Simple Lessons in Bogota

View of Bogota from top of Monserrate Mountain

The lungs draw shorter amounts of air in every breath. Half way up the mountain of Monserrate, which peaks over Bogota at nearly 11,000ft high to the east of the city, our legs weaken with every step. To our side is Hector (Dora's padre) who has been made a weekly Sunday routine of this climb. He stands about 5'5 and is 73 years young. Hector's stride is pushing the pace and making the mid-20's Gringos look rather weak in our ascent to the top of Monseratte. Bogota itself is nestled in a valley at 8,500 feet. We were drawing for deeper breaths just on our walk to the bottom of the mountain. As we near the top, beads of sweat slide down the cheek with every step in the high Colombian air with the sound of Church bells in the distance. Sunday morning church music greets us as we arrive to the top of Monseratte. The rising sun feels much warmer at the top as we can now see much more to the east at approximately 7:15am. Gasping for air and soaking up the moment with my companions, I'm amazed to see Hector calmly smiling at all of us. Is this guy for real?

Hector (not tired) & I (tired)

At 73, he just gave us lesson number #1 in this blog post: Age is only a number. Hector gracefully ascended this mountain with a 'cruise-control' pace and showed us young guns that some get better with age.
We begin to follow his lead as he shows us a place to do some abdominal workouts on rock seats. The church music complemented by the morning bird's song is just better than 'Eye of the Tiger' at this time. We explore the top of Monseratte for a good hour or so before we make the quick descent down to Bogota. Hector's amazing factor goes up on our charts as quickly as he leads us down the mountain. He begins running down with us, bouncing from step to step with plenty of spring and pep. I catch up with him as we wait for the others. "Are you really 73 years old Hector?" I ask him in Spanish. He laughs and responds that he is with a big smile on his face. He then proceeds to explain how his body has yet to deteriorate at this age, living a very active lifestyle. But at 73? really? Well, Hector just became another mentor as he gladly tells me of how great he feels. He's never even taken a pill, all natural medicines for colds and the flu, leaving fruit and vegetable shakes as the remedy of choice. Gracias Hector for making us feel your age but at the same time showing us age is only a number.

The crew on the top of Monserrate with Sunday morning church in background

On to lesson #2... Driving in Bogota Colombia!

BJ has been our Chauffeur through the streets of Bogota until the question hit me somewhat unexpectedly, "Robin you wanna drive this time?" Hmm, driving in Bogota, Colombia. I feel pretty comfortable driving manual cars and after watching BJ maneuver his way through these streets, I feel hestitant, yet so tempted. "Sure, lets do this, " I say. Two blocks in, I feel the difference in the pace of traffic and obstructions. The rules of the road here are simple... No rules. Who needs lanes? Who cares for pedestrians? Nadie, just step on the gas and keep up with traffic. One must maintain aggressive on these roads or you're causing an accident. Fortunately, BJ is co-captain and giving me tips as far as how to most efficiently navigate through these streets. Several times we come within inches of being side swiped or side swiping another vehicle. The urban jungle of Bogota was my first lesson in driving internationally. If Los Angeles traffic isn't enough fun for you, come to South America for some excitement behind the wheel!


Lesson #3: The US has more influence than I even imagined...

After 30 minutes of receiving my international drivers lesson, Dora, BJ and I end up at her parents' house (Hector y Nelly). We are greeted by passion fruit licuados (shakes). The taste of the fresh pulp is simply perfect as we begin to pick Hector's brain some more. Dora had told me that he is fascinated with our country, the US of America. So I open the can of worms and ask where this fascination comes from. The history lesson begins. From Thomas Jefferson to Abraham Lincoln to Theodore Roosevelt, Hector gives me the background on each of them and what made them so great as leaders and as people in general. Jefferson's brilliance, Lincoln's resilience and Roosevelt's work ethic. The world would not be what it was today without Benjamin Franklin, the Wright Brothers and Martin Luther King Jr.'s innovative and revolutionary vision. After 45 minutes, I again look at Hector in amazement and ask myself who is this guru? It just goes to show that you need not be citizen of a country to know its history inside and out, one day Hector may make his way to the country adores so much to see what the American Dream is all about. What really is the American dream all about anyways? It might just be based in the principles and hard work of the aforementioned people, those who have not only changed one country but also one world.
The rest of the day was consumed by more love from Aunt Tita as she decided to treat us to an after-dinner drink of 20 year old Colombian Brandy. She had been waiting for a special occasion for... well... 20 years I suppose. We felt very fortunate and almost undeserving of such a nice gesture. I've never been a fan of Brandy, but 20 year old Colombian Brandy from the hands of one of the nicest ladies one could know. Perfecto... Salud! Now off to the coast, we start in Cartagena....

