Lights...
Like I said previously, Bogota, and from I understand all of Colombia, proudly displays its love of the Christmas Season by absolutely bathing its parks, buildings and streets in Christmas lights. I still haven't gotten to see the other seasons in the city's other parks, but I did take a few more photos of Parque Virrey where summer is the theme. Also, the snow lights of Zona T are really cool, and I'm going to miss them when they take them down in the coming weeks. They look amazing...
Christmas Eve
The tradition here is to spend Christmas Eve with the family, and to shoot off fireworks at midnight to welcome Christmas. Hopefully Santa and his reindeer already know this because I'd imagine the skies would be quite dangerous for a fat man riding a sled pulled by eight reindeer. Their moonlit silhouette would make a tasty target for young kids who play too much
XBox, and I'm sure their radar signature would be pretty significant too, and the bells can probably be heard from some distance. Well, I'm sure it would be smashing a giant pinata if he were ever shot down, raining presents all across the land.Anyway, I digress. So after Christmas dinner with the family, many younger people venture out to the bars and clubs to party in what some people told me was "the biggest party night of the year." Now, I had to train some folks on Christmas Eve, so I missed out on the family dinner thing with friends. Instead, I got much needed rest, and slept from 7pm until about 12am, just after midnight to the sound of fireworks and Fanny Lu. I then headed out to meet some friends at Alma, which was one of the few spots open for Xmas Eve frolicking. At around 1/1:30am it was relatively quiet, but as the night wore on the place got more crowded. We left to visit a place called Cinema, which I'd never been to before. The place was jammed, the techno music was earbleedingly loud and the energy was jumping. This place is normally open until 8am or 9am, but because it was Christmas Eve they were staying open even later. I didn't care to find out how late, as it was obviously a more drug laden hangout than I was used to. But there were plenty of happy Catholics celebrating Christ's birth in epic fashion. I left at 8:15am or so with a girl I met and danced with for the better part of several hours.
And what better way to celebrate a Christmas Day guayavo (hangover) than with wings, and where else than Hooters?! Hooters was pretty much the only place open that day, and I must say the wings were fantastic for a change. One of the waitresses noticed my dilapidated state, then shared her analysis with the others, and they put the awning down to protect me from baking in the sun and kept the water flowing.
Fresh air.
A few friends invited me to visit a private golf/sports club called Guayamaral, which was located outside Bogota in the north near Chia (think Andres). This place was absolutely incredible. The views of the surrounding mountains, and the vivid green color of everything was beautiful. The fresh air was just what the doctor ordered.
The place is a wonderland. Two golf courses, a massive clubhouse with pool, dozens of tennis courts and much more. Membership is
quite pricey, even by U.S. standards, but it is something to see. Like other clubs of its type, there are no signs marking the entrance or its location on the autopista, simply a flag of the club's logo that passersby would not know the meaning of. What was really funny was that next door is a cattle farm, and I guess it was mating season. While we tried to play a game of doubles tennis, we were seranaded by an orgy of cows mooing their lungs out. Some moos converted into high pitched screams of ecstasy that we couldn't play through because we all broke out laughing hysterically.
While walking around the golf course we came across a dead tree covered with orange flowers and deep green vine growing up its carcass. It was stunning, and unfortunately this photo doesn't do it justice at all.
El Niño
If you look closely at those photos from Guayamaral, you'll notice something odd for Bogota. A sunny day. But something has happened in Bogota that doesn't make any sense. Something I can only attribute to El Niño, the body of warm water in the Pacific ocean that causes US weather shifts every 5-7 years. It hasn't rained in a week! It has been sunny, and warm. My friend Marco told me that a few years ago Bogota was sunny and rain free from Dec through Feb, a statement to which Ernesto and I laughed mockingly. "Yeah, right!" Bogota without rain? Impossible! No, it's not only possible, it's a fact. I've had to suspend my 2:45pm alarm that was to make sure I get indoors by the daily 3pm rainshowers. Who woulda thought?!
Feliz Ano!
Due to a few reasons, I didn't get to head out to the coast to rendezvous with dozens of friends ringing in the New Year in Cartegena. Instead, I stayed in Bogota with a few friends. The night started similar to Christmas I suppose, dinner with family and friends and then marinated in alcohol through midnight. We enjoyed a beautiful night on my friend Marco's rooftop terrace, and proceeded to consume ridiculous amounts of a wide variety of alcohol - Midori, Malibu, Baileys, Vodka, Champagne, Whiskey, etc.
There are a few peculiar customs here in Colombia that I found interesting and amusing. There are some long held superstitions about things to bring good luck and fortune in the new year, and I got to partake in a few first hand.
Burning Man. Families make or buy dolls, sometimes life sized, that they stuff with fireworks or other household flammable agents like rubbing alocohol, and burn at midnight. Why? Well, you write down all the negative things from the previous year that you want to do away with, stuff them into this dolls pockets, orafaces, etc., and then light the sucker up. Here's the before and after photos of our doll.
Lentejas (Lentils). Everyone gets a
handful of these dry lentils and dumps them into their wallets, or pockets in the event you have a money clip like myself. They are meant to bring you fortune in the coming year, and they represent money. Unfortunately, they're not an official currency as I tried to pay for a bottle at Maroma and was told Lentejas weren't accepted. Good thing Amex was! Maleta (suitcase). Another custom is to run around the house/block with a suitcase if you want to travel in the coming year. I didn't partake in this exercise since I'm traveling no matter what at least a few times already, but several folks went running around the house with a suitcase. I asked if it should be packed, and was told only if you expect to go somewhere right now!
Uvas (grapes). You also stuff your face with 12 grapes, representing the 12 strokes of the clock at midnight. It's a little tough to do with the seeds, so one of my friends actually deseeded his grapes beforehand. I didn't, and ended up chewing them up or trying to spit them out. I forget what this signifies, but it tastes great with champagne!
We also wrote down a bunch of things we hope for in the coming year, and then burned them in a yellow candle to make them come to fruition. There's a few other customs which we didn't indulge in that night. Whether any of these acts amount to anything, only time will tell. But 2008 is over, Bush is out of office and the USD looks stronger against the COP!
Sit Anywhere.One thing I've noticed is the tendency of people to sit on the floor in Transmilenio buses when there are no seats available. I understand the desire to be comfortable if you're taking a long ride from north to south or vice versa, but sitting on the floor? I don't think I've ever seen anyone riding a subway or bus in New York while sitting on the floor, not even homeless people are on the floor in the actual subway cars. Sitting on the floor takes up room, which makes the Transmilenio buses even more crowded than they need to be. There's plenty of handrails and straps to hang onto, and the floors are dirty. Stand up!
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