The motorbikes are flying around me when I am walking at the street in Bogota. I have just arrived from Mexico City and in comparison to Mexico City is Bogota small. Even though, when I was flying in, was the city surrounded by mountains and looking big, so it might just be the reality of the miss calculation by comparison Bogota with a population of the metropolis of nearly 10 million with one of the worlds biggest Cities.
I cannot see the blue sky for the pollution, which is surrounding Bogota. The pollution even fill stronger here than in Mexico City. My own conclusion of this is because of the mountains that are surrounding Bogota, located in 2,640 meters above see level.
Bogota is not only the capital of Colombia, but it is also where the family of the Cocaine King Pablo Escobar, who had different nicknames as Don Pablo or El Patrón, was send for house arrest in one of the hotels in the center. – The hotel from where the police tracked Pablo Escobar though a phone call and made it possible for them to catch and kill him the 2nd of December 1993 at a roof top in Medellín. El Patrón became 44 years old.
The Bike-ride
I am jumping on my bike. I have rented it for the next couple of hours. Not only is Bogota full of Motorbikes, there is also bike-lanes. Doing my first day could I see a lot of people driving on their bikes, so today have I decide to get a City Bike Tour. A tour that turned out to be very interesting since we saw different part of the city and heard good stories and saw some of the many Graffiti paintings, which are many places around the city. Many walls are filled with graffiti with political or social statements. One of them is the graffiti painting that I am starting this post with, with a picture of the journalist and news presenter Jaime Garzón. Who became know for saying “… País de Mierda…” on live TV when he thought he was off. At the painting is there not only a painting of his face, his name but also the words “…hasta aquí las sonrisas, país de mierda…” (It is over Smiling, shitty country) said by a reporter on the night when Garzón where found dead the 13th of august 1999.
The part of the City, which I like the most is the old part, La Candelaria, where the streets are small and narrow.
From the bus from the airport could I see that many other parts of the city are tall and modern. At the movement are they constructing a new Sky Scraper. The BD Bacatá, which is the first crowdfunded Sky Scraper in the world and the first skyscraper to be build in Colombia in 35 years. The latest is the Torre Colpatria, which was completed in 1979 with 50 floors and a height of 196 meter. Torre Colpatria is until BD Bacatá is finishing the tallest building in Colombia and the 5th tallest in South America.
BD Bacatá is estimated to be finishing later this year where the South tower will have 67 floors and be 240 meter when the North tower will have 56 floors and be 216 m. By this will it be the tallest building in Bogota and the second tallest in Latin America only surpassed by the Gran Torre Santiago with its 300 meters and 60 floors which was completed in 2014 in Santiago de Chile, Chile.
Mountain ride
I’m sitting here in the back of a old Mitsubishi 4×4 and jumping around at the back set since the road here in the mountains are not the same standards as the once we are use to back in Denmark. But when I’m looking out of the window doesn’t the jumping around really matter at all. I am in the mountains around San Augustin, in the southern part of Colombia.
San Agustin is famous for its Archaeological Park, which became a part of UNESCO’s World Heritage Site in 1995. Therefore am I not only going to see great nature and waterfalls, El Estrecho, Alto de los Ìdolos, Alto de las Piedras, Salto de Bordones and Salto de Mortiño, as I am also going to see this special sculptures. By looking at these sculptures is it magnificent to see how it was possible for so many years ago to make this piece of art!
On the way to the Archaeological Park does our driver stop the car for a movement. For a movement am I sitting still, not jumping around here at the backseat. By looking out of the window on my right side, can I see a big thick black smoke. It does not really look like green energy they are producing here, do I think to myself, when I am getting closer can I see that they are making sugar plates. It is a fabric. We are taking a look around. The fabric is not big, but there is what they need. There is a machine to press the cane so the juice of sugar is coming out. After this is the juice getting into three hot baths to be distilled. Finally is the sugar getting a thick consistency with a copper color before it is going to poured over in a form and be cooled down. It is very sweet when I am tasting a small piece of a plate.
Cali the salsa town
It is Sunday, which means a day for families in Latin America and so as well here in Colombia. I am on my way to Cerro de Las Tres Cruces that is located in 1.400 meters and I can easily say that I am not the only one.
Eventhough the track is hard to find because of no signs is it easy to fine the way to the top after the starting point, since I only need to follow all the people in front of me.
The sweat is running down their faces the temperature is around 28 degrees Celsius and it is humid but this still does not stop people for lifting weights just in front of Las Tres Cruces. People are even standing in lines for their turn to make pull-ups, push-ups and lifting waits. Not everybody has climbed the mountain to enjoy the view over Cali, even though it is a bit cloudy so the whole city is difficult to be seen. Many people have found their way up here to do exercises
The lines for the small pop-up juice and ice-creem stands are long. It is easy to see it is Sunday. The family day of the week here at Cerro de Las Tres Cruces and in Latin America.
After spending a week in Colombia is my first impression of Colombian that they are friendly but do not speak as loud as Mexicans. They are using different words to formulate the same things, so doing my first days do I need to convert my Mexican-Spanish into Colombian-Spanish. Colombia is world famous for their beautiful women, and I can immediately see the differences from what I have seen before. The women here is smaller, are having curves. As well do they now how to move their hips, which they are learning as a part of learning to walk as everybody does in Latin America. Especially is Cali famous for being a Salsa City, which truly understand why. At the same time is Colombia a diverse ethical country do to their history and Slavery. So even though you may not think about it, there is still a huge racism do to their race.
Toke Bull 