Rochester, NY

On my way to Canada to celebrate Gena's birthday and, of course, to play with Ruby. I want to lounge in her pool and help pick vegetables from the garden. She has such a nice life!

Arrived just in time yesterday to join mom and dad, their friends Elaine and Jay, Kathryn and Barbara and Don for dinner at Shanghai. Elaine and Jay were much later than expected and when they arrived they said they had been sitting at Tokyo, the restaurant next door, waiting for us. They even ordered tea and after a long wait the waitress finally asked if maybe their friends were at a different restaurant. Jay said, "This is the Shanghai, right?" I was reminded of the story of a friend's mother who showed up for her son's engagement party at a private New York City club. When she arrived at the club they assumed her to be a guest of the party taking place on the 4th floor and sent her up. She chatted with guests, had a drink and then realized that her son and his fiancé's family were no where in sight. The wrong club. It was a good opening story when she finally arrived at the engagement party.

The drive up was quite beautiful especially coming through the area around Cortlandt on Route 17. I stopped in Roscoe and with the addition of the Prohibition Distillery and Trout Town Brewery the town is quite busy. I was looking more carefully at the landscape this drive having spent so many hours these past two weeks riding through the cities and countryside of Colombia. There is something so pristine about the farmland in New York States; very green, manicured, well-defined. It almost lacks human presence unlike the Colombian landscape that we saw. The evidence of human life in Colombia was what caught my eye: seeing children, laundry hanging outside, trash, especially plastics, piled along roads.

The official end to the Colombia trip

It's already August 4th at 2:46am. This day started when I woke up at 6am on Monday to get ready to leave Bogota. Esperanza called at 8:30am to say that she'd found me a driver to go to the airport and would come get me at 10am to go for a walk around the neighborhood before the driver arrived at 11:30am.

We walked past the theatre that had a comedy about semantics playing, something I would have loved to have seen if I could have understood any of the Spanish, and down toward the main road. As we walked Esperanza pointed out people who lived in the houses, houses that had been sold and switched from residences to businesses, and the Christian coffee shop and residences. She also took me past her church and the local park (that some people have been advocating to turn into a parking lot for business). We ended up on the main road and stepped into yet another mall. I spotted the Artisanal shop that was closed in the other mall and we went in. I walked out with an array of leather and mola purses and coin purses. The mola art comes from the indigenous tribe of Panama, the Kuna, but is also found in the northwestern areas of Colombia that share culture with Panama, once under Colombian rule. I also walked out with a purse that was a gift from Adela. She hadn't forgotten that she wanted to buy me something (remember the browsing at the Gold Museum?). I love my red leather and mola purse.

We arrived back at the hotel at 11:30am, but Esperanza told me she had to head home to meet the cab. When she returned, about 10 minutes later, her mother was also in the car. They decided to accompany me to the airport. We stood by the back of the car thinking the driver would put my suitcase in the trunk, but he informed us that he did not have a trunk and put the suitcase on the front seat. The three of us squeezed into the back seat along with my overstuffed backpack. Along the way the driver got off the highway and then circled around to get back on toward the airport declaring that he'd forgotten that we were going to the airport. He was headed toward home. Esperanza told me that she knew this driver since they were children together.

Despite the traffic we arrived at the airport at 12:30pm and I checked in and went through security. The security has often included a pat down, but you keep your shoes on and you don't need to take out computers or liquids. I bought a water once I was inside and was surprised that I had to go through another security check at the gate to the plane from Panama to JFK and give up the water. They also had us take off shoes and watches.

The airport was mostly rows and rows of duty free shops; names brands from around the world. I stopped in three different stores of Colombian goods, but the prices were all in US dollars and much more expensive than on the street. The bags I bought at the market for $22 were selling for $135. I was glad I had done my shopping during my trip. I did end up spending all of my pesos before getting on the plane to Panama by picking up last-minute gifts. I also had my first black coffee since Juan Valdez in Barranquilla. It's very hard getting coffee without milk! Turned out that the shop was Peruvian selling coffee from Peru (with a large display comparing it to Colombian coffee).