Dora y Auntie Tita pouring the Brandy, Salud!

Colo Arrives in COLOMBIA

My eyes open slowly as my ears feel the pressure of the descending airplane. It's been nearly 30 hours without decent sleep, mainly resting on floors in airports (Denver, JFK, Orlando) and cat naps on the plane. The lack of rest no longer matters anymore as the captain announces en español our descent into Bogota. My restless body fills with excitement suddendly as I begin to feel giddy like a kid on Christmas morning. I ask the nice family next to me (from Bogota) about their favorite kinds of food. Without much thought, they respond with ajiaco (soup), sancocho and yucca. All sound amazing from their descriptions.

Bienvenidos a Colombia Colo! The people here in South America call me Colo (colorado) because of my red hair, not to be confused with my home state of Colorado, though ironic to them. The long line through customs quickly reminds me of the inefficiency in South America compared to that of the Estados Unidos. Though, I'm simply happy to just be back. I can't put into words what it is about this continent that fills me with so much joy.

Our group for these 3 weeks of travel through Colombia is somewhat dynamic and quite comical to the locals. Dora, from Bogota, is our tour guide and girlfriend of my good amigo BJ (college roommate). We also have Mike Cando (good buddy and my compañero on my first venture to Buenos Aires) coming from Argentina. Jason (also friend from college) is meeting me at the airport so I can be a translater and get us to Dora's Aunt's house safely via taxi. The last 2 of our group are William Reed and myself from Colorado. BJ (William), Reed (William), Jason, Mike, myself and Dora. When you see us its two tall Willy's (one 6'4 another 6'6), Mikey (Philipino), Jason from Hollywood, myself (red-head) and our gracious tour guide Dora. You just have to see us walking down the streets of Bogota to appreciate the comedy of it all. Fortunately I spot Jason in the customs line right away and we pick up our luggage. The taxi driver, Raul, brings us to Dora's Tia's house in 30 minutes. Upon arrival, we are greeted by the rest of our crew, glasses of vino and a yummy dinner of chicken, potatoes and rice. After a good hour of chatting, laughing and catching up we all slowly make our way to our respective bedrooms. The house contains 8 bedrooms, perfect for hosting us gringos!

Excited for breakfast prepared by Tita and Dora, all smiles!

I awake the next day to the calls of breakfast (desayuno). "Tita (Dora's Aunt) has breakfast prepared for us," BJ exlaims happily. The perfect way to awake our first day in Bogota. Eggs and cheese on a tortilla with Colombian Cafe. Sounds simple, tastes delicious!

The group from left: Tita, Dora, BJ, Jason, Reed, myself enjoying breakfast

We then venture to a huge market to buy food for our stay. Now this is no ordinary mercado. Tita called it the best/cheapest place to buy food in Bogota. BJ is our chaffeur through the city of Bogota, quite an interesting experience. We came within 8-12 inches of hitting other cars or people numerous times. We arrive at the plaza and quickly realize that we are the circus show of this shopping exerience. This is no Safeway or Alberton's. They bring the pigs in and slaughter them at this market. Fresh meat is an understatement here. Around every corner we walk people gather in groups to analyze us like we're either rock stars. Reed, 6'6 attracts people from all over the market. We are being analyzed like we're not human, this is a bit uncomfortable but we all laugh it off. After two hours in the market we return for a great lunch (yucca, potatoes and carne).

carne at the plaza, appetizing?

Fruit for days at the plaza

Over lunch we truly realize the significance of being in Bogota as Americans. Ten to twenty years ago, this city was in constant turmoil. People could barely walk the streets without being targeted by the drug cartels with guns or bombs. She shares stories that are still fresh in her mind, you can see it in her eyes and hear it in her words. We all quickly realize how much the city has cleaned up. The most recent president, Uribe, helped Colombia turn its 180 and become a country that us gringos can now enjoy. "Gracias a Dios y gracias a Uribe," she continually says intermittenly in the stories.

A candycane-like church 2 blocks from our place

Our newfound appreciation of being in Colombia safely, so far.... (keep your fingers crossed) leads us through the night where we find ourselves at a local bar drinking with Dora's amigas and cousins. We danced away the night with very affordable beverages and learning the local salsa dances. This is unreal, we keep saying to each other. Such a special experience thus far and so much more to come. Gracias a Dios y gracias a Uribe that we're here.

Our living area at Tita's casa, very relaxing

I now am being summoned to the patio's barbecue to help out with tonight's Colombian-style asado (bbq). If we're not exploring the city or learning salsa dances, we're gathering and enjoying meals together, such a beautiful way of life and I only hope you can vicariously experience this all with us through these words. Now, lets enjoy another meal together, can you smell the carne marinated with peppers and onions? I can, now let's eat! Until next time, Bon appetit Señoras y Señores!

