It`s big, cosmoplitan, sophisticated, has great museums, restaurants and your chances of being run over are relatively low. No, I`m not describing Buenos Aires. I am in fact in Bogotá, the city that is single handedly defying the global financial crisis and is expected to grow 10% this year. Ok, so it`s not all great - I know of at least two people who have been robbed at night in the Candelaria area but that is fairly standard for a big Latin American city. However, on the whole, Bogota is a surprisingly well ordered Latin America city with plenty to keep you busy for a while.
I got in to Bogota last Friday (1st May) and found myself watching the globally ubiquitous May Day "demonstrations". The "demonstrators", most of whom looked like 70s punk rockers, took it upon themselves to graffiti the city`s main square (Plaza Bolivar) and smash the windows of banks. The poor Banco de Colombia seemed to take the brunt of the abuse but still appears to be in better shape than either HBOS or RBS. It was quite a spectacle watching the demonstrators being sprayed with tear gas by the Colombian Police. Unfortunately, I wasn`t brave enough to take my camera with me to capture some the scene - you never know what may constitute you being seen as a beacon of capitalism and legitimate target.
Since Friday, things have been a lot more sedate in the city and life seems to have returned to normal. Saturday was spent taking a four hour walk around the city absorbing the atmosphere around Bogotá. On Sunday I took a ride on the cable car to the top of Cerro Monserate which overlooks the city. There are great views of Bogotá and beyond from the cable car - the city itself is surrounded by various mountains and stretches far into the distance.
Of the museums, I rationed myself a bit as I`m likely to come back here in a few weeks. I visited the museo del oro which, unsurprisingly, has a lot of gold in it and charts the history of valuable metal usage through Colombian history. The Museo de la Policia is another excellent museum with a particularly interesting exhibit, complete with artefacts, of the police`s "hunt" for Pablo Escobar and his gruesome end. However, my favourite so far (and thanks to compadre Pablo for recommending it) has been the Museo del Banco Reformador - it has a great exhibit of photography from the Amazon jungle and has definitely put me in the mood for a trip to the Amazon before I leave Colombia. My friend Pablo also showed me around his university, which was quite interesting - the university has been the source of 29 Colombia presidents although he was fairly adement that he wouldn`t be joining the club.
Another notable achievement over the last few weeks is that I finally appear to have mastered the "drinking from a plastic bag" technique that is a pre-requisite for any self-respecting Latino. After months of failure I can now pierce the bag in the right place and drink its contents without making it look like I´ve wet myself and have bystanders laugh at me. We live in exciting times.
