Any description of Bogota would have to start, I think, with the fact that it is a big sprawling noisy chaotic mess. That's a lot of adjectives, but Bogota is big. There's a lot going on here. It's amazing how it all works with decent fluidity. More adjective, I know. I'll try to calm down. I can compare it to New York in size and population. It's also similar to New York the way that there's a new neighborhood around every corner. But there's just so much more clutter. There are a constant stream of Busetas down every major street. Constant. There are thousands of them. They are little commuter buses run by God knows who. But they blanket the city and can get you anywhere you want to go. Like New York there are Taxis too. Millions of them. Though you can't get one when it rains because Bogotenos don't like to get wet. Despite this they don't like to wear hats. Apparenty, it's a bit of a rebellion against the stodgy 50's and 60's when everyone wore hats. In any event the streets are hive-like during the day with pedestrians, taxis and busetas. Also there is the Transmilenio. It's similar to a tram system, but with buses instead. On several of the major streets there are dedicated lanes that only the buses and emergency vehicles can use. There are hundreds of buses that run along these routes daily, zipping along a number of routes. During rush hour, and on some lines all day, these buses are PACKED. If you've ever ridden a subway in Tokyo, you know what I'm talking about. As Alissa likes to phrase it, you're smushed in boob to boob. So these zip along at nearly all hours of the day, from 5 and until 11, depending on the route.
Graffiti is everywhere. It's like I imagine NYC was in the 70's (or at least thanks to the Warriors). Everywhere. The lower parts of every wall at every university building -- even the big walled off private ones -- are covered. A lot of it's political. Some of it is beautiful. Much of the city is gray and grimey. I have the same opinion of Bogota as I do of Los Angeles: it's much prettier at night and when it's raining.
But the city is lots of fun and we've had a good time so far when we've ventured out and about. I've yet to have any really good restaurant food. And the local beer is awful. But there's a cool vibe in many neighborhoods and in one in particular that is close to us (called the Macarena) that we've enjoyed frequenting. And despite it's reputation, we've found Bogota to be fairly safe and navigable. Don't get me wrong, as I wrote before, there are lots of sketchy people and places here, but the gernally atmosphere is a congenial one. Everyone here, everyone, says hello and goodbye. Of course not while walking through a crowd, but anytime there is personal contact people say hello (what's new and/or good day/afternoon/evening are most common) and goodbye (see you later is the most common phrase). No one walks by our doormen without at least a nod. Everyone says hello on elevators. Every store clerk says goodbye as you leave. And I have to say that I like it. It's nice to live in a city where people want to cultivate a sense of community.
It's still a bit strange being a noticeably foreign person. I still get stares and glances. I suppose it will never really go away. But it's more comfortable now. I've run into enough people who just don't care and who put up with my awful Spanish wihtout complaint to conclude that there will always be some but most are happy to welcome us.
Looking forward to a trip to the carribean the weekend after next. We're visiting the old city of Cartegena and I'm really looking forward to it. It was #1 on my list of things to see before we came here. I suppose Medellin is next. Hopefully, I'll have some good things to blog about both.
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