I am bored. I have tried to adapt to the life of a Bogotano by
going for walks through my neighborhood, which includes a couple of parks and
any number of small shops. The min avenues are crazy with traffic, but between
them there are blocks of quiet residences interspersed with restaurants,
pharmacies, and panaderías. The
latter play a crucial role in Colombian life, because here the main meal—with
soup, salad, and a meat dish—is taken between noon and 2 pm. In the evening,
from 6 to 9 pm, the folks here eat the merienda,
which is usually composed by sweet bread and chocolate. Last night I went for
my merienda to the local panadería, where I had a delicious cup
of foaming chocolate accompanied by a big butterfly coated in chocolate and
colored sugar chips. Yummy.
Today in the morning I went back to the panadería, at 7 am, to have a favorite Colombian breakfast: a bowl
of soup (chicken or pork riblets with potatoes or yucca) and a café con leche with a brioche. I could
have also ordered a tamal, but I have
been overeating for two weeks and it is time to give my tummy a rest.
By the side of the panadería,
was a peluquería that had been open
since 6 am, where for US$ 4 I had a hair cut and a nice conversation with the
barber. Colombia has elected a new president, but he has not taken office, so
the talk here is about the choices made for the cabinet members.
In four more hours I will drive to the airport, return my
trusty rental car with an additional 4,000 km in the odometer, and then wait
until 4 pm for my flight to Cancún, where I will arrive at 7 pm. My cousin Paty
and her family will pick me at the airport, take me to their home for the
night, and then deliver me back at the airport at 9 am for the next stage of my
trip: Cuba!
I am not sure what my access to the internet is going to be
for the next couple of weeks, so I am going to bring this blog to its end. It
has been a lot of fun traveling through Latin America, saying hello to my
cultural brothers and sisters. I hope the tale of my travels will trigger your
curiosity and that you too will feel itchy feet and come visit.
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