Yesterday was a pretty great day. After writing my horribly depressing blog post where everything was terrible, Josh, Elizabeth and I went out to eat lunch. We tried a new restaurant and had an absolutely fantastic meal.
Here’s what I had:
It’s a savory crepe filled with chicken and mushrooms, along with some type of sauce that tasted completely amazing. I cannot emphasize how far a good meal went to improving my mood. I felt like a new person.
Josh had an omelette that he said was the best he’s ever had, and Elizabeth had a meal that she really enjoyed as well.
There are several differences when it comes to dining down here. First, none of the tables are set. The normal practice seems to be that the table is set once you sit down and place an order. Second, since most payments are in cash, the cashier is often placed behind thick glass and you take your money to her when the meal is over. Another big difference is the level of security. I visited the restroom in this restaurant, and it had a locked door that you needed a code in order to enter. Inside the bathroom was a security camera in the corner. I had to press a button to unlock the door once I was done so I could leave.
Air Quality
As of this morning, I no longer smell wood smoke. Either I had gotten used to the smell and didn’t notice it any more, or something else was going on. Yesterday we saw several helicopters flying overhead with something tied to their bottom, all flying in the same direction. I did a quick search online for “bogota fuego” and found this article, which talks about the fact that there has been a huge forest fire in the hills of Bogota that’s been burning since last Monday.
The reason it smelled like wood smoke is because it was wood smoke. On Tuesday once it became apparent that the smoky smell wasn’t going anywhere, I did some searches online about Bogota air quality and got a bunch of results about how bad things were. Because of those articles, I assumed that the quality of the air over the past two days was simply how things were.
Fortunately, it was just a temporary situation. It rained yesterday, and the smoke smell is gone, so I’m guessing that if the fire isn’t out, the rain went a long way towards making the situation better.
Motorcycles
Our main objective in Bogota is to get motorcycles for our trip. During our research we’ve found so much conflicting information about how to go through the process that we ultimately decided to simply visit motorcycle shops and start the process. If foreigners were unable to buy a bike for some reason, these people would be the ones to know. Personally, I thought it unlikely that the Colombian government would prohibit foreigners from making large purchases like the ones we were considering, but stranger things have happened and I knew there was a chance I was mistaken.
After lunch, Elizabeth and I set out with Gio, our Airbnb host, to start looking at motorcycles. Gio was gracious enough to act as our translator, and he was a lifesaver. There was no way that our Spanish could keep up with what was being said about the bikes.
The first place we went felt a lot like Diagon Alley in Harry Potter, but for motorcycles.
There were loads of used bikes, but the vast majority of them are 200cc or less. Elizabeth and I were looking for biked that were 500cc or higher. We’re going to be going up mountains on our bikes, so we need to have power at our disposal.
To make the story of a very long afternoon short, I’ll just say that we found some promising leads for used bikes in the price range we’re looking for. We also got some useful information on what the process is to purchase a bike as a foreigner. Based on what we understand, the process seems to be that you have to take a physical exam to certify that you’re capable of operating a motorcycle. There’s a hearing component to the exam that makes me nervous, but I shouldn’t have any issue. I can hear well enough to hear the horns of other vehicles, and I can’t imagine them denying me because of the frequencies I’m missing due to hearing loss.
In addition to that, there’s paperwork that the dealership will handle for us that takes about five business days to complete. We’re due to leave Bogota on February 12, so if we want to leave on time, we need to purchase our bikes tomorrow at the latest. No rush. :/
One dealership is supposed to look for decent used bikes of the type we need, but we are probably going to look some more in case we find a good deal we want to jump on.
Nightlife
During our excursion to the bike shops, Gio showed us how to figure out the proper fare we should pay in a taxi. Each tax is outfitted with a meter that as a continually rising number. It starts out at 25 and gets higher the further you go. Each cab has a chart in it with a table that shows what is owed for each number on the meter. The minimum charge for a cab ride is 4,000 pesos, or $1.20 at current exchange rates. Since we know to look at the chart, it reduces the chance we’ll get ripped off.
Gio also told us about language exchanges, where locals go for opportunities to practice their English. It seemed like a great way to meet people, so the three of us found a language exchange happening last night. We went to a place called Candelaria Bar, and found a language exchange in process. We sat down and started talking with the Colombians that were there…mostly in English. It was great! It really helped me to feel less isolated than I’ve been feeling. I made some friends and exchanged contact information so we can stay in touch.
After the language exchange, we hung out at the bar a little while longer before striking out for other places. We weren’t really able to find much of anything happening, which is to be expected for a Wednesday night. We came back to the apartment around midnight and went to sleep.
Today should prove interesting. It’s one of Bogota’s “No Car” days. All personal vehicles are banned, though taxis and buses can still run.
I’m not planning to write long blog posts every day…ain’t nobody got time for that. I made it a point to talk about how bad things were, so I wanted to make it a point to talk about things now that they’re better.
I’m in a much better mood and I feel more confident that we can do what we’ve set out to do.
More updates as they develop. 🙂
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