Bogotá - Part 1

So the main point of my trip to Colombia was to make it to Medellín to document and participate in the first environmental film festival of Colombia. I decided that if I was going to go to Colombia I wanted to make sure to see the capital as well. Since I only teach one day a week and early March happened to be my students spring break I had almost a solid 2 weeks for my trip. I decided to fly into Bogota, stay for 4 days and then make it to Medellín for the rest of the trip.

I flew out of LGA, had a layover in Miami and then arrived to Bogota at 9pm at night. I immediately felt like an ass at immigrations when the officer didn't speak any English except the word "Hotel." However, I managed to make it through passport control and customs without any problem and found my way to the Taxi stand. In Colombia (and Mexico was the same way) you can get a price quote for your taxi ride in advance at the airport. The Taxi office gives you a slip with a pre set amount and then assigns you a cab. I like this system because it makes nighttime cab rides a bit less sketchy and harder for the cab driver to rip you off. I arrived at my friend Manual's apartment, a journalist based in Bogota. Unfortunately he was out of town on an assignment but his roommate let me in and set me up for the night. I was beat from traveling all day so I just got some food and went to sleep.

The next day I woke up at sunrise to very very intense sun shining through the window. In Colombia altitude determines temperature. Bogota sits at somewhere around 8,000 ft above sea level so despite the fact its pretty freakin close to the equator the average temperature year round is 65 to 70 degrees. With warm sun and a moderate temperature, Bogota may have the best weather I have ever experienced (keep in mind I like very mild weather).

My friend Manuel lives in the Chapinero neighborhood of Bogota. Chapinero is located between the city center and the very affluent neighborhoods of the north. Bogota's lay out is extremely easy to navigate (the streets are laid out on a grid system and are numbered like in NYC). For example, the old colonial part of the city is around the 10th to 19th. The city center is located near the 19th through the 30th. Manuals apartment is near 60th and the affluent area is around 80th to the 100th. This entire area is bordered by a mountain range to the east and for the most part between 10th and 120th east of 7th ave is relatively safe. Keep in mind this is only a small percentage of the city. Bogota is huge, with a population of nearly 8 million.

Bogota does not have a subway system, instead they have a very elaborate bus system. Part of this system is called the TransMilenio, which runs on bus only lanes. There are also countless smaller buses that run to the neighborhoods. I was a bit intimidated at first, but by the end of the first day I got the hang of it (not to say i didn’t get lost a bit).

I spent the first day just walking around La Candelaria (the colonial part of Bogota) and the city center. There are tons of museums in Bogota. The only one I checked out was Museo Botero. As you probably guessed, it houses mostly work by the famous Colombian artist Fernando Botero.

After a full morning I met up with my friend Carlos and had an amazing lunch at a great vegetarian restaurant (somewhere near the corner of 60th and 10th, on the 2nd floor). After an insightful lunch discussion, Carlos had to get back to work (he is currently editing a feature for a well known Colombian filmmaker). I decided to head back downtown to shoot photos at dusk. After hanging out in Plaza de Bolívar (Bogota’s most famous square) until sunset I started walking up Carrera Séptima (7th Ave). On Friday nights the 7th is shut down, creating a unique public space for street performers, vendors, artist, etc. I walked half way back to Manuel’s and then caught a bus the rest of the way. Manuel was still out on assignment so I decided to just call it a night and catch up on sleep.

Bogotá - Plaza de Bolívar

You could pretty much buy anything you want on the streets of Bogota.

Coke (soda) in glass bottles

Museo Botero is free and amazing.

Very monochormatic.

Bogotá had lots of cool little side streets and alleyways.

Maybe someday this could be my "foto" studio.

Another view of Plaza de Bolívar, looking southwest.

There was a protest against those who have gone missing in the conflicts.

Each brick had a missing or killed persons name printed on it.

National Police watch guard over the "Justice Palace."

Another view of Plaza de Bolívar.

TransMilenio bus at 19th and 7th ave.

Street vendors set up on Carrera Séptima

Police patrolling Carrera Séptima.

This was my first trip abroad since Obama has taken office and the change in attitudes is very very noticeable (in the best way possible).

I actually would say the Coffee in Colombia wasn't amazing. However, you could get it everywhere and it was super cheap, which makes it awesome.

A Preface to My Colombia Trip

Before I go into how wonderful my trip to Colombia was, I feel there are a few things I should state first. Colombia is a beautiful country with truly amazing people. The hospitality and warmth I experienced there, from friends and strangers alike, was amazing. Colombia is the 2nd most bio diverse country in the world and offers pretty much any climate or landscape you would like to see. It’s a country with a growing tourism industry (most notably in the Caribbean towns of Cartagena and Santa Marta), yet in the city of Medellin (2nd biggest city in Colombia) I went days without seeing another foreigner. The foods amazing, its affordable and only a 6 hour direct flight from NYC. Despite what sounds like an ideal tourist destination, Colombia, at least for most Americans, is still stigmatized as an outlawed country over run by drug dealers and rebels who might kidnap or kill you.

Colombia has changed greatly since the late 80s and early 90s, yet most Americans do not seem aware of this. Many parts of the country are safe for overland travel (I took a 9 hour overnight bus trip from Bogota to Medellin) and the major cities are much safer then in the past. I had a few sketchy moments, but nothing worse then what I have experienced in Europe or even at home.

Yet at the same time it’s a country that has been at war for 50 years and has many pressing current day issues. There are multiple fractions, whether it’s the FARC or Paramilitary or the ELN, fighting for power. Nowadays most of the fighting between the rebels and government is far removed from major routes or major cities. While Uribe’s government has been successful at fighting the FARC, there are many social and human right issues that have not yet been addressed.

Pretty much what I am trying to get at is that Colombia has greatly changed as a country since the late 80s yet still faces major obstacles. I had an amazing time in Colombia, but I feel I must mention these issues before continuing on. Even just understanding the problems is no easy task.

Luckily for me I stayed with friends (who happened to be journalists, filmmakers and environmentally progressive thinkers). I was able to pick all of their brains, learn a great deal and at the end make my own conclusions. I was also privileged to meat many amazing people along the way, many of whom gave me hope for the future of Colombia. (in terms of politics, environment and equality)

So in short, if you have a chance, go to Colombia, you won't be disappointed, but at the same time educate yourself in advance so you better understand the country you are visiting. Although I stress this for any country you visit, in particular I feel it’s extremely important for Colombia. While you can go to Colombia and sit on the beach and party all night (and trust me the nightlife is amazing) I feel any visitor should be aware of the history and current affairs of the country…. but perhaps that is just the documentary filmmaker side of me talking.

One of the many slums outside Medellin, Colombia.