But my favorite photo is her Statue of Lenin immitation...
So far she knows how to sleep and poop, and kinda eat. I'm sure she will learn more over time, but she's got the basics down.
Home Fried Home.
I arrived in the U.S. at ATL airport, and the first thing I noticed as I exited the customs area was the smell of fried food. There was no mistaken the long forgotten scent of an American's waistlines worst enemy, yet best friend, the deep frier. And as if something out of a movie, as I exited the jetway at JFK airport, I was greeted warmly by a passenger yelling at some gate personnel about something. He was furious. Ah, New York! And as I waited for my bags I wanted a water, until I noticed the absurd pricetag of $2 a bottle in a vending machine! After getting used to paying the equivalent of $0.40 for a bottle of water, no thanks! I'll settle for the water fountain. New York's water is perennially the best in the country.
Before visiting my sister and niece, I wandered through Bloomingdales and Barneys to see if people were still shopping. At lunch time, both were totally desolate. No one was shopping it seemed. And as I walked around the upper 50s and low 60s on the East Side, I noticed "Sale" signs in almost every store window, and a fair amount of vacant stores. I saw the same when I was in SOHO.
I only spent two days and two nights in New York City before heading out to the hamptons to relax, but in that short period I was able to get a true sense of how much has changed in New York. People are very down, and for serious reasons. Everyone knows people, lots of people, who are being laid off, the energy the city once had is just not there and everyone of my friends told me that things are worse than they appear in the media. That's bad!
Out East.
The weather was pleasant, albeit colder than I'm recently used to in Bogota. I got a nice photo of the quiet marina in Sag Harbor, which was nice and calming to just gaze out onto for a few minutes.
And upon leaving, Maggie, one of my parents' dogs, gave me a sad look. When she was a puppy, she once put one of her toys in my suitcase when I visited. I discovered her present when I got home and opened the suitcase. This time she didn't have access to my bags.
I expect to make my next visit to NYC in a few months for a friend's bachelor party. We'll see if things are any better by then.
While in New York, I visited the Colombian Consulate to obtain my
Business Owner's Visa. The woman at the consulate was very nice, and helpful. It was my first pleasant experience dealing with Colombian institutions. However, I found it funny that the elevator remained unfixed since my first visit back in September. The elevator opens slightly below the floor level, which means there is a precarious first step to get in or out. Instead of having this problem fixed, they decided to colorfully highlight the floor (pictured to the right). But the good news is that I'm officially no longer an illegal immigrant in Colombia! Actually, I learned that the tourist visa lasts for up to 90 days, so I was never truly illegal, but I thought it was rather funny to say I was an illegal immigrant.BBQing at 8,600 feet!
Since buying and assembling the charcoal BBQ for the terrace, we've had great difficulties maintaining a fire that allows the charcoal to light. I didn't think about the effect the thin mountain air would have when trying to grill with charcoal, should have put more thought into that. So, half a phone book later, I decided to search on the Internet for some information about BBQing, or just open flames, at high altitudes.
The solution to my problems came in the form of these little brickettes that burn at very high temperatures, allowing the charcoal to ignite. The resulting beautiful charcoal blaze can be seen in the photo to the right. The grill is ready in about 15 minutes, about the same as at sea level. Although I do miss my Weber. But at least now I can happily grill sausage and peppers, steaks and chicken to my heart's content!
Facebook.
Okay, okay! So I finally caved in and joined Facebook. Though the reason I joined was because my friends here in Bogota told me that virtually everyone in Colombia is on Facebook, and that it would be good for business to start a group. I joined and created a group for CrossFit Bogota to see if it helps business. Since joining Facebook, I've been "tagged" in a few photos of debaucherous nights out here in Bogota, as well as an ancient photo from my first visit to Shanghai in 2000. Good times!
And if you're interested in keeping tabs on me, I suppose you can add me as a friend, although I don't update my status all that often. It amazes me how people find the time, at all hours, to continually update their status. And to be named in a photo, or have a photo you didn't think anyone would ever publicly post is a little strange. Doesn't anyone like privacy anymore?
Honk if you're Colombian.
Something strange I've noticed is that Colombians really love their car horns. They honk for all sorts of reasons, and they honk so much that I actually took notice of it. Here are some reasons I've compiled for which a Colombian driver will honk:
- To signal the doorman/security guard that they would like to enter a building
- To signal a friend to come downstairs because they are waiting outside in the car
- To warn pedestrians they are driving by even if you are standing motionless on the curb
- To warn other cars at an intersection even if the other car(s) are at a dead stop
- To notify a fellow driver that they are going to pass you on the wrong side
- To notify a fellow driver that they are going to turn from the inside lane
- To notify someone that they need to use the bathroom
- To notify the clerk at the McDonald's drive-thru that they want an Extra Value Meal Supersized
The Truth Behind Bogota's Traffic.
This is really two fold.
First, continuing on the topic of accidents, Bogota (and I think this goes for all of Colombia) has a very interesting law on the books regarding traffic accidents. If you get into a car crash, neither driver may move their vehicle from the point of impact of the accident. This means that if you crash in a busy intersection, which is often the case, and are blocking two lanes, which is also often the case, neither you nor the other driver(s) can move your vehicles until the police arrive to file a report. In addition to causing a massive bottleneck creating a terrible traffic jam, you are fined for blocking traffic! I like the idea of fining people for being in an accident, but I do think they should be allowed to move their vehicles to the shoulder so the rest of the world can go on their way. I wish I had a photo of an accident, but I'm always driving by when I notice one and am too far passed it when I am able to take a photo.
Second, are the buses and busettas. Since there is no central metropolitan transit system, multiple, rival, bus companies compete for passengers along cryptic bus routes. The best part, and what causes all the traffic, is that there are no formal bus stops. Instead, a person can hail a bus, much like they hail a taxi, just about anywhere along one of the roads where buses drive. This also means that passengers can ring the bell to have the driver stop anywhere along those same roads. This leads to buses abruptly cutting off a taxi or car as they kamikaze towards the curb to pick up or drop off a passenger.
No Car Day!
But there is a solution to Bogota's traffic nightmares -- NO CAR DAY! That's right, two days each year, Bogota bans all personal transportation (outside of government officials or those with a special permit) from all roads in Bogota from 7am-8pm. This has to be seen to be appreciated. Literally, the roads are barren. For as far as the eye can see there is only yellow (taxis) and buses and busettas. Everyone on those two days must take some form of public transportation. Here are two photos of the roads during rush hour, which are normally bumper to bumper traffic.
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