BootsnAll Travel Network



Adrenalin Now!

14 September 2005 (Wednesday) – Bogotá, Colombia

I asked Herman about the photograph I saw at the Museo Nacional over breakfast this morning. He was surprised, and no, it was not his photo, but most likely, it belonged to his father who is a professional photographer. Ah… yes, here, they like to give the name of the father to one of their sons. OK, otherwise, I could say that I know someone ‘famous’. Hmmm… if the footage of me did get aired on national TV next week, Herman would be able to say that HE knows someone ‘famous’, ahem…

I did some planning for the next part of my trip and figured I should leave Bogotá tomorrow. As the bus terminal was on the way to where Herman was heading, he would give me a lift there to buy a ticket. I went from being on a motorbike nearly the first time last Saturday, to expertly hopping on the motorbike by today. Well, hopping on is one thing…

As he sped through the city, he even tried to tell me which was this avenue, and which was that. I told him it did not make any difference what avenues they were if my eyes were closed!! Gosh!

He gave me some directions on how to take a local bus back to the centre later. I had to look out for ‘Centro’, ‘Germania’, or last choice ‘Cra 7’. However, he also warned me certain avenues and streets are dangerous so I have to be careful, put on my kungfu face and walk to the busier streets. Later, I hopped on a bus with a sign for ‘Germania’. As it travelled through the city, I had absolutely no idea where it was heading. I was not really worried as the streets are all numbered here like Calle 5, 6, 7, etc… and Carrera 7, 8, 9, etc… I should be able to navigate from anywhere. True enough, when the bus passed Cra 7 which I had walked along yesterday, I recognized it and jumped off the bus at once.

I visited the Museo del Oro, which had a very good exhibition of the gold and potteries used by the pre-columbiano cultures. How fine and intricate the gold works were!!! The works done then to the gold pieces were using methodologies known to modern goldsmiths as well. Amazing. It was a very interesting little museum, best experienced after Museo Nacional.

An interesting and artistic photo exhibition of famous Colombians

Later, I was also lucky enough to catch the funeral parade of their ex-President Turbay, who died yesterday. The funeral parade slowly drove down Carrera 7 from Plaza de Bolivar and the crowd looked on solemnly.

Funeral parade of ex-President Turbay who died the day before

 Onlookers watching the parade

By evening, I headed to the north of the city to collect my photos which I had sent for development 2 days ago, and I was to wait for Herman somewhere there as we were going out tonight. Here, he told me, it was safe for me to walk around in the night. Finally!!!

When we met up at close to 8pm, I told him to give his mother a call, just in case they were worried sick that I still had not appeared at home yet. Indeed, they had been thorougly worried, both his mother and his abuelita. They were reassuring each other that I should be OK, claiming that I am an intelligent girl and should be able to navigate around the city. Oh, my lovely dears!!! How I adore them!!!

And this time, I bought gloves from some street vendor to protect my hands while on the motorbike! We stopped by a little shop that sells empanadas. OK, empanadas are probably found all over South America, but the best thing about this place is the number of sauces available for one to try with each mouthful, like twenty!… some were really very spicy!

Anyway, we met up with Jaime and another friend, Katharine, and had a great time in a little cafe, looking through Herman’s photos and chatting about all the gross food the Chinese are known to eat. Another wonder I had to introduce is arequipe which is dulce de leche, as I had called it in Argentina and Chile. I just love this, I had tried it when Lina bought us ice-creams from Crepes & Waffles. Now, I just had to order the crepe of arequipe again. Yes, I do care about becoming yet another Botero’s fat people, but, oh well…

Jaime tinkling at his Volkswagen

Anyway, Herman had just returned from Peru not so long ago and had done ice-trekking near the Huaraz region for more than 2 weeks. He and his friends climbed up to over 5000m and 6000m peaks, with NO ropes, using just ice-picks to yank themselves up the ice-cliffs!! I was absolutely stunned, thoroughly speechless by his hair-raising expeditions! He is an adrenalin junkie!! And then I remembered my sorry life is in his hands later tonight, as I still have to make it home on his motorbike!

But, gosh… the experiences he had had were indescribable… thoroughly memorable… to yank yourself up ice-cliffs for 9 damn hours, without any damn ropes… to be up there at the summit, half-dead but all alone, and gazing with awe at all the magnificent majestic mountains around you… to be so high as to see the Pacific Ocean across the Andes… to soak in all the amazing colours cast by the sun on the snow and ice… and to know how bloody insignificant we all are.

Wow!!! Never in my entire life, could I do such things. But having met him, at least, I got a chance to see some of the views through his photos and learn something about this type of treks. Again, it is thanks to Hospitality Club that I could get in touch with such an interesting person like him.

Herman and his beloved bike

Oh gosh, on the way back home… it was past midnight, the streets were quite empty… and so, naturally, Herman sped through the city like a possessed man, disregarding my screams. My eyes were closed nearly the entire ride. By the time we reached home, my legs were shaking, I could hardly move and I had tears running down my cheeks. I did not know if I ought to kill him for nearly killing me or thank him for NOT killing me. Sheesh…



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2 Responses to “Adrenalin Now!”

  1. khcj Says:

    enthralled and envious ;-)))

  2. Posted from Canada Canada
  3. Frank Says:

    I must make a comment on your commentary about
    your experience in Bogota. First it is totally refreshing to hear a young person like yourself describe Bogota. Your comments are very sweet and very intelligent. I thoroughly enjoyed reading all your experiences. I am a Canadian now living Bogota. I have been here for 3 months now and will be staying another 3 months.

    You have come to Bogota like myself and experience the culture and people first hand. You have come to realize that Bogota like many large cities in the world can be dangerous. You have also found out that it is safer than what you have learned from newpapers and the media.

    Colombia is a land of parodoxies (sp). There is an often kind and warm side to Colombians but there is also a cold side. People with no hands on the street begging. People starve to death here because there is absolutely no help from the government. You can see despair all over Bogota in the beggers.

    On the other side, there is the warm and caring side of the people here. Most important to everyone’s life here is the family. In my country, the family is no big thing. You spend every Christmas with you family and other than that your obligations are fullfilled. Your parents grow old and end up in a home.

    Not in Colombia. Children look up to their parents and dote on them. It is wonderful thing to see. Anyway this is your blog and I am sorry for taking up so much space. Again, I love your commentary and think that you are so sweet and intelligent. I thank you for sharing your experience with us.

  4. Posted from Colombia Colombia
  5. admin Says:

    Hi Frank, thank you very much for reading and for leaving this very sweet note. I appreciate what you had shared with me. In Asia, we similarly take care of our parents, so I did not really notice what you had stated about how the people here dote on their parents until you actually wrote it. Ha, thanks for pointing it out. I agree with you, from what I had observed in my hosts’ families, they do respect, love and take care of their parents. That was what made my stay so special in Bogota, having a FAMILY here. I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay in Bogota.

  6. Posted from Bolivia Bolivia

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