September Never Gone..

Happy 1st of the month. September has arrived signifying my favorite time of year. For those going to school, its a time to step up your level of knowledge, you better know more by now kids! For sports fans, professional football is underway and the baseball season is winding its way towards October when all of the MLB magic happens. Basketball and hockey are on deck and ready to take over the airwaves as well. For those living near Aspen trees, you're about to witness some beautiful colors on the leaves. For the rest of you, just admit it.. September is a great month.

Yes I am biased, my date of birth lands at the end of this month (28th) reminding me how young I am every year. This September will be the best yet in my calculated foresight.

In seven days, my good buddy William Reed and I board a flight to migrate with the birds south. Colombia will be our place of exploration for a few weeks until September is gone then we'll continue to my 2nd home, Argentina!!! This is a time of preparation for round deux in the Southern hemisphere. The 1st round was a great learning experience and has me feeling very relaxed for this next adventure. My Spanish is polished, mas o menos and my packing is more suitable and practical this time. I no longer own a vehicle, whew! No more car payments, check! No car insurance payments, check! Substantial money in the checking account, check! No, I'm not rich by any means but I do feel more prepared to budget travel with all of the connections developed from round uno. I've parred down on many of my possessions here and its quite liberating. A great source to help my psychologically accustom myself to fewer possessions is one of my favorite blogs, www.zenhabits.net. Look forward to my next post on packing for travels in another country. Until then, enjoy your first day of September :)

Happy Friday the 13th and Happy 823 years!

Tis Friday the 13th, no big deal right? Well, I've never fully understood the mysticism of these days. Perhaps, the reason people question their every move on these days can be attributed to all of the Jason horror films. We are a society intricately intertwined with Hollywood, right?

The real reason I'm writing this post today is because I had something even more awesome brought to my attention today. This month of August 2010, there are 5 Sundays, 5 mondays and 5 Tuesdays. This only happens once every 823 years! I mean, I am reminded of this every 823 years and you'd think I'd remember by now but no, this one snuck up on me. All jokes aside, hopefully this is a cool fact of the day for you.

Last night, I sat on my deck and watched the meteor showers. It blew me away, it was two times better than 4th of July fireworks. Why? It's natural. If you've ever watched meteor showers you might feel the same way. Anyways, all of this together was enough to spark another blog post, maybe I'll write a better blog on the next Friday the 13th or better yet.... 823 years from now!

Once Upon a Camping Time

The crickets serenade us as the sun sets more quickly and lets the fire be the final source of light. A belly full of hot dogs and s'mores and the smell of campfire lining the nostrils and every pore, now this is camping folks!

One of the many beauties of living a summer in colorful Colorado is the ease and accessibility of escaping civilization. One moment, I'm watching the final minutes of a World Cup championship game and celebrating a Spanish victory with a Sangria.. or two.. maybe three. Well let's just say my presumptions had matched those of Paul the Octopus, I had this 6th sense that Spain would win, so I began 'celebrating' with Sangria in the pregame. There I sat wondering what it'd be like to be in Madrid celebrating a victory as I sipped this, my fifth actually, Sangria.

Approx 37 minutes later..

Here we are in Reed's truck taking on the 4 wheel drive experience on Boss Lake Road just a half mile before our camping destination. One mission in mind, get away from any worries by passing the evening with good friends under the stars over a campfire. Wow, those Sangrias sure kicked my butt and made me appreciate being a passenger on this journey. The fresh air wifts through the the trees and the Aspen leaves are alive on this day. As we arrive to our friend's cabin, camping mentality sets in. All of the sudden I crave hot dogs, potato salad and s'mores to soak up this fruity wine in my belly. The cabin is perfect for camping; no electricity, no running water, a real rustic feel and an old fire place. Just down the hill from the cabin was the fire place and another thirty feet away was a horseshoe pit. Another fifty steps and you are greeted by a beautiful creek to drown the sounds all around.



What makes this experience so great is that nobody can get ahold of you from outside of your campsite, almost a primative feeling in this technologically connected world. I ponder what can be much better than camping in the mountains, then the mosquitos begin to bite. "Ouch! Somebody get me the bug spray quick!" Now we all smell of camping perfume, bug spray and campfire. Yummy, makes me want another s'more. As we all gaze at the stars and spot certain constellations and shooting stars. The song "It's times like these" by the Foo Fighters starts running through my head to complement the crickets' music. "... It's times like these, you learn to live again..." cricket, cricket.. and over again.

