Population: cca. 9 million
Altitude: 2550m
Area: 1800 km2
After my thirty hour trip to South America I landed in the capital city of Columbia at 4 am. I slept at the airport until sunlight and hired an Uber. A talkative and nice old guy drove me to my host's apartment in the northern part of Bogotá.
Through the cab window I was observing a huge city that lies close to the equator and thus has similar weather conditions throughout the year: the temperatures are around 20 °C during the day and 10 °C during the night. Moreover it rains almost every day. That is why the city has numerous plant varieties.
Numbers are used for the names of streets and they look like mathematical equations, e. g. Calle 165 #54-30. The public transport is not developed and most people drive around with cars which results in huge traffic jams. Many typical motorcycles drive between cars and some cyclists are trying to squeeze through as well. The traffic is chaotic because there are not many crosswalks, people drive through red lights, honk all the time, cut in front of others and in general don't follow the rules. The roads are in bad quality with many potholes. After every rain the side of the roads are filled with water, which can result in an unwanted shower for pedestrians or cyclists. The big number of cars forced the government to react, so they invented a rule that on one days only people with license plates ending on an even number are allowed to drive, and on one days the owners with license plates ending on an odd number. Most of the people living in Bogotá own two cars with different license plates, so they can actually drive every day.
I have noticed yellow license plates, resembling the Dutch ones in Europe. The first time I have cycled for a short period of time I had to be very careful, but the drivers were honestly more respectful than I expected. Sometimes I had to drive in the middle of the road to avoid big puddles on the sides.
People are generally very active and on weekends many parks are full of them doing various activities, like playing football, tennis, doing karate or simply exercising. Big fitness centers are everywhere and always quite full. The majority of people are cycling, which is the second most popular sport in the country after football. On weekends ca. 120 km of roads are closed for traffic to let the cyclists go out of the city safely and in peace. The event is called Ciclovía and can attract as much as 2 million people. Cycling is such a big thing that poor people set up simple portable bike shops everywhere next to many bicycle roads in the city.
Another thing that caught my eye were many pets, especially dogs. Colombians love dogs and it's hard to get out on the street without seeing them. There are many pet friendly restaurants and shopping malls. Dogs are allowed even in the famous Salt Cathedral in Zipaquirá. What is more, one can buy things for his dog even from the street sellers.
Personally the biggest culture shock occurred on the first day, when we visited the mom of my host. We parked in front of her apartment and like every residence in Bogotá it was surrounded by barbed wire on a big metal fence. Next to the entrance usually stands a small house with the security guard who has to open the gate every time someone wants to come in or get out. All the security measures don't really make me feel any more relaxed, exactly the opposite because I wonder why they had to be implemented in the first place. Anyway we have arrived in front of the mother's place and the security kindly let us in and had a small talk with my host and his girlfriend. After we parked the old kia, we rang and waited in front of the door. At that moment the dog of my hosts saw another dog and ran towards him. Since he is not the kindest dog in the world, they both ran after him and let me waiting for in front of the door alone. It has suddenly opened and I saw an elderly woman in apron smiling. I say buenas back to her and try to come up with a polite Spanish sentence of how glad I am to meet my host's mother. Before I could make a fool of myself, my hosts returned with the dog and the woman said that the mother is still taking on the phone. My friends have noticed my surprised expression and explained that this was mother's housemaid. I have hidden even bigger surprise and simultaneously felt a relief for not embarrassing myself. I started to think that they don't seem rich enough to afford a housemaid, but they explained that even a little better off middle class can get one without difficulties. What they told me is apparently true because also the next family I was staying with had a woman doing all the housework. Here I can also mention that people don't wear slippers indoors and that they usually don't have washing machines. One odd thing that I noticed was also the fact that many people call the doctor, physiotherapist or manicurist to their homes instead of going to their offices.
South America is known for its great gaps between social classes and Colombia is supposedly one of the most typical examples of this phenomenon. In my one week stay I have seen wealthy neighborhoods with good cars, vast shopping malls and impressive restaurants. Especially the northern part of the city is more developed with cleaner streets, better roads and assured safety. On the other hand I have also seen the other side of life in Bogotá. During the Bogota bike tour the guide has taken us through some edgy areas of the city. The neighborhood that stood out the most is referred to as »behind the cemetery«. There the sight of people sleeping on the streets, taking drugs and living among trash is nothing unusual. Moreover it is of course the area with red light district where I was shocked seeing too young girls offering themselves half naked. The poorest residents of Bogotá are Venezuelans who came in the last few years escaping the economic crisis. They are here taking every possible jobs and are usually the ones selling things on the street or are collecting trash in big wooden carriages. There is a lot of workforce in Colombia and places have a lot of employees. Like supermarkets, restaurants and café have at least three times to many employees.
It would be unfair to end the article in a pessimistic note because I was positively surprised by Bogotá. People are very friendly and helpful even if I don't always understand their rapid Spanish. The city is generally quite clean and has - despite an enormous population - a good quality of air. The tap water is safe to drink and city is in parts as modern as a city in 21th century should be. The climate makes Colombia a fruit paradise with countless varieties that the locals and the tour guide introduced to me. The city is also famous for fabulous street art that is sometimes even sponsored by the government. My one week stay in Bogotá was wonderful and I would definitely love to visit this amazing city again.
