Valio la Pena
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
Tags: Colombia
Neocoltrane
March 16th, 2006 at 10:01 am
Dan, I hope things are great in Colombia and that you are having a balls-to-the-walls time. At the moment I am in Pakistan where it is very hard to have a balls-to-the-walls time because you cant show your balls. And bring the rythm back with you from Spicy South America.