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August 16 Columbia - EcuadorWell I managed to survive my flight to Columbia despite the best efforts of the pilot to drive the landing gear up through the wing. I'm guessing it was his first day on the job.
My first night in Bogota was a chilly one which emphasized the altitude factor over our proximity to the equator, whilst my first meal quickly reminded me how spoilt I´d been munching on Argentinian steak! Although to be fair Columbia would probably have the best drugs in South America.
I soon found my newly acquired transportable skill of stepping around dog shit, honed on the narrow side walks of Buenos Aires, a vital necessity on the streets of Bogota with no shortage of obstacles to negotiate. My first port of call was the gold museum with many fine pieces on display - those being the ones which the conquistadors didn´t melt down. There are also plenty of old buildings to take in with the exception being the Courts building which was destroyed by the military trying to literally smoke out a few guerillas - they succeeded by destroying the building. There was also no shortage of armed men in khaki around town to help show who is in charge, some even complemented their automatic rifle with a low slung pistol.
Next stop was Cali on an overnight bus which was a bit like catching a ride in a formula 1 car - for those of you that don't know Columbia has a couple of mountain ranges upon which they have built the main cities so to get from one mountain range to another you have to go down then up again, needless to say a night trip around hair pin bends is probably the best option - ignorance is bliss. Less said about the drivers passing maneuvers the better.
Initially my plan was to stay in Cali for two nights but this continued to be extended for a number of reasons. The first being the inauguration of the President of Columbia where it was pointed out to me that tensions may be a bit high and travel may not be that safe during this time - considering the fact that a car bomb was detonated in front of a police station the same day I arrived in town I figured I could hang around a little longer. By a freak coincidence the guys in my hotel were a good bunch and we ended up having a couple of roof parties to fill in the time over the inauguration. My two day stay turned into a week. Unfortunately by the end of the week our group had been reduced due to the fact that some people have jobs and must go back to work.
One of our favourite pastimes was to sit out the front of the hotel watching the world go by sipping coffee or cervesa depending on the time of day and who you were. Bruce and I were doing just that when a local hood took it upon himself to rob the lady over the road who had just withdrawn a large wedge of cash from the bank. A bit of a gun fight ensued between the robber and security guard which thankfully was only with revolvers so there weren't too many bullets flying. Bruce was quick to point out the fact the guy had a gun and dragged me to the ground. Our greatest danger was being in the security guard's field of fire with Bruce making a dash and taking cover behind a concrete wall whilst I melted into the corner. Bruce couldn't understand why I didn't follow him? The simple explanation was I was watching the security guard shooting in our direction so I moved out of his line of fire where as Bruce ran into it, something he wasn't aware of as he was hiding behind me at the time. Thankfully no one was hit although the buildings had a couple of scars. Bruce was just happy he didn't spill his coffee. The security video was replayed repeatedly to everyone's amusement which only elevated our fame. Unfortuately I couldn't stay in Cali forever so I headed to Quito and found the place crawling with gringo's which was a bit of a shock to the system. Quito is also quite high up. No worries though, next stop is my old stomping ground of Peru the home of ceviche and pisco sour. |
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