our driver was also pretty knowledgable about the region, explaining that the plaintains often grow right next to the coffee plants to give them shade. Right past the town of Armenia we passed what look to me like an abonded house. There was a story behind this house. It belonged to Carlos Lehder (co-founder of the Medellian cartel) who some reading this might recognize as the first Colombian cocaine dealer to be tried and jailed in the United States. Or maybe you've seen the movie Blow? Yeah, that's based on him. According to the story, this enormous house of his has such elaborate details as gold walls. Our driver also pointed out another house belonging to the Colombian drug legacy. This not so abandoned property was an incredible, colorful hotel in the Paisa style that until recently belonged to a now jailed drug trafficker.

Colombian music lingering in the background we continued to wind through the mountains in our dumpy little car finally arriving at the Valle de Cocora, a national forest considered sacred to the Colombians because of wax palm inhabiting the area. To prevent exploitation of the Wax palm, mainly due to the celebrations of palm sunday, and therefore the threats against the endemic species dependent on the palm, the government constituted the area as a national park. We arranged to ride horses into the valley and to be accompagnied by a tour guide. A rather uncomfortable horse back ride on the beach in Rosarito, Mexico definitely left me dubious of a horse ride + tourism + spanish speaking country combination but the guide, Alex, assured me my horse Fantasia was muy tranquilo. Off we went on Fantasia and Pharoah, enjoying the sublime weather, taking in the scenery and listening to our extremely knowledgable guide. Alex spoke at length about the wax palm, Colombia's national tree. It is the world's second tallest tree after none other than the Californian Sequoia. Alex even pointed out to us the tallest wax palm in the world which reaches 57 meters (187 feet) and is 193 years old.

Halfway through the trail ride Alex took us off the path to a crashing waterfall. He called this hidden spot a discoteca because of all environment sounds combined have a music like quality. Okay, obviously this guy really, really likes nature. The cornicopia of nature information and the discoteca comment all made sense on the way back out of the valley when Alex struck up a conversation with me. In very slow Spanish we talked the rest of the way back doing our best to communicate on a variety of subjects. I discovered he was actually a Biology professor at a nearby university and that he has an American girlfriend who is from Kansas that teaches English at a high school in his town and that he gives several tours like ours a day simply because he loves doing it. This guy definitely left a huge impression on me. I was sort of touched by the interest he took in talking to me about where I'm from and my travels, the slow and simplified Spanish he spoke so I would understand and his general candor with me, a stranger.

We spent the second half of the day in Salento one of the most well-preserved towns from an architecture stand point. Sadly, the region was devestated by a 6.9 magnitude earthquake in 1988, destroying most of the areas traditional architecture. Salento is well entact and absolutely charming. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering in and out of little shops and admiring the multi-colored houses in this tranquil town.

Hacienda La Margarita del Ocho

For Chepe's mother's birthday today the entire family went to Hacienda La Margarita del Ocho for lunch and entertainment. Does the family name Ochoa sound familiar? Well, the restaurant is owned by the Ochoa family, two sons of which were top  lieutenants in Pablo Escobar's Medellín cartel. The father, Don Fabio, actually used to run the place and, though he has never been in trouble himself, his two sons have been released early from prison (too early for one of them, who, fearing for his life, asked the authorities if he could stay behind bars a little longer).

I know you were waiting to here something about the drug cartels. I insist that so far I have not seen any indication that there is a violent drug related past or a thriving drug trade (which there still is).Today, traffickers operating from Colombia continue to control wholesale-level cocaine distribution in the US.  Instead, I've felt very safe. In fact, I feel safer here than other places I've traveled (for ex. Istanbul and Ho Chi Mihn and Bangkok). Does it make a difference that I'm in the company of a native, sure. But I have yet to experience or observe anything remotely shady in my environs. One reminder that security is a priority, however, is that every apartment complex or house is gated and guarded, including Chepe's family's flat. It's unremarkable after a while.

