After the best sleep ever in the softest bed ever, I am surprised by the best breakfast ever.
It's true - the gods are giving me a very welcome farewell gift (after all, they have various, mainly climatic capers and other problems to answer for). A few elderly gentlemen nod to me while I am being surprised with eggs, fruit juice from tamarillos, also called tree tomatoes, fresh rolls and coffee.
One of the largest metropolitan regions in the world
So then on to the further exploration of Bogota,the capital of Colombia and administrative center of the department of Cundinamarca.
With its 6,8 million inhabitants in the metropolitan area and 7,9 million in the agglomeration, Bogotá is the largest urban agglomeration in Colombia and also one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in South America; it ranked 2015th place in the list of the largest metropolitan areas in the world (remember Santa Cruz in Bolivia). The city is located in a fertile plateau of the Andes, 39 meters above sea level.
Colombia is located in the tropical climate zone. Due to the high altitude above sea level (over 2600 m), however, Bogotá has a temperate climate with an average annual temperature of 13,3 degrees Celsius.
Since Bogotá is close to the equator, there are no major seasonal differences. The average annual maximum temperature is 16,0 degrees Celsius, the average annual minimum temperature is 7,4 degrees Celsius. The temperatures rarely exceed the limit of 23 degrees Celsius and can even reach freezing point on cloudless nights.
Unfortunately this is all true: I ended up in non-summer once again and have to reactivate my warmest clothes again!
Slums
Bogotá is a victim of the population movement from rural areas towards the city due to the civil war that has been going on for decades.
Added to this is the persistently poor economic situation since the 1990s. This resulted in numerous slums on the periphery, in which a large part of the population now lives. The political and economic development is reflected in the city's increased poverty rates.
This is also evident in the cityscape. There are also slums near the center with high rates of drug use and crime, for example the “El Bronx” district. At many traffic lights you can see beggars and sellers.
The residential areas in the north of the city are considered to be posh and rich, the districts in the south as insecure and poor. Bogotá also has high unemployment, and the proportion of the population who cannot afford the necessary food rose from just under seven percent in 1997 to 14,9 percent in 2000.
This is visible on every nook and cranny. I have never seen so many beggars and poor people on the whole trip.
They are lying in the middle of the street or on the sidewalks or in doorways, asleep, curled up, or leaning against the walls of houses, what little possessions they have in plastic bags next to them. Terrible images burning into the memory. You can't help everyone, but I occasionally put a few coins in the hands of those rummaging in the garbage cans, knowing that it is not more than a tiny drop in the ocean.
The singing salsa dancer
The main streets, similarly wide and lined with stores as the Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich, complete the picture. If you don't want to sink into total poverty, you have to keep your head above water somehow. At first glance, this is an impressive and very entertaining view, but only at second glance does it become clear that we are dealing with survival here.
And the creativity is amazing: there are singing salsa dancers, accompanied by the deafening sound from loudspeakers, not far from them a pair of tango dancers, dwarfing anything seen so far.
Along a street portrait painters have lined up, some talented, others less so. There is a painter who exclusively paints pictures of Jesus on the sidewalk, the exact same one every day. Another one tries a combination of painting and lottery: he sells his hideous paintings in a kind of lottery; you pay for a number that stands for a painting; if you have chosen the right number, you get the painting (which I wouldn't even put in the deepest basement).
A few steps away, a rhythm section is making some noise with all kinds of percussion instruments, a little further on, a singer is trying to be heard. And in the middle of the musical limbo, a combo of panpipes. I swear, the next time I hear a pan flute, I'll get a hysterical screaming fit.
And also in the midst of it (my old friend and chess authority Fritz's heart racing) there is a long row of tables where chess is being played.
Misery and laughter
So, all in all, a very ambivalent experience: on the one hand very entertaining, but on the other hand you are well aware that there is a lot of misery behind it. But you have to admire the people: despite the difficult situation, you rarely hear a bad word, but happy laughter, jokes, grimaces.
I already know that I will miss them.
Plaza Bolívar
The Plaza de Bolívar is the central square of Bogotá. Built in the 16th Century, it is located in the heart of the historic district of La Candelaria. On the occasion of the 150 anniversary of Colombia's independence, Bolívar Square was completely redesigned in 1960.
It is dominated by three large building complexes: the classicist cathedral completed in 1823 with the attached "Capilla del Sagrario", the "Capitolio Nacional" with a mighty portico and the "Alcaldía de Bogotá".
Both palaces are built in the classicism style, the latter clearly showing the French influence.
The cold makes the sightseeing experience a fight against the chilly wind. But this does not affect the impression of the monumental buildings. At most, it is the feet that call out loudly and want to have a break.
So I sit down on a stone cube and do what I like best: eating a bite and people-watching.
Mileage: 10118
Matching Song: Eric Clapton / BB King - Help the Poor
And here the journey is definitely coming to an end ...
