View from Bogota

Even before I landed in Bogota, I fell in love with the city!!

The view from the top as we were descending was simply breathtaking. It was picture-perfect. There were little red buildings, perfectly lined, as if some ancient architect has designed the city and it has never been touched. The streets were very straight and wide and there were small, cute vehicles moving on the roads all in line like a colony of ants (is it 'colony of ants'?) moving in a war like fashion. As I was telling Dhivya, my colleague, the whole scene resembled some of those well structured video games for children.

As I got out of the airport, the love only grew. The city is very neat and clean, with red brick buildings (the leit motif of the city is 'red brick') and wide and well arranged streets. It is very easy to find your way in Bogota. There are roads which flow from South to North, known as 'Carrera' (much like 'Main' in Bangalore) and crossing the Carreras are the 'Calle' which flow from east to west. 'Calle' is like 'Cross' in Bangalore. As you have guessed the Carreras run parallel to each other and so do Calles. Any building in Bogota can be identified as the intersection of a Carrera and a Calle.

Bogota city is surrounded by three mountain ranges. You can see many apartment complexes being built on the hills and you can't but envy those fortunate enough to live in them. The view from anywhere in the city is majestic. I had my room in the 11th floor of my hotel and I could get a splendid panoramic view of the city. The early mornig view is spectacular. As the sun peeps from the top of the mountains on to the city, the city looks like a well ornemented and glittering dancer in the opera on whom the lights are focussed. Unfortunately, I could not take any snaps of the city. I forgot to bring the camera which I had purchased specifically for this trip. The price of forgetfulness!!!

Bogota is much like Bangalore. There is extreme opulance interspersed with extreame poverty. Tourists are adviced from going out in the city alone after evening, especially to the older southern parts of the city where poverty is rampant. There are lots of constructions coming up. Morning I went out for a walk along Carrera 7 ('siete' in spanish for seven) and I couldn't take my eyes off the city. Such beauty, taste and grace. On the side walks you can see vendors selling coffee. Colombia is a coffee country. They have a variety of coffee each better than the next. I had two coffee each cost me 500 Pesos. The coffee was delicious. Of course you can also get tea here but the preferred drink is coffee. As I was walking, I couldn't help but notice the pleasent weather. The temperature here is pleasent with peak being 17 to 18 Degrees and low being around 10 degrees (celcius).

And the Ladies of Lat Am? They are tall, and fair and slender an so beautiful and add to the glamour of the city. It has to be like that, isn't it? A beautiful city needs beautiful people. You can't help but notice the flowing black hair, the chiselled features, the sharp noses and the piercing brown eyes of the ladies. They are much more beautiful than what you see in the pictures in the internet.

I wish I were 'Omar Khayyam' to capture their beauty in words....

Especially since I forgot to bring my camera and I have to depend only on words.

I have fallen in love with this place!!. Why did I forget my camera?......

I could see that you took a sharp breath when I told you that the coffee from a street side vendor cost 500 Pesos. That is something that you need to get adjusted to. In the airport, while exchanging US Dollars, I gave $100. The lady showed me 1880 in her calculator. I assumed that it is 1880 for 100 dollars. Then she handed over 1,88,000 Pesos with each note ranging from 10000 to 20000 pesos. Now I know what is meant by 'hyper inflationary economy'. This kind of exchange rate is common among the latin american countries. So much so that the venezuelan government has brought in a new currency which is 1 / 1000 of the current currency. The companies are having to replace the current transaction currency 'VEB' with the new currency 'VEF'. That is the project I am here in Bogota for.

Note: This article was written in 2008. For some strange reason, I did not publish it. I am rectifying that mistake now.

View from Bogota - Of information boards

The last step as one is coming out of the Bogota airport is the customs clearance. There were two lines, one of which was ours and the other which had a sign board which said 'Declarante'.

I saw people moving between the lines.

"Doesn't 'declarante' mean, 'Passengers with something to declare'? " I asked a lady who was standing behind me.

"Literally it means that", she replied, "but here in Bogota, it doesn't mean anything"

That is Bogota spirit, tolearnce and sense of humour for you.

View from Bogota: Quality of medical facilities

I was chatting with Luis Mario, when he got a call from his son.
Luis Mario is my project manager. A very nice and contented individual, he is fun to be with. He has been with the organization for the last four years. Both his sons are well educated and doing well.
I asked him what the call was about.
"My son had nasal bleeding. He called up to say that he went to the doctor and has been advised that it is no problem. He need to take two days rest."
I enquired regarding the quality of medical facilties in Colombia.
"It is very good", replied Luis Mario, "the quality of medical profession in Colombia is supposed to be the best in Latin America. In fact, we get a lot of patients from Canada and North America since Colombia provides top quality health care at very low rates".
"What are the main specializations here?" I queried
"We are good at Cardio, Medicine, Heart Transplant, Opthalmology and of course 'static' surgery (Plastic Surgery). In fact many ladies from Canada come here for plastic surgery". He informed me.
Luis Mario was silent for a moment. Weighing his words probably.
"In fact," Luis Mario continued "Cali, the place I live is in the valley of three mountains. Most of the women here have undergone plastic surgery that Cali is known as the 'Silicon Valley' of Colombia."