Would it be possible for me though to squelch your misconceptions about this country? Yes, cocaine production did financially support several Colombian families and increase GDP and the standard of living throughout the end of the 20th century. However, Colombians are not going around with straws up their noses. There aren't semi-automatic armed military on every street corner. If anything the only weird thing about Bogota is that there or no tourists! I've never quite experienced being one of the only tourists in a such a travel worthy place.  Not for long I imagine. This may be one of S. America's best kept secrets.

Back to the Ochoa Hacienda... Well Fabio Ochoa was know to have a huge interest in horses so one of the features of the restaurant is a horse show in the barn during your meal. The horses are trained to walk in a very elegant, controled, tight, small steps. I need to ask what this style was called. It's totally unfamiliar to me. As I enjoyed another authentic meal, this time Bandeja Paiso (large plate of chorizo, pig skin, fried egg, avocado, rice, minced beef, rice stuffed sausage and beans) we were entertained by some traditional dancing and singing. Chepe has now warned me daily that I might gain a few kilos while I'm here. I have yet to eat a single vegetable since being here which really freaks me out. Definitely a huge emphasis on the meat, potatoes, rice and beans, all yummy of course! The extra kilos wouldn't be hard to pack on but I don't plan on it.  I need to be in a bathing suit in a week after all. Chepe tells me "you eat like a pigeon". His random sayings are priceless. In response I promised I would try everything.

At one point one of the horses took a crap right next to a guests feet in the middle of his meal. No big deal. Someone hurried to scoop it up. Later they brought in miniature horses, a llama, and some sheep for an impromptu petting zoo for children. I interestingly observed the laid back Colombian parenting style. Some of the parents plopped their babies on the horses without even worrying about holding on to  them while they took pictures. I realized that all of these things would be pretty unacceptable by American standards. I mean, horses pooping right next to your food, can you say bad Yelp! review?? The Colombians have an easy-goingness about them that I certainly appreciate.

Ciclovia

Chepe is an early riser and, god bless him, he made me get up at 7:30 this morning (after 2 fishbowl mojitos!!!)  to begin our day. Those of you that have traveled with me before know that I can be extremely ambitious in regards to filling travel days with as many site and activities as possible. Besides the early rising thing Chepe and I make excellent travel partners. He has been very thoughtful planning a variety of different activities. Today, Sunday, is Ciclovia and it's a wonderful concept. Every Sunday and holiday the city closes some 70 miles of roads between 6am-2pm to be open only to bikes! It literally turns Bogota into an enormous paved park, drawing about 1.5 million ppl out to ride bikes, jog and rollerblade.

Chepe and I rode bikes first to a grocery store where Chepe made enormous fruit salads for us. The Colombians are big on fruit, especially fruit juices which are prepared on the thicker side like a smoothie. So far I've tried passion fruit and mango....YUM. For breakfast along our bike ride this morning was an exotic fruit salad with creme and cheese. There was definitely some fruit in there that I've never even seen before!

Next we hopped back on the bikes and road into another neighborhood were we stopped for some coffee at an outdoor cafe next to a park. For the first time since I've been in Bogota I noticed several expatriates. So far it hasn't felt like there are any tourists here! According to Chepe Americans are the largest group of expatriates in Bogota. It's no wonder that I would finally see some foreigners at Ciclovia. It's a brilliant concept that I think would be extremely popular in any major US city. In addition to the bikers and joggers the park is filled with Bogotanos and their dogs, people doing yoga, martial arts, stretching, etc.

During our coffee break my tire popped so we enlisted the service of one of several bike technicians on the side of the road. Chepe remarked that one nice aspect of living in a developing country is that you have people that will provide cheap services like this for you. Did I mention you also get your gas pumped for you at the gas station? There is a bulk of the population will to provide services like this to the 10% of the country that are affluent enough to afford them.

