April 9, 2005
Hasta pronto, Bogota
This will be my last post from Colombia. I leave tomorrow with sadness in my heart. I made good friends during my five weeks in Bogota, people who helped me understand the way they live, the way their city works; people who taught me how to appreciate Colombian rum and gallina campesina. I'm amazed that one is able to establish such strong connections in such short period of time, that one is able to learn so much about a city and its residents in just over 30 days.
I'll miss the morning chats with Irma and her colorful commentary about the news in El Tiempo. I'll miss the cafe perico at Juan Valdez, the ride along Avenue Caracas at a TransMilenio window seat. I'll miss Marta, the dear friend who made this experience so much richer to me. I'll miss my walks along Carrera 9, my day with the National Police, the streets of Candelaria, Botero's gorditos, arepas for breakfast and ajiaco on cold days. I'll miss my creaky bed, the books by Santiago Gamboa, the Sunday afternoons of Spanish tapas and sangria with Mauricio and Luz Maria. I'll miss the people of Ciudad Bolivar, folks who welcomed me in their humble homes and scraped the can to offer me a fresh, strong cup of coffee. I'll miss Forney, Adriana, Jairo and Oscar, and I wish them luck in their fight to keep the dump from taking up a swath of the green mountains in southern Bogota.
If you've been reading my blog, you will know that taxi drivers are not my favorite type, but I think I'll miss them as well. They taught me to never let my guard down, never reveal too much to a stranger, for you never know what they want from you.
This is my last post from Bogota, but this is not adios. This is simply an hasta luego.
Posted by Fernanda Santos at 12:21 PM | Comments (0)
April 6, 2005
After four days sunbathing in the Carribean, I'm back to Bogota, enjoying my last days in the city. I was in Cartagena, a beautiful town still surrounded by the same walls built by the Spaniards in the 16th century as a means of protection against constant pirate attacks.
Cartagena's old town is a gem, but what surrounds it is dire poverty and deserperation from a people whose only means of survival lies on the crowded tourism industry. The city is one of the poorest in Latin America, with 70% of its residents making less than the Colombian minimum wage of roughly $300. It's also the main destination for people who are displaced by Colombia's conflict and poverty. From the plane, one can see the slums on the outskirts of the city, the humble homes of the people who clean our hotel rooms, cook our food, wait out tables; the same people who smile to us, who tell us they're pleased to serve us, who wish us a nice day as we walk to the beach.
Posted by Fernanda Santos at 2:51 PM | Comments (0)
April 1, 2005
Pollution and the beach
My head hurt and spinned as I made my way back home at rush hour. It couldn't be the beer, I thought, for I had downed only one. Perhaps it was the pollution, the thick black smoke that spewed out of the back of the many buses that travel along that strip of Carrera 11, transporting workers from downtown Bogota to their homes somewhere in the north. Thank God I quit smoking a year ago. With Bogota's air, who needs a After Mexico City, Bogota is the most polluted capital in Latin America, mostly because Colombia's emmission rules are lax, so old buses still travel the streets, leaving behind a lingering trace of smog. A 2000 survey of 1,200 Bogotanos found that 82% experienced runny nose, 72% suffered from dry throat and 68% had headaches because of pollution.
The city has taken some steps to minimize the effects of pollution on its 8 million residents. Every other weekday during morning and evening rush hour, traffic is restricted to cars whose license plates end in odd numbers (when odd-numbered license plates are let out, people who drive cars with even-numbered plates have to stay home, and vice versa). Bogota has also increased the gasoline tax, closed 75 miles of roadway for seven hours on Sunday to turn them into a giant bike path, and instituted a car-free day once a year. The idea was adopted by Cali and Valledupar, two other Colombian cities also trying to reduce their levels of pollution.
As you can see, my lungs need a break. I'm headed to Cartagena, folks, to spend four days drinking cervezas and lounging at the beach. Mike is on his way here and will join me for the coming week. I'm at the airport, waiting for him. He's coming from New York and we leave at 6 p.m. for our mini-vacation.
I filed my first story today, about the success Bogota has had in the past 10 years in bringing down its murder rate. It will run in the Christian Science Monitor sometime soon, I hope. I'll post the link here once it's out.
Posted by Fernanda Santos at 12:19 PM | Comments (0)