Plaza de Bolivar
Ali wasn’t really in the mood for more big city action and decided to continue north with a connecting flight to Cartagena. We said goodbye at the airport in Bogotá and arranged to meet up a few days later once I was done with the capital. Those couple of days turned into 11 and now we are so far apart I’m not sure what will happen next. So here are my excuses for staying in the city a lot longer than I should have…
The hospitality I received upon arriving in Bogotá was more than I anticipated and one of the main reasons for staying in Bogotá 3 times longer than I had originally planned. A few weeks prior to my arrival, Baba put me in contact with Jürgen, a friend of his who now lives in Bogotá with his partner Fabio. Jürgen is originally from Germany but also lived in Chicago for 3 years which is how he came to meet our mutual friend Baba. Jürgen is an English professor at one of the universities in the city and in addition to his native German, also speaks fluent Spanish. Fabio works for a Venezuelan airline and has no choice but to learn both English and German from Jürgen in his spare time. Often when Fabio attempted to speak to me in English he'd construct sentences using all three languages - quite confusing to say the least. Then there's César, a tenant who lives with Jürgen and Fabio in their apartment and also teaches English at another university downtown. César is very friendly and was only too happy to receive a foreign visitor. In fact, his initial warmth and generosity left me quite speechless after our first meeting. So with two language teachers in the house, I have essentially checked-in to a Spanish school and I’m being forced to speak Spanish night and day which is tiresome but rewarding.
Fabio, Jürgen and me
It's so nice to be back in a house again. Jürgen and Fabio's apartment is more than comfortable and extremely large. So big in fact that I got lost when I first arrived. Upon entering the apartment you are met with a large open space consisting of a dining area, lounge area, TV room and balcony. The kitchen is equally as impressive with a black tiled ceiling and units imported from Germany. Actually, the whole apartment has been furnished compliments of his Grandmother's inheritance. I was surprised to hear that in Germany it’s completely customary to remove every single item from inside your house before moving. Sinks, kitchen units, toilets, shower fittings...everything! In addition to vast amount of space, there is no shortage of natural light to fill it as windows span the entire width from wall to wall without interruption. The additional utility rooms, common areas and a powder room complete the first half of this apartment. Yes, there's more...
The moment Jürgen stuck his fingers in the wood paneled wall and began sliding it to reveal the second half of the apartment I was astonished. Firstly because I thought my tour was almost over but clearly wasn’t, and secondly because I thought it was such a clever idea - the ability to hide your personal space when guests are present. The long corridor behind the secret sliding door presented two more bathrooms, a master bedroom, guest room, large study, the maids utility area and her room (of which is now being occupied by César the tenant) which also has an en suite bathroom. The maid still visits twice a week to cook, clean and wash clothes but doesn’t live there. The corridor also boasts lots of natural light as it is wrapped around a window-lined courtyard three floors below. As I'm sure you are already envisioning, I was more than happy with such surroundings and was extremely well looked after. After the many long days of sightseeing it was nice to return to a homely place and relax in comfort for a change.
The emerald purchase was much more difficult than it should have been and definitely more than I had anticipated. When Baba asked me to buy him an emerald in Colombia I thought he was insane. Just before I left Chicago, Baba handed me US$300 in cash and said "buy me the biggest emerald you can find". Finally his day has come and the emerald has been purchased - but not without stress and worry...Thankfully, Jürgen owns a book called Emeralds & Tanzanites, a buyers guide but after reading most of it I question whether in fact it helped or just prolonged the agony. I made 4 different trips on separate days to examine one emerald after another. Jürgen also contributed to Baba’s “emerald fund” which not only doubled the money but quadrupled the pressure to find a genuine gem of a good quality. Not too dark, not too light. Deep cut or shallow? Is this what they would call pure? Are the inclusions natural? Square or oval? Has it been coated with oil to make it look darker? What would he prefer; a big stone with less colour or a small stone with deep pure colour? Am I really getting what I pay for?
Finally, once I had reason to believe I had found the best emerald for Baba I reluctantly handed over the $600 in cash and was escorted out of the jewelers by the man who sold me the stone. He kindly put me in a taxi and made sure I was safely driven out of town. On the way home I kept staring at the emerald in bewilderment. I couldn’t believe something so small could cost so much. I just hope Cleopatra will like it.
