First Days

OK to pick up where I left off...from the cafe, we continued walking through the city. I am just beginning to feel comfortable with names and knowing directions, which is great. We walked back along La Carrera Septima, or 7th Avenue. It's basically the 5th Avenue of Bogota, for comparison. You can buy just about anything on that street, or find any type of food. We then turned onto Avenida Jimenez, another major thoroughway. This is also a street on which you can apparently find roasted ants and try them, which I did. Photo to come soon, courtesy of Whitney. The ants were very crunchy and tasted like salt roasting. The worst parts of the experience were A) you can't stop thinking about the fact that you are eating an ant; and B) the crunchiest parts of the shells and legs linger in your mouth for much longer than you'd like.

We passed through a nice park where, along with a view of other neighborhoods higher in the mountains, we were able to see one of the destinations on my to-do list, Monserrate. The photos didn't turn out very well, but it was impressive. There were some dogs playing in the part as well; stray dogs can be seen on almost any street in basically any part of the city, and they're very friendly (although, no, I won't pet them).

A few steps away from the park was a small market where we picked up a plantain to cook tostones and some mini plums, which were delicious. We were able to watch an impromptu soccer game on a fenced in court. We also spoke briefly to siblings Angela Sofia y Michael deSalinas, who were very curious to know what we gringos were doing in Bogota.

We walked up into an area called El Chorro, which is sort of a hippie/rasta hangout. You can find tons of little artisanal shops selling all sorts of handmade products, from ponchos to jewelry to statues of spiders constructed from wire and rocks. Everyone in the area is friendly and willing to talk to you; without us buying anything, one of the proprietors shared with Whitney certain pattens for making hemp bracelets. El Chorro is a winding street which eventually deposits you into a little plaza with a fountain. It wasn't very busy when we passed by, but I have since walked through at night and it seems like a major place to hang out. The photo is a view from the park down the streets of El Chorro. Note behind the vendor a statue of a man cropping out from one of the buildings. We have seen many such statues, especially in the older section of the city. I haven't seen any Banksy works (though many copies exist of his style), but finding these statues at various points of the city is always a small delight, because they are often so unexpected.

From El Chorro we returned briefly to the hostel, where I was able to write the post, then I accompanied Whitney to her English class. We took the Transmilenio bus, which is an express cross-city bus. It's decently cheap, and except for the fact that rush hour made it SUPER crowded, it was a great experience. It also made me realize that Bogota is enormous; we were on the bus for at least 45 minutes, plus we had walked to the station from our hostel as well.

After Whitney's English class, we returned to the hostel and spent time talking with our roommate Yoav. Then I watched a movie with Frann while he was working in reception, and it was time for bed after a great first day in the city!

My sleep schedule has been really off because of staying up all night before my flight, and catching short naps, plus each night that I've been here I stay up late talking and interacting with others. Yet somehow, I still wake up early in the morning. Yesterday, we decided to take it easy in the AM, since Whitney had to plan for her lessons. I spent the morning reading and dozing in a hammock in the courtyard...pure heaven. I don't know the last time that I've let myself just relax and truly "be", but I'm finding it to be an easy process here in Colombia. It's also fascinating; many of the people, both Colombians and those staying in the hostel, with whom I've interacted are very spiritual people. Even after just two days, I think it's been a huge growing experience for me and it's definitely helping me to dig deeper in my own mind.

For lunch, Whitney and I went to the house of her friend, Raquel. Raquel was born in the Phillipines and raised in the US, and is friendly and warm. We spent hours talking with her about spirituality, politics/international economics, and education. Raquel lives in a neighborhood called La Macarena, and it's worth noting that each of the neighborhoods in Bogota has its own feel. Whitney and I have been discussing how many of the areas remind us of different places that we've been. For instance, La Macarena could just as easily be found in a suburb of Boston, while our own neighborhood La Candelaria is muy parecido a Trinidad en Cuba.

Last night, we were going to attend a concert, but then found out about a philosophy lecture on spiriuality and the world. We walked to meet her friend Daniel to go to the lecture, but he was unable to find out the exact location of the talk, so instead we grabbed some food (I had my first arepa, which is a Colombian specialty. There are different versions that come from different parts of the country. I had the Boyacense version which was basically cornmeal wrapped arond cheese, and it was superbien) and a box of wine and headed back to the hostel. We passed the rest of the night talking with various people coming in and out, which was absolutely amazing. This is the first time I've ever lived in a hostel and I love it. You are able to come in contact with so many people that you otherwise would never meet, and you can get new perspectives on many issues. My night didn't end till about 2:45 AM, because I stayed up talking with Diego and Fran about politics in our countries (Colombia, Argentina, and the US, respectively). We got into specific politicians, corruption, political parties, and even the voting process itself. You know how confusing the electoral college is? Imagine trying to explain it in Spanish...

This morning I woke up to join a meditation session at 8 AM. It was very peaceful and relaxing. One of the women who participated also worked individually with each of us on an exercise to connect us to our ancestors. The theory is that the vertebrae in the spine each hold the memory of one of our ancestors. If you can tap into these energies, your ancestors will help you stay on the path which you are supposed to walk. You lay on your stomach and she utilizes pressure points along the spine to activate the energies. I don't know how aligned with my ancestors I am now, but I can certainly say that she was able to crack parts of my lower back by touching the top of mine spine, so it was certainly enjoyable nonetheless!

Whitney eating a fruit called la pitahaya, which is sort of like a kiwi, but more sweet than sour. The big seeds also give it an awesome texture.

Whitney is currently teaching class as I write. I'm going to grab some breakfast and later this afternoon go on a walk with Frann when he's back from the leather market. Tonight we are going to a free concert of traditional Colombian music, then out to a nightclub/dancing spot.