Tired repaired we completed a full loop around the city. It was a perfect way to see a lot of what I've missed traveling around in a car. One HUGE oversight- the strength of the sun. Even with face sunscreen and a hat both my face, chest and arms were sunburned at the end of our 4 hr bike excursion. The weather is such a pleasant 68-70 degrees you forget that you are just below the equator and the sun is serious.

Andre Carne de Res

Let me say, this place has been built up by Chepe from day one of my trip planning. He raves about this Restaurant/Night Club on the outskirts of Bogota in the town of Chia.

This is credited to be the #1 nightlife spot in the entire city of Bogota. Here's why: the venue can hold about 4,000 people with Bogotanos showing up as early as six or seven to begin eating and drinking up until 3am in the morning. Andres de Res is an event and the owner has thought of everything. Huge, well organized parking lot, check. Hammocks for drunk people, check. Doctors for drunk people, check. Soup station for drunk people, check. The entire place is glowing with red and green lights, inside and out. As you walk in you are presented with fresh strawberries and a shot of tequila. The tequila shot is ingenious. They carve out most the lime pulp leaving just enough and rim one side with salt. You take the tequila shot straight from the little lime bowl. Perfect.

Next we make our way to a large wooden table with benches. It's only eight but the restaurant is brimming with people some already finished eating and some already inebriated. First things first, must order what Chepe's girlfriend calls a "fish bowl" size cocktail. I order a mojito and am very pleased with my fish bowl. Chepe, his girlfriend Natallia, Chepe's brother Sebastion and his girlfriend Catalina all insist on ordering traditional menu items so I can try everything. All of them are so friendly and go out of their way to point out interesting menu items and various other cultural tidbits for my education. That night I tried Arrepa de queso (grilled corn bread with melted cheese) and grilled plaintain with cheese. My main course was a sizzling plate of beef loin (grilled in a cloth) accompanied by chimichurri and various salsas.

After dinner we took turns on the dance floor moving to a variety of latin music (salsa, reggeton and many more). The Colombians are all familiar with these latin style dances and my friends were enthousiastic about teaching me the fundamentals of each type of dance. The rumba continued on into the early hours of the morning and we all made it home without a nap in the hammocks or care from the drunk doctor.

La Candelaria and Monserrate

Our early morning began with a bus a trip to the Candelaria, the charming colonial section of Bogota. Chepe and his brother seriously debated whether taking me on the bus was a good idea. This may have been in part because buses are know to be somewhat unsafe mode of transportation (I  believe this is more for long distance travel). Our bus ride, however, ended up being no big deal. It was nice to be able to see the city as we traveled from the north of Bogota where Chepe's family lives to the center of the city. First, we took a brief enjoyable look in the gold museum. Did you know that the El Dorado legend originates from Colombia, just outside of Bogota? The natives used to throw gold and other precious gems into the lake and rivers. This very legend drew several explorers to search for this mythical city in search of its riches.

Colombia is also famous for it's emeralds. There's a corner in the center of town where a bunch of middle-aged men stand around with handfuls of emeralds, selling and trading right on the street all day. This is legal and Chepe attests that they are all authentic. I challenged this asking how he knows they are all real. They are trust me, he says. Must be some unspoken Colombian code of honor. In general, the Colombians do seem to treat one another very respectfully. They are so warm to one another it feels like they all know each other! I've heard rumors about this Colombian friendlieness....

Next we made our way to La Candelaria passing the President Uribe's palace. He is an extremely popular president credited with making happen most of the Colombia's transformation in the past decade. On this note, the US has been Colombia's single biggest ally for the past two decades. They came up with a sort of Marshall Plan for Colombia, named Plan Colombia, back in 1998 to fight drug trafficking. Since then they have given several billions of dollars in aid to Colombia to help eradicat the cocaine trade. As a result of this substantial aid the Colombians share very positive sentiments towards Americans. It's refreshing to be visiting a country where the people really like you. Actually, I think this is the only country I have EVER been to that does not express some sore or negative anti-American sentiment.

