J H I Blog

As the large airliner came to a final resting stop and the captain announced: “Bienvenidos a Bogota” the passengers spontaneously burst out with a happy and spirited round of applause.

Only hours before, as we were getting settled for take-off, my seatmate introduced himself to me as a Colombian student studying in Washington, D.C. He proceeded to spend the best part of the flight proudly extolling the virtues of his country, the people, and the many interesting things a casual visitor might never learn. Not one to begin conversations on airplanes, I was, however, eager to obtain any bits of knowledge that might make my journey richer.

Encircled by mountains, and spreading across an enormous valley, Bogota, feels like an old colonial city somehow protected from time and everywhere else. It is the third highest city in the world, and a bustling hodgepodge mixture of Spanish style buildings with a good measure of Art Deco gems spread throughout, all breathing laboriously under a blanket of soot and neglect.

Everywhere I went I met happy and helpful people. Until recently, Bogota had the reputation of being one of the most dangerous cities in the world, but those statistics have changed and it’s through a concerted effort of the general populace and government intervention combined. There is, however, the ever present opportunity to get a close up view of some very intimidating weaponry in the hands of very young looking, camo-clad, soldiers.

Need to make a call? They do payphones differently here. Out of a need for alternative forms of infrastructure, everywhere you walk there are placard toting “cell phone minutes” vendors that have numerous beat up phones attached to their bodies on lanyards. For about 6 cents a minute, several people can have their conversations milling around the vendor like fish stuck to the tentacles of an octopus.

Bogota is often referred to as the Athens of South America. There are endless museums and galleries, libraries and other establishments that offer a fascinating look at a culture that predates recorded history to the modern Colombian classical figurative artist: Fernando Botero.

As our flight neared our destination my anticipation level was quite high after hearing about a fiercely proud culture that quite happily endures in the face of a 50% poverty rate, world infamous crime reputation, and an on-going civil war that stopped making sense many years ago when the original intent of that conflict became lost and the revolutionaries became criminals enamored of their own power fueled by killing and kidnapping. My seatmate mentioned that Colombians are always happy to return home to their country and often, upon arrival, they often express their joy and solidarity by clapping. And, that’s exactly what happened.