The Wild

It was a busy day in Bogota. I woke up at 8:30 AM in order to learn how to make arepas from my airbnb host. The actual recipe was very simple, and included only corn flower, milk, egg, a little local cheese, and a touch of salt. He explained that most Columbian households have their own family recipe, and that arepas can vary greatly from family to family and region to region.

My instructions did not include an exact formula. Instead I was shown the correct consistency required to achieve the correct patties. Once formed the small discs are fried in a hot pan with a little oil.

The results was fast, filling, and delicious. Bonus points for being gluten free.

After breakfast I made a trip to the bank where I learned a couple things. First, it is not easy to determine when you are opting into a currency conversion scheme, and I believe I got overcharged. I would like to review the transaction, only the machine did not give me a receipt. This was at Banco Popular. The one piece of good news is that Columbian automated tellers do have English language options, and they will accept pin numbers greater than 4 digits.

Often Canadian banks will request that travelers set 4 digit pins for their cards before leaving to go abroad. The reason is that some international banks machines will only accept 4 digit codes. Likewise, if you have a 4 digit code, and a Columbian bank machine asks for a longer code, simply enter the first 4 digits and either hit enter to skip the rest, or put a 0 in each unfilled space. At least that is what the internet recommended while I was researching.

After the bank it was time to catch the US inauguration. Those Americans really know how to put on a show – just wish it was better news for Canada. Personally, I think now would be an ideal time to start up a small manufacturing business in Canada. Perhaps it is time for our nation to start pushing made in Canada goods.

After watching the speech I needed to get out, and I decided to head into the old city. I was led to believe that it would take about an hour to walk from my suite. This was not quite correct.

Thankfully I have been adjusting to the altitude, and I walked almost 10 kilometers through central Bogota. It was a beautiful day, 21 degrees centigrade and mostly sunny. As I walked I began to get a feel for the city. Like many large centers Bogota is an eclectic mix of old and new – of colonial and modern architecture, and just walking the street was like wandering through a gallery exhibit.

It had been my aim to get into La Candelaria by foot, but I ran out of steam a little before I hit the goal. I decided to Uber back, and was itching to try the Uber Moto option.

What is Uber moto you ask? It is a motorcycle taxi. I first became familiar with the motorcycle taxi in Asia, and learned to truly appreciate them for travel in large cities. The driver arrived at my location in under 5 minutes, and after exchanging pin codes, he passed me a bright pink helmet. I chuckled a little and put it on. Time was ticking, and I could tell he was itching to go.

The appeal of the motorcycle taxi is threefold. First it is always less expensive than a standard taxi. Second it is the only way to beat gridlock. In large cities like Bogota the bikes just slip in between the lined up cars, and fly through gridlock. Lastly, as you can imagine, its kina a rush.

The ride was great, and I even managed to engage my pilot in a little Spanish language practice while he weaved in and out of traffic. His tendency to turn around and look at me while he was driving was a little unnerving, and after a few blocks I just tuned out and enjoyed the ride. And what a ride it was.

We only had one minor collision. From the back of the bike I could not see exactly what happened, but essentially we rammed into another motorcycle. I had lots of warning as he hit the breaks hard, and the actual collision was just a little bit of a bump – tire on tire action. A rapid apology to the other biker and we were off again.

A couple of blocks later he turned and said “Well done” in English while taking a hand off the bars to give me a quick thumbs up. I assumed he meant “good job hanging on and not flying over the handlebars when I hit that guy!” I just replied with an enthusiastic “Muchas gracias!” which made him laugh before gunning the bike into another swath of rush hour traffic.

I had him drop me off at the grocery store. I said my thanks, and passed him the pink helmet. We were both grinning as I bid the driver audios! The entire ride cost me less than two dollars Canadian, and was probably more fun than most amusement park rides.

After four days in Bogota I am starting to find my groove, and what a groove it is!

Stay Wild!!

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Image source: Smart Specialization Bogota – IDOM