Every Sunday the main boulevard through the historic part of Bogota is closed off to cars and buses and until 2 or 3 in the afternoon the city runs a Ciclovia - or bike ride. Yesterday we found Bike Bogota and talked to the owner, Mike, about renting bikes and going on a tour of the city. We decided the better day for the tour was during the Ciclovia so here we are Sunday in Bogota.
We wanted to get some extra miles in so we meet with a different guide in the morning who took us for a short tour in the La Candelaria area. We first stopped at a local "place" to get some home brewed chi - a brewed beverage made from corn that is said to be like a red bull. It was a strange yellow concoction served in re-used plastic bottles but we tried it anyway. The flavor matched the color - strange and we decided it didn't really go so well with our bananas for breakfast. We went by the Quinta de Bolivar, a house and museum where Simon Bolivar lived - but we were too early and the gates were still closed. Within an hour we met up with the rest of our group and made our way down to the main road and the Ciclovia.
What a fantastic idea! Everyone is out in the streets, riding bicycles, tricycles, rollerblades, skateboards, and walking. Its like they saved up all their energy from the week and now they are out in droves. Its quite an amazing sight and we instantly are wondering how we could initiate a similar type of ride in Los Angeles. Could you imagine -- closing off a major thoroughfare for the better part of a day, every week. We would have a riot on our hands! Of course everyone would be all for it, so long as the street closed did not effect them personally.
We quickly see that it is not just the streets that are full of people, the parks and green space are also packed. We stop at the park to see the huge aerobics-dance class which is spilling into the street. People of all ages, sizes and shapes are shaking their bootie.
Every bit of space is being utilized, kids playing ball, families snacking from the food carts, and of course the young couples hand in hand, smooching on the park benches. Check out this rollerhockey rink - looks like ice, but really is concrete.
We continue to the Plaza de Toros, or bull ring. Its an amazing stadium whose entry is adorned with bronze statutes of famous matadores in their tight paints, arms outstretched, red capes in hand. I can't quite get my head around the shear brutality of the event, taunt an animal while waving a cape at it, stab it in the neck so it starts bleeding and getting week, all so a young man can show his grace and bravery by waiving a little red cape and thrusting a sword into the bull resulting in his death - with the winner taking home an ear. Did you know that bulls are colorblind and the red cape could be purple, pink or yellow and it would make no difference? Anyway, controversy aside, the stadium is impressive. Interestingly there are two massive towers of condos built behind the stadium with bird's eye view of the events. The better your view, the more expenisve the condo. Guess you could hold bull fight bbq's on your deck, charge all your friends a small admission fee...
Next stop, the university. The college students of Bogota are very politically active as is evident by all the grafitti type slogans on the buildings. A large rendition of Che Guevara, the Argentinian Marxist revolutionary, a major player in the Cuban Revolution and now a counter-culture symbol of revolution is prominently displaced in the main square inside university grounds where many demonstrations are held.
After visiting a few more sights and sampling some of the local fruits we start our way back. As we re-join the ciclovia we make a final stop at the flea market. Amazingly, its just like any other flea market in any part of the world, one man's junk is another man's treasure. One unique stall was the coca stall - there are many things you can make out of the coca plant besides cocaine. Soap, te, and cookies which we tried - no stimulant effect but a little like cardboard.
