GoForth and Blog

When I was in Central America and each day felt like a week, as traveling days tend to do, and I was whining to Dennis that it would be sooooooo long till I came home, he said that he was just waiting for July 18. Because once it was July 18, I would be home in a month, and a month would go by really fast. So, July 18 has come and gone, and sure enough, even though I still have more time left in Bogotá than what I’ve already spent here (I can’t think of a clearer way to phrase that- I just mean I’ve been here for 3 weeks and I have 4 left), I am in full appreciation mode because I know I will blink my eyes and the trip will be over. Not that I haven’t fully appreciated the past 5 weeks, but… you know what I mean.

This week was good- Cindy and I saw the new Harry Potter, I started yoga classes (although I’m pretty sure it’s not a real form of yoga… just a lot of stretching and… swinging… but it was cheap enough- $40 for 12 classes!), and Friday was Colombia’s independence day so we had the day off from work. I was really excited when I found out it was independence day, but it turns out that it’s a rather solemn day here- people watch the military parade on TV, hang their flag, and quietly acknowledge it in other ways, but nothing big. (Click here to see a nice video with the Colombian national anthem.) I celebrated by going to the Museo Nacional, which houses a comprehensive exhibit of Colombia’s history in what used to be the city prison (it became a museum in 1948), and on the top floor is a great collection of Colombian art. Here are some photos of: (1) The building, (2) A prison-like hallway in the museum, (3) A portrait (one of many) of Simon Bolívar, South America’s liberator and Colombia’s first president, (4) A model of la Catedral Primada and la Capilla del Sagrario in Plaza Bolívar from 1898, which I’m including because it looks just like the real thing, and (5) Fernando Botero’s 20 de julio – his depiction Colombia’s independence day.

In the afternoon at el Museo there was a free performance of traditional Colombian dances, so Gloria, Leo, and Sori met me there for that. It was a bit amateurish- especially after seeing videos of Sori in traditional dance performances, which were phenomenal- but still fun to watch… and hey, you get what you pay for.

I had myself a tourism fest on Saturday, because I want to be able to leave the city one of these weekends and I won’t do that if I still feel like there are things for me to do here. So I took a quick walk through el Parque Nacional- a beautiful urban park with this curious adornment:

Then through the charming neighborhoods of La Magdalena and La Macarena, where I saw this house which I’m seriously thinking of buying:

To the Museo del Oro (the Gold Museum) which holds thousands of pre-Columbian gold works, such as these:

Then to la Iglesia Santa Clara, which the Lonely Planet describes as “probably the most representative of Bogotá’s colonial churches.” It was built in the mid-17th century as part of the Poor Clares Convent, and is now a museum of 17th and 18th century religious art. (On the way there I walked around la Casa de Nariño, the complex where President Uribe lives and works, which was cool but also stressful as there are many men with large guns who tell you not to do many things, like walk on the sidewalk that surrounds the complex or stand on tall ledges to take pictures, even if you’re just capturing a good view of the city and are not at all trying to take pictures of them or the complex.)

After the church I went to la Casa de Moneda- a museum housed in what was once the Mint that displays the history of Colombia’s money and a collection of antique presses… and, more interestingly for me, a great collection of Colombian art. Here are three of my favorites:

Finally, I returned to el Museo Botero, partly because I didn’t have my camera with me the first time I went, but also because I just love it. I love it so much that I am going to make a separate post of Botero pictures.

Today Clarita- the Escuela Nueva director’s daughter, who also works for the organization- and her husband, Camilo- took me to Monserrate- one of the mountains on the city’s eastern edge. At the top of the mountain is a white church which can be seen, glowing, from everywhere in Bogotá. Here is a view of it, to the left of La Catedral Primada:

The church is a pilgrimage site for Catholics who attribute many miracles to the church’s statue of the Fallen Christ (El Señor Caído).

It’s possible to hike to the top, take a cable car, or a funicular. We had been planning to hike but were advised that it would be too crowded- which is was- so we opted for the cable car.

This turned out to be for the best, since not long after reaching the top it started to pour, which would have made the hour+ hike rather unfun. Here’s a photo of people crowding under the entrance to church to hide from the rain.

We observed part of a mass, and then toured the grounds- there are a couple of very nice restaurants, but the fun part is the lane of market stalls selling souvenirs and LOTS of fried things.


The snacks are very Colombian- chorizo, chicken, corn-on-the-cob, platanos stuffed with cheese and guava paste, corn bread, soup… and intestines.

And of course, you need something to wash that all down, so various types of moonshine are available. Varieties of the traditional Colombian anise liquor, Aguardiente, are sold home-made and steeped with herbs, and indigenous brews are concocted from fermented maize, including chi-cha and masato.

The vendors offer free samples, so how could I refuse? I was a little nervous… most forms of moonshine are poisonously foul… but everything I tasted was not just tolerable, but really good! The maize drinks actually tasted like apple cider.
And so, a dulce end to another dulce fin de semana en Bogotá.

Take me Home!