The food in Bogotá was both varied and delicious. Thanks to the boys, I have developed quite a taste for various local fares which will no doubt persist throughout my travels in Colombia. As well as the meals they prepared for me at home, they also introduced me to other local dishes and street food which I wouldn’t have risked otherwise. César especially was eager to make me try almost every single fruit available in the country. All of which I can honestly say I have never tasted, recognized or even seen before in my entire life. Uchuba, freijoa, lulo, curuba, guayaba and the paste called bocadillo which is made from guayaba which is available almost everywhere – usually wrapped up in banana leaves and presented in nice little packages served with cheese. Yes, the use of cheese here in Colombia is quite strange considering they pair it with the most unusual items. Here it’s completely normal to sprinkle it over a fruit salad for example. I have even had the pleasure (I think) of dipping it piece by piece into a hot drink called agua de panela which is sort of like a cup of dark sugary hot water. The fun part is when you get to scoop out the melted cheese with a spoon! They even sprinkle cheese on desserts and make little balls of dough called pandebonos and buñuelos which are sold in many bakeries and street stalls around the city. Jürgen’s friend Serjio actually owns two shops that sell just these very delights. He claims his unique tropical aquariums are responsible for his success but I’m convinced it’s the quality of his balls! My two favorites of all the new things I tried are definitely arepas and obleas which can be bought from street carts all over the city. Arepas are kind of like corn-bread-cakey disks grilled with melted cheese and sometimes even with ham (mmmm), and obleas are huge sweet wafer disk sandwiches filled with cheese, dulce de mora (mulberry jam/paste) and arequipe. Arequipe is just about everywhere. They put it in everything and sell it all over the place so there is no escaping Arequipa. Buy an ice cream, bread roll, pastry or yogurt and the chances are it will be filled with the stuff. It's actually very much like the Argentinian dulce de leche which, if you recall from my earlier entries, they’re also obsessed with and adore the sickly sweet spread with a passion.
Cèsar and me eating an oblea
Jürgen took César and me to the market one Sunday morning which was an interesting experience. The market was huge and indoors for the most part. All kinds of fruit was displayed in the most creative of ways and vegetables that I didn’t even know existed graced stall after stall. Meat of all parts was on display ready for the picking and I watched in disbelief as Jürgen purchased what must have been half of an entire cow. I asked him why on earth he was buying so much meat to which he replied “we’re having schnitzels tomorrow night”. However, the most amusing event happened just after we had finished buying what we needed. At this point, just to paint the picture in your head, we were each carrying a shopping bag full of groceries from the market and had just reached the car, Cèsar is Colombian and looks like a Colombian. Jürgen must be almost 7 foot tall with blonde hair and blue eyes. Let's just say he stands out a bit! When the women selling fruit outside the market on the street saw us walking to the car, they came running towards the evident symbol of wealth and before I knew it, we were surrounded by women all declaring they had the best fruit and begged us to try it. One woman, and I'm still not sure how exactly she did this, held out an orange in front of me and with one hand managed to rip it in half and remove the skin in what must have been only a few seconds. I tried all of about 3 different delicious fruits before Jürgen finally succumb. I'm not just talking about a few apples or a bunch of bananas...the woman emptied her entire sack of oranges into Jürgen's shopping bag then held out her hand for payment - there must have been about 50 oranges, if not more! I later asked Jürgen if he always has this much fruit in the house and he said "no, but we have a guest staying with us and you will help us eat it all". I remarked that it was going to be a very fruity week!
One place that is definitely worth a mention is actually a national chain called Crepes & Waffles. There was one located just down from the street from Jürgen and Fabio's apartment and they thought it was entirely necessary to take a trip there just for the ice cream. Apparently, critics have claimed it's the best ice cream in the world and although I couldn't possibly comment on such a statement, I can honestly say that it was pretty damn good! Again, compliments of Jürgen. It was impossible to spend money when I was with him. Every time I attempted to buy anything I was either too late, or my hand was pushed away. As was the case in the Mexican restaurant - one of the best meals I had in Bogotà. Mexican is probably my second favourite food (Japanese is my numero uno) and this is the closest I'll get to trying it in its motherland. (Cèsar, Jürgen...¿Las cohiste?)