View from Bogota - Public Transport

I wish I had explored this earlier.....

I was handicapped by my Spanish Communication skills that I was hesitant to get into a public transport. Typically in India, if you get into a bus, you need to provide the following information.
'Where do you want to go?'
And you have to receive the following information
'What is the charge per ticket?'

Since I did not know enough of Bogota to provide the information and did not know enough of the language to ask and receive the second information, I did not venture out..

Now I know that you dont have to do either, if your objective is just to wander around the city.

In Bogota there is only one rate for a particular bus. Depending on the condition and size of the bus, the rate will vary from 1000 pesos (Rs.20) to 1250 Pesos (Rs.25). This is the only charge whether you are travelling just 1 kilo meter or you are travelling the whole hog. You can imagine how much of a relief it is not to ask the second question in espanol (Pronounced 'Espaneol'). Now you need to know only where you want to go.

That also is easy since Bogota is divided into 'Calle's (Roughly pronounced 'Caje') and 'Carrera's. Every bus will show the calle and carrera that it is going to (Esp. Calle also called Avenue). So if you know that the Indian Restaurant is in Calle 90, you just have to get into the bus which goes there.

So easy, no?

Public transport is frequent and safe in Bogota.

Next time you come to Bogota, get into the public transport on the first day itself. Jump in and explore the city. You don't have to know a word of Espanol..

View From Bogota - Being an Indian

"Why do Sikhs wear a turban?" question from a curious Bogotan who had spend some time in Canada and had interacted with a lot of Sikhs.
I have answer for this. "Sikhs consider their hair as holding their strength and Spirit. So cutting down their hair is like cutting their spirit"
"Excuse me, does it apply only to hair on the head?" comes the counter question.
Bogotans are incredibly curious about India. Unlike those in England and US, who get a lot of information about India through the English news channels and papers, the Spanish papers do not spend a lot of ream on India. These people have some idea about India albeit not very accurate.
If Americans and English men think that Indian's are snake charmers, the people of Latin America has a different view of India. They think that India is a country where cows roam about on the roads freely. Their staple food being meat - especially beaf - there is a touch of self interest in knowing this aspect of India.
"We hear that India is a country where cows roam about on the roads?" they ask me with a touch of wistfulness on their voice. All those free food roaming about and here we have to pay for the same meat through the nose.
"Is it true?"
I nod in the affirmative.
"Here in Colombia, if we see a cow on the street, we kill it and eat it", they inform me.
"Why do you let them roam about?"
"Cow gives us milk and we consider it as equivalant to the mother" I tell them in a 'holier than thou' tone, "You don't eat your mother"
Not very convinced, these Bogotans.
"How many languages do you speak in India?" comes another FAQ
"We speak over 22 languages" I inform them proudly.
"Of course you should, you hold about 15% of world's population"
I point out that China with more population than India speaks only two languages. This silences them. But not for long.
"Is India a poor country?" comes the next question
"Are all Indian's vegetarians?"
"Why are Indian's vegetarians?"
"How many gods do you have in India?" first time I am hearing of gods specific to India.
Some of these questions can make you think. For example the question, why are Indans Vegetarians....
I tell them that Indian culture considers all thing as a part of god. So killing animals is a sin.
"If all the things are a part of god, then you should not be eating plants also" opines the questioner.
I did not know what to say

View from Bogota - Travails of a vegetarian

Being a vegetarian in Bogota is something like being a penguin in Antartica !!

The predominant food here, as in any Lat Am country is meat. Every time I mention that I am a vegetarian, 'askance' looks are exchanged, lines start appearing on the foreheads and the brains start getting confused signals. What could we give him?

The best option is to offer 'Salads'. Or Breads

I am fed up of the time when I have received offers of 'Salads' when I mentioned that I am a vegetarian. It is almost like a reflex action. For drinks the offer is limited to Fruit Juices and coffee.

In the last week, I have eaten so much of bread that I am starting to dream them. I have eaten white bread, oat bread, barn bread, Croissants, Cakes..... You name it and I have seen them all!

And finally, yesterday, I discovered Curd !!!

It took me a lot of explorations in various supermarkets and an intensive bout of learning Spanish language to finally land upon the 'Manna' of a South Indian Veg.

Bogotans go with a single term 'Yogurt' for anything associated with fermented milk. And in their experience, yogurt is a drink that one drinks for breakfast. Normal yogurt, as per a lay Bogotan is fermented milk added with fruit essence and sugar. For them, yogurt without sweet do not exist.

Yesterday, I went to a Super market. Whenever I go to Super market, I can be found near the yougurt / lactose counter, much like a fish in the aquarium which always comes near the glass, in the hope of catching a passing 'sweetless' yogurt. One good thing is that the yogurt is color coded with different colours for different fruits. I was looking at plain white packets.

Then I saw this packet which said, 'Yogurt Natural - Sin Dulce'. This is where my knowledge of Spanish language came handy. Extensive work in the past week had told me that 'Sin' in Spanish