I digress. As we meandered past the formidable palace we began winding through the intimate and beautifully perserved streets of the Candelaria. La Candelaria is derived, I'm sure, from Candelabra but it basically means the old city. I happen to find the asthetic of colonial architecture very romantic. Perhaps it's a semi-concious appeal for an architectural style that characterizes the history of my own country. In any event, the old houses, shops and restaurants are beautiful and might I add colorful. And just in case you forgot you were at an elevation of almost 9000 ft., just look east at the breathtaking backdrop of the Andes mountains. It's pretty awe inspiring to be in a huge metropolitan city (population est. 8 million) on a high plateau in the Andes Mountains. Bogota is actually the third highest metropolis after La Paz and Quito.

Next we hailed a taxi to journey up to the peak of this mountain, Monserrate. We inched up a shockingly steep funicular reaching the summit at 10,341 ft. Atop Monserrate is a stunning church built back in the 17th century. Standing on the church steps looking out across the city it sort of feels like the church is floating on top of the mountain. I hope my pictures do some justice to this phenomenon.

At the top of Monserrate is when I realized Bogota is huge. Chepe happily participates in answering all my questions, he is a consumate host/tour guide. He says that it could take well over 2 hours to cross the entire city from north to south. He also admits he's never even been to the very south in his entire life. From what I've read the south is home to several shantytowns and Bogota's poorest residents. We definitely are removed from this poverty element up in the more affluent north Bogota. In fact, Bogota may have more like 12 million residents (officially they are 8m) meaning that almost 4 million are so poor they are not counted in the census.

We finished up lunch at Restaurant Santa Clara enjoying panoramic views of the city over a tasty bowl of Aijaco (chicken, corn, potatoes) and returned home to prepare for a big night out at Andre Carne de Res.

Arriving into Bogota....Finally

Just a warning to anyone who will ever have a layover at JFK- make sure you have AMPLE time in between your flights. I arrived from the red-eye early Friday morning in New York and immediately preceded to check the monitors for my connecting flight in an hour. As luck would have it my flight to Bogota was the only flight without a gate posted. It seemed strange, especially because all the other flights were domestic, that my flight would be in the same terminal. I start wandering and eventually find a bigger monitor with my flight on it indicating that I need to be in a completely different terminal! Can anyone sympathize with me about how CONFUSING this airport is?! I've been to airports all over the world and I must say that JFK is so poorly labeled. After asking two people who gave me opposite directions I made my way to the tram and jumped on heading in the wrong direction of course. After circling the whole airport and sprint to my gate my flight is set to depart in 20 min. I am too late. Devastated and in disbelief I go to the Delta counter and to my luck find a amiable and most importantly sympathetic woman to help me book another flight. She was just as confused as I was as to how they could have booked two flights so close together. For me to have made that flight I would have had to be from one side of the damn airport to the other side in ten minutes. No way that was possible even if I knew where I was going. Wanting to be angry and upset I realized that wouldn't make me the situation any better so I resolved to let it go and just be happy that I got another flight leaving that same day.

After nearly 24 hours of traveling I arrived safely in Bogota. Box of wine, check. Suitcase no where to be found. I search, wander over to something that looks like a luggage storage room and am told by Colombian woman my suitcase wouldn't be there. Okay, next, make friends with young Colombian gentleman who might be nicer. They find some other woman, describe my suitcase and she accompanies me to the luggage storage room I was turned away from. Indeed, my suitcase is there! Lesson #2- be persistent. Finally I exit the airport to be greeted by an enthusiastic Chepe and his father. Enormous sigh of relief. Chepe's family is adorable. He has two brothers Sebastiano and Juan. His parents are so kind and sweet. Oh and there's their friendly bulldog Matteo who peed out of excitement five times when I arrived.

Trip Itinerary

San Francisco - Bogota - Cafe Triangle - Bogota - Cartagena -Taganga - Tayrona National Park - Taganga- Barranquilla - San Francisco

Greetings!

My now "standard" accounts of my travels will all be posted here. Check back often!