Because I'm in a country that is the second largest exporter of coffee in the world (Brazil is the 1st in case you were wondering) I have enjoyed countless great "tinto's" as they are called here. There are many different types of coffee and ways to prepare it but "tinto" is the most basic meaning filtered and black. I usually ask for a tiny bit of hot milk to be added and then it's perfect. I quickly learnt not to order the "cafe con leche" which literally translated means coffee with milk. Sounds good right? However, I could hardly believe it when I was presented with a cup full of hot coffee-flavored milk. One of the many interesting things about traveling around the world has been seeing the differences in coffee preparation. If the Italians saw for example how that woman in San Perdro de Atacama made my cappuccino, they'd probably either laugh or cry.
The last food experience I would like to share with you is actually German. Jürgen’s parents and married brother moved to Bogotá after falling in love with the country many years ago. And now, thanks to his brother, the population of Bogotá can enjoy frankfurters, doner kababs and other euro fares from his fancy-smanchy food stall in one of the city parks. It has been a huge success and it was strange to see all these Colombians lining up to get their German fix. Considering its relevance to the World Cup, business has been even busier and they even have screens in the park where you can watch the games while munching on your sauerkraut covered wurst.
The cloud forest in the National Park
The national park which is located only about an hour or so from the city was definitely one of the highlights of my visit to Bogotà. Jürgen and Fabio took me to enjoy the tranquil cloud forest and jungle landscapes that make up the entire region. We climbed a total of 500 meters up and down through lush greenery admiring the different kinds of flora and fauna. It was beautiful!
My Spanish was definitely put to the test when I arrived at Jürgen and Fabio's apartment. No English was allowed to be spoken in the house! I enjoyed the challenge but was frustrated at my lack of vocabulary. And the most painful thing was forgetting words that I had only just learnt just the day before. Every time we walked passed mundane things like a bridge, grass or a tree...Cèsar would ask me to name it. Again and again until it finally registered. But the most rewarding and interesting part of being with two English professors was when they took me to their classes and introduced me as their guest. Cèsar even asked me to mark 30 of his students at university whilst each of them presented a final oral exam in front of me and the entire group. I made them feel very nervous and I felt bad because my presence was unexpected - they had no idea that an Englishman would be marking them. Most of the students eagerly looked at me for assistance or signs of encouragement when their English failed and I found it extremely difficult to take on such a sensitive role. Some students were good but others were absolutely terrible and I even had to restrain myself from laughing on more than one occasion. The most notable presentation which really did make me laugh out loud was a group effort by three students who had written a script and performed a play before the whole class. They moved furniture around in the classroom to look like a hotel and restaurant which involved a woman going through the process of checking-in at reception followed by dinner at the restaurant. One student was the chef and the other was the receptionist. I have never laughed so much in my whole life. I only wish I could have recorded the whole thing on video.
Jürgen took me to his house class which was an hour long and mainly involved me talking to the students about my entire trip which was then followed by a ton of questions. The first question from one eager student was of course "how can you afford such a trip?". I reminded him that our economy is slightly stronger than theirs which is why I have been fortunate enough to travel for so long and in such countries. I also reminded them that I worked for 6 months in Australia which helped save more money.
Donaciòn Botero
The museums in Bogotà are incredible. I spent days looking around as many as I had time to fit in to my increasingly busy schedule. My favorite was Donaciòn Botero which is a permanent exhibition of paintings and sculptures donated by Fernando Botero, Colombia's most famous artist, to the Banco de la Rèpublica. The 208-piece collection contains 123 of Botero's own works including his paintings, drawings and sculptures plus 85 works by international artists - Picasso, Chagall, Mirò, Dali, Renoir, Matisse, Monet just to name a few. Ever since I saw a painting of his for the first time in Italy I have appreciated his work and couldn't resist buying a few souvenirs from the gallery. His ability to paint everything obese (including fruit and even trees) is truly remarkable and a pleasure to look at. His work makes me smile and the best piece in my opinion was his interpretation of Leonardo's Mona Lisa. It’s hilarious!
Museo Arquelògico, Museo de Arte Colonial, Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotà, Museo Nacional...I saw 'em all! It was very interesting to see that the Museo Nacional had just opened their latest temporary exhibition whilst I was there and was the latest big attraction. You can imagine my surprise when I discovered that the Terracotta Warriors from China were on tour and being exhibited right here in the capital of Colombia - parts of the exact same exhibition I saw in Xían, I couldn't believe it!
South of Bogotà by night
So now, it’s finally time to tear myself away from the city and continue north as I come close to the end of an exceedingly long trip. With some helpful travel tips and advice from the guys I think I have finally decided how I would like to end my 16 month adventure. Unfortunately, it doesn’t include Ali…