Sleepiness begins to set in, not sure if its all of the World Cup beverages or the peaceful setting as the fire slowly dissipates. Perhaps, the combination of the two. Ahhh... sleeping in the outdoors.

"Guys, there's a bear outside, somebody wake up and come out there with me.. all I have is a flashlight... crap!" our buddy Reed says emphatically as he lobbies for the rest of us to awake. What would camping be without the prospect of fighting off a bear? Unfortunately for big 6'7" Reed, he had to go pee solo with the thought of a bear awaiting him... nope, no bear. So we think at least. As the sun rises the next day, we all tell our account of Reed's bear cries. Cooking breakfast over another campfire, the birds' song has replaced that of the crickets'. Oh, the smell of campfire and bug spray has grown on me and the stream down the hill calls me again for more quality time... "It's times like these.."

Daily Gratitude

I awoke another day to the birds chirping, the sun shining and the air so fresh from an overnight rain storm. Wow, it sure feels like paradise and I know Colorado in the summer months is as beautiful as any other place on this globe. I can't help but feel my gratitude pouring out with each morning yawn. A good friend once told me the best favor we can do for ourselves is focus our energy on what we're thankful for. "That which we think about and thank about, we bring about," my friend exclaims when my energy has apparently shifted towards unnecessary worries.

So with that in mind, today, I am grateful for:

The sun shining
The rolling clouds
Afternoon rain showers
Friends & Family who bring out the best in me
Having multiple jobs
Having goals and aspirations
The money in my wallet (even if not that much :))
The roof over my head
The food in my kitchen
The books that line my bedroom
The bed I sleep on
The Honda Civic that gives me problems but ultimately serves its purpose
Music, music and more good music
Spanish language
The mountain view I have every breakfast
and today I'm most grateful for having today to be alive!

Hopefully you'll take a few minutes every morning to consider what you're thankful for, try it... it might just be your new best habit.

Cup Fever

Hola, Olá, Hallo, Bonjour, こんにちは, Γεια σας, Ciao, Hello and welcome to South Africa 2010 World Cup. For you speaking el español, Bienvenidos a La Copa Mundial del 2010. Every four years, the world's best teams come together to play the world's sport, soccer? Futbol rather. Futebol to you in Portugal and Brazil. Yes, that sport, the sport in any country beyond the borders of Yanquilandia.

I find myself watching a World Cup game at 8am between two teams I could care less about four years ago, South Korea vs. Uruguay. I begin to wonder how the hell this passion came about with each dribble and pass on the fresh South African 'pitch'. One word, one country, one team... La Albicleste (Sky blue & white), Argentina. Growing up in the United States of America, I found my passion in American Football, baseball, wrestling and basketball. All of these sports have international participation as well. However, futbol is on another level in most every other country.

Just ask Les Bleus of France, a team that was runner-up four years ago. This year, cheated their way into the World Cup and absolutely fell apart since they arrived in South Africa, now it has become a political issue in Paris. What about Italy? The defending champions showed some age and were forced to say ciao earlier than the Azzurri following would have liked by Slovakia, a country in its first Cup since being an independent nation. The fans at home in Italy are known for greeting their team rather shrewdly and rudely upon a return of failure to meet expectations. This is what people wait 4 years for in these countries. North Korea made its first appearance on the national stage since 1966, they failed to win a game but showed a lot of heart on the international stage. Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands are the favorites of the remaining teams, yet Paraguay and Uruguay have yet to lose and also look promising. In fact, all 5 South American teams to enter the World Cup are still alive and continue to advance.... until tomorrow that is when Chile tries to upset Brazil, buena suerte Chle!

What about the United States of America soccer team? Just another team to show a ton of heart and determination on the world stage, yet were clearly outclassed by a physically superior Ghanaian team. I was criticized by a friend for not being that upset of the USA loss. I was even happy for Ghana, unpatriotic? You call it, when I'm sitting next to several people in the bar making fun of the sport and the uniforms they wear during the game, why should the US deserve to win the World Cup? Would a World Cup victory be more nationally appreciated in the USA or in Ghana, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Holland, etc?

Regardless, why should I be criticized for being more of an Argentine futbol follower than a US soccer follower? I didn't learn the beauty of the sport until I was clearly outclassed trying to play with South Americans at 'their sport'. I learned the passion when I spoke with fans of Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Germany and Italy and felt the energy they carried for the Cup and the sport in general. I've since been intrigued by the passion all of my international friends have for this time of year and the performance of their respective country. Hats off to the USA team for their effort and the heart they showed and the passion of the sport they brought to this country. In the end, the USA is a country of many sports, many stars and many titles. The other countries are of one sport, one star and one title.. until four years from now... World Cup fever!