El Vago en Suramerica

Today I spent ages traveling, and I ended up where I started. I guess that`s sometimes how it goes.

I set off at about 10 am for Villa de Leyva, supposedly the nicest colonial village in Colombia. A bit over two hours later, I arrived in what truly is a gorgeous town. It is tiny, however, and in under half an hour, I had explored most of its streets. I got some expensive lunch (its a tourist town, so its certainly not cheap), then sat down on the main plaza for about 15 minutes. My problem with going to these little villages is that I travel alone, and there usually isn`t a whole lot to do in these places. Ready to leave, I arrived at the bus station at about 3:30. The bus from Villa de Leyva takes you to Tunja, a nearby larger city. Upon arrival in Tunja, I was shocked by an enormous line filling the entire bus terminal. I asked a security guard what the people were lined up for, and he told me, “Bogota.”

I was in the line from 4:30 until 6:15, when somebody finally came through offering a spot for a single person on the next bus. During this time, there were loads of people blatantly cutting the line, and as everyone would complain and inform the police, they would stand by and do nothing. Once on the bus, there was traffic getting back, and then some problems with the mass-transportation system in Bogota. I didnt actually arrive at the house until 9:45. It was quite a journey.

Bogota is a great city. It has (at least) three stellar museums, two of which I visited in the last several days. Much of it is good for walking around, and it is easy to navigate because most of it is a giant grid. The nightlife is excellent. On sundays and holidays, some of the city`s main streets are shut down to only allow bicycles through. There are lots of universities, and most people here seem fairly well educated. Also, people here seem to be much more politically involved and activist than in Medellin or on the coast. The one complaint seems to be that the people of Bogota aren`t so friendly, but that isn`t a big issue. Though they aren`t as friendly as most colombians, they are still far more friendly than most people you encounter in most other parts of the world.

Colombia is a funny country though. I`m afraid that I will never be able to make people understand what it is like here. To walk on the average street in Bogota feels like walking on the average street in Boston, more or less. It is not dangerous. Most people you meet are friendly and helpful. You see crazies walking around sometimes, but you just give them some space as you pass one another on the sidewalk. There are streets that aren`t so safe in Boston, just like in any city in Colombia. It doesn`t feel at all like there is a war going on. Still, Colombia has the highest murder rate of any country in the world. The other day, I read that only 25% of murders in Colombia are attributed to the guerrillas and paramilitaries, which means that 75% are straight-up street crime. It`s a surprising fact. It is a contraction, that I can be talking about how safe the streets are, and yet how dangerous the country is. Yet I can find no better way to say it. There is no doubt that lots of terrible things happen in Colombia, but It isn`t really THAT bad.

That having been said, I wouldn`t come to Colombia without some good knowledge of spanish. In Cartagena, the con-men clearly have a great time with the ignorant tourists.

The girls here are beautiful, but they generally go for older men. In Colombia, it isnt such a cool thing for a girl to go out with a younger guy. The cool thing is for an 18-year-old girl to date a 35 or 40 year old. It is depressing, seeing these young beauties all going for rich old ugly fuckers. And IT ISNT JUST THAT IM JEALOUS…

Drugs also have a weird presence. I`m not going to lie, I`ve seen a lot of cocaine in my time in Colombia. I have not done cocaine, and I don`t plan on trying it. It really is all over the place, though. Weed is also quite common, and absurdly cheap. One day in Medellin I saw a homeless guy searching through the trash for food scraps while smoking a joint. Only in Colombia can a person more easily afford drugs than housing or food. The big drug gangs are virtually invisible, but still definitely present. The other day, an $800 million dollar cocaine shipment was found in Cartagena. A kilo of cocaine, upon reaching the united states, is worth well over ten times its worth in Colombia. And still we wonder why we can never seem to deter the constant drug flow into the country.

I`ve been staying the last week or so at the house of the ex-wife of a friend of my uncle`s. Living here also are her daugher, who is 21, and her father. They are extremely kind and helpful, and I`ve really enjoyed their company.

So on Thursday, Milena met me here in Bogota. She was with some friends. We spent a little while together, then went out. Later in the night, we never met up; some people ended up at one disco, and the others at another one. That evening I was dancing until 6 am, and then I went to a bit of a house after party. I got back home at 9:30, pretty damn exhausted.

On Friday I finished with Milena. I like her a lot, but I`m traveling and I don`t particularly want a girlfriend. I went out with the daugher who lives in the house with me, Paola, and some of her friends. We danced the night away at a cool, very crowded club.

On Saturday I went out with two friends I met in Cartagena. I slept at one of their houses, and spent the following morning selling cellphone calls. Fun stuff.

Tomorrow I`ve got to go to the bank, and then I`m off to the coffee zone. Next weekend I`ll be in Cali, the salsa capital of the world.

Leave me some comments. I`m starting to feel a bit out of touch.

Love,
Dan

I´ve returned to Bogota. I arrived last night at about 11:30, after a good ten-hour bus ride.

Things are looking fine in the city. In some ways, I like it more here than in Medellin. I think, on the whole, Medellin is a prettier city. However, Medellin has nothing to compare to Bogota´s colonial district, the Candelaria. Medellin´s center, though it has its sights, is a bit too congested and hectic to make it a pleasant place to pass the day.

In over five months of traveling, since leaving boston until the end of the carnaval, I had not a single rainy day in my trip. This fantastic weather represents incredible luck more than anything, I think. In Medellin, I unfortunately was struck by my first rainy period. It wasn´t one or two rainy days, but it rained heavily on at least five of my days there. I would always take the metro to a new part of the city to explore, and just as I got off, the rain would come pouring down. I walked for about an hour, got very wet, and decided it was time to head home.

Some days, though I had some great explorations. Once I walked down from near the top of one of the mountains, where the neighborhoods sit perhaps one thousand feet above the city center. It used to be dangerous in these neighborhoods, but today it is fine to take a walk through during daylight hours. The views are gorgeous, and the entire journey a trip through different climates, social classes, and lifestyles.

In Medellin, I also managed to meet a number of friends from a University near the hotel. When they got out of class in the early afternoon, we all would hang out by the metro station and talk. I first met one guy who sells cellphone calls, and then he introduced me to some of his friends from the school, and they all introduced me to their friends…. before I knew it, it felt almost like I was a student there myself.

Last Sunday was election day in Colombia, so there was a bit of tension over the weekend. I would perhaps have come to Bogota earlier, but I decided that it wasn´t a great idea to travel considering several earlier incidents of a bomb in the road and bus that was destroyed in the south of the country. The trip yesterday, though long, was without incident.

This last weekend was a dry weekend because of the elections. That means that no bars or discos are open, and no alcohol is sold. Basically, it was the most boring weekend of my entire trip. The highlight was a game of night soccer on Saturday evening, which was cut short when the lights went out at 11.

This trip is going by far too fast. I need several more years to explore Colombia alone. I wish i could just stay young and never grow up or have to get a job. I like wandering around the world without any cares at all.

Love,
Dan

Ella y Yo is the second best reggaeton song. I´m dedicating this post to answering some questions, and responding to comments. Jews aren´t under-represented in South America... but the continent could definitely use a lot more pseudo-jews. Too many of the jews ... [Continue reading this entry]

Posted in Colombia | 4 Comments »