We landed in Panama City and I walked the whole length of the airport to get to the gate for the NYC flight. I had the very last seat on the plane, 33A, by the window. A man was in the aisle seat across from his family, a woman and two boys, and he was more comfortable with the arm up so that he could sit in a little more than one seat. A woman came to take the middle seat, but hardly had room to sit and was moved before we took off. I had been thinking that I should have upgraded for this flight to enjoy some space and quiet after weeks of being close to lots of people; I think she got upgraded to first class. With no one in the middle it turned out to be a good seat. I watched movies and slept. I woke up to look down as we were flying over Cuba. I noticed a lot of lightning as we were flying. Is there lightning up in the clouds that doesn't make its way to the ground?

Arriving early to the airport meant that my luggage was almost the last suitcase to come down the belt. There are now automated machines for checking passports and customs declaration so it was a quick trip to the baggage claim. It took an hour to get the luggage. My cab driver was from Bangladesh and he chatted all the way to Riverdale about travel and the excitement of seeing countries around the world.

So now to spend the next few days unpacking and unpacking the experience.
Arriving in Bogota
On the way to the Bogota airport

   Trek up Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
On the way to Palomino
Atop Montserrate, Bogota
Meeting the Minister of Education, Barranquilla

Last day in Bogota

Hard to believe, but tomorrow I get on a plane and return home. It's been a long, full trip.

Today Esperanza and her mom picked me up at the hotel at 8:30am. Manuel was our driver and we started out the ride to Zipaquira with a complicated conversation about the cost of the trip. He was asking to be paid up front and quoted the price in USD. Esperanza questioned why she couldn't pay in pesos and they both ended up on the phone with the boss of the company discussing how and how much the trip would cost. I had gone to the bank in the morning to get money knowing that online trips started at 75 USD. Manuel finally got approval to accept 588,000 pesos or $231. With a strong exchange rate, the pesos were about $20 cheaper. Along the way we discovered that lunch and admission to the cathedral were included in the cost.

I have gotten used to the verbal exchanges that I hear all around me. Listening to Mariana and Simon negotiate our trip, especially arrangements in restaurants, and to Esperanza as we've travelled around Bogota has convinced me that there is a banter that goes on beyond the problem at hand. An exchange of politeness and give and take; a bit of sticking to one's position until there's an indication that it's safe to give in and compromise. It always sounds like a lot more conversation than the depth of the problem.

There wasn't much traffic on an early Sunday morning which made the ride to Zipaquira quick and pleasant. The roadside was filled with vendors displaying kites for sale. August is considered a windy month and kite flying is popular.

We arrived and there was no line. We asked for a wheelchair for Esperanza's mother and Manuel pushed her in the wheelchair all the way to the chapel; not an easy undertaking on the bumpy, uneven and dark path inside the cave. The cathedral was rebuilt in 1995 inside a salt mine and is dedicated to the Stations of the Cross. As you walk the path into the mine and down to the cathedral you pass each station with a cross carved out of salt. 

The alter, itself, is even deeper down into the cave, but we didn't pay the extra to get down there. As it was, Esperanza's mother couldn't navigate the steps to get into the viewing area for the alter. While we were there the color of the lights changed several times.

The views from the site were beautiful. After seeing the chapel we rode the train around Zipaquira. It wound through the streets of the old town and then turned onto the main street lined with new stores and restaurants. There's also an old fashioned train that goes between Bogota and Zipaquira that takes about an hour and a half.

 

When we drove to lunch in Zipaquari the driver pulled right into what appeared to be driveway. It was actually in the same space as the restaurant, all of it looking like one big garage. We had traditional sancocho (another potato soup) and meats. When we opened the car doors to get out we were greeted by a waiter holding a plate of freshly cut meat. A tasting and his declaration that if we didn't like the food we wouldn't have to pay for it! By the time we finished lunch a group of musicians were performing Andean music. Esperanza invited them over to our table and while they played, they also shared the CDs they were selling. She ended up with four CDs and gave me one; Andean music from the mountain range that spans seven countries - Colombia, Equador, Peru, Venezuela, Argentina, Bolivia and Chile.

We arrived back in Bogota around 3:30pm and I fell right to sleep and had a heavy one-hour nap. Esperanza asked me to walk over to her house at 4:30pm and said we would take a walk and have coffee. Her mother didn't want to go out again. By the time I got to the house Alena was ready to go and we all climbed into her Jeep, an old, sturdy SUV. Esperanza gave me a tour of the area from calle 72 to 115, the borders of the farm that belonged to the family that owned the Museo del Chico. Along the way she pointed out a number of new, large hotels, several shopping malls and lots of American fast food. We also saw the new building that Scientology has just completed. Their presence along with an increasing presence of a Fundamentalist Christian church from Australia is changing this neighborhood. Esperanza says the Christians hold prayer sessions in the parks and in many of the 40 homes they own in the neighborhood. She speaks about them as a new "other;" a new cultural group that is very present. We ended the ride at the local mall and bumped into her brother who has an apartment nearby, but is leaving Wednesday to return to Sweden where he lives with his family.

I took this photo in Adela's house while I was waiting to leave on our ride. I couldn't resist the sunlight streaming in, shedding light on the fruit on the table. I was glad I caught the photo because as soon as Adela came downstairs she closed the curtain to block the sun.

Scientology building.

A new perspective on Bogota

Esperanza arrived at 11am with her mother. Ricardo was driving his cab. We headed out toward Park 93 in response to my question about Parque Chico. There wasn't a market, but it turns out that this park is in the center of a nice, upscale neighborhood and is surrounded by restaurants and shops. We drove down the streets and then continued on toward the Museo de El Chico, a private home that had been turned into a museum to display the owner's collection and to preserve the hacienda. Another hacienda that we passed later in the day has been turned into a shopping mall.

Mercedes Sierra de Perez was the daughter of the wealthiest man in Colombia. He started out modestly, but bought farm land (on which this house was located) and built his wealth. He had eight children including Mercedes. The collection included cabinets of Chinese porcelains, Japanese porcelains, Moroccan furniture, French and German style china and furniture and a room of paintings of Madonna and child. There were many alcoves built into the walls and most were lined with Spanish tile. There was also a small chapel. The property is currently used as a museum and a site for weddings and catered events.

Outside, a portion of the property has been turned into a park for children with play equipment. It's a public space, but is part of the property of the museum.

From the museum we drove to Usaquen, a small town that was absorbed into Bogota in the 1950's. Esperanza described several small towns near the foot of the mountains in the north part of the city that are now part of Bogota. Along the way we road up the mountain to some lookouts to see the northern end of Bogota. 

Usaquen has narrow cobblestone streets and lots of restaurants. We had lunch at a traditional Colombian restaurant, Casa Vieja, and I was able to eat ajiaco again. It is one of my favorites: three potato soup, shredded chicken, capers, avocado, corn on the cob and a dab of cream. They also served it with rice. I also had a lulo juice, one of my favorites. Esperanza and her mother shared a trout dish.

We passed a flea market that ran down one side of a long street and I bought mochilas from the Wayuu tribe; colorful shoulder bags that are hand woven by the women. Each pattern tells a story. I had been thinking about them since leaving them behind in Palomino and was glad to have a chance to shop for them. Also found an amazing beaded flower necklace made by the woman who was selling them. Across the road I saw two men beading jewelry, one bead at a time. 

    Church in the town square.               Mayor's house (and Starbucks)

 
After lunch we stopped to pick up a sandwich for Ricardo and ended up having a cafe con leche while we waited. The owner was standing by the door greeting people and shared that he lives in Israel. He lived a recent five years in Colombia with his mother until she passed away and was very pleased to chat with Esperanza and her mom.

We stopped at Esperanza's house to drop her mother off before heading on to the botanical garden. Their home is near my hotel, just on the other side of the local theater. It's one of a few single family homes in a row of homes that sit among many small apartment buildings. The neighborhood has lots of new housing and Esperanza pointed our two where her brothers live. One brother, an architect, is getting ready to build a new apartment building in this neighborhood and has just rented a home that he owns to a nursing home. Alena's apartment is very open and simple. She's lived there for 50 years. There was a charcoal portrait of her on the mantel and she told me that she was 15 in the photo. What she didn't tell me, but I found out later, was that she was married at 15 and already had a child when that picture was made. She had six children and eventually became a lawyer. She's 90. There's a garden off of the living room that belongs to her home, but is bordered by several other homes as well. The neighborhood is about to get a six story building behind Alena's property that may cut off some of the beautiful sunlight that was pouring into the living room.

We ended that day at the botanical garden that had been recommended to me by Mariana. Her husband works there. It's a lovely park-like garden with thematic sections. Many things are in bloom right now so there was color as well as the deep greens of a large variety of trees. There were also some educational displays including some examples of vertical gardening.

I loved this tree. It so lively with colors sprinkled through the branches from leaves that were hanging onto the ends of branches.

   This display had planters made from plastic liter bottles.

We joked about having a chair that would have salad growing on the sides and you could just reach over and munch on salad!