Blogs from Bogota, Colombia, South America - page 58

...um aparte Para viajar, escrevo! Hoje resolvi escrever... escrever sobre uma viagem... escrever sobre uma minha viagem! Desde que saí de Portugal vivi inúmeras experiências. Vi e vivi muita coisa, muita coisa que nunca vou escrever porque não faria qualquer sentido. Agora, passado tanto tempo, quando escrevo, escrevo para recordar momentos que passei e sobre os quais nunca vou escrever pela razão supracitada. Escrevo também para partilhar com quem dá uma vista de olhos ao que escrevo. Faz-me sentir bem. Não deixa que me sinta sempre sozinho. Há mais de um ano que não falo português, à excepção de três ocasiões: - com um português emigrado em França que encontrei na Bolivia. O ‘Manel’; - as 2 vezes que vi o Rodrigo, um amigo que trabalha em Buenos Aires; - e a minha prima Joana que ... read more

THERe IS after all a direct bus to Bogota from Villa De Levya. Its huge although sans real air conditioning. We took it back for about $10.... Even though we got stopped and had our passports taken at a checkpoint (they gave them back) it was a really nice ride. Elizabeth and I got food to take on the bus. With our bad spanish, we got a corn cake, homemade sausages and little potatoes in a brown paper bag for $2.50US. Liz made a face at the guy for the high price and he gave her an extra corn cake. it was okay except for the serious lack of salsa. Okay, we spent our last hours (we literally had saturday evening and sunday morning left in bogota) hanging with Elizabeth´s friend Daniel and friends. We went ... read more

WOAAA!! Its not registering that i don´t have to go into work on monday. Oh....but i think it will hit me soon. I relax very easily. especially since on saturday, i´m getting aN HOUR message for only $20. OK. if i could figure out 3 things, travelling would be simplere 1. how to you get teh (at) symbol on these computers. 2. How do you not have a heart attack everytime you get in a car (already got into a fender bender...no worries though. the driver we hit just gave us a look and kept going). 3. how do you say you´re cute, can i take your picture, and then can you take me dancing. i know how to say the first part: se puesto tener uno photo y..... Bogota is maybe twice the size of ... read more

Zipaquira 50ks from Bogota, we thought we´d come here first and check out the "magnificent" salt cathedral ($0.50cents) before Bogota. It would be good, if it wasn´t for the money making business around it. The cathedral is completely underground, you descend 180 metres into the salt chapels. It is quite dark, but happily not that cold. As you do the walk of the 15 crosses (still not sure if that´s the correct number), you forget that the marble around you is actually not marble but salt. And common table salt at that. I never knew it could be so strong. Next time anyone is bored at a dinner table, try making a little cathedral from the contents of your salt shaker. I will be impressed. Zipaquira is not pretty or interesting. We stayed in a hotel ... read more

Looking at the beginning of my last entry, I think I was myself being a little over-sensational about what goes on in Colombia. Probably just playing up to the ususal stereotypical fears of the ignorant public at large, in order to hype-up the story. And I apologise to all Colombians for doing so. This country is truly something else, the level of warmth of the people I have only ever encountered once before - in India. Almost everywhere you go, the people are helpful, friendly, curious, charming and truly alive. In stark contrast to it's neighbour, Venezuela -which is still for me the biggest dissapointment of my trip thus far. Oh yes, I can hand on heart state that the most beautiful women in the world are Colombian and certainly NOT the Venezuelans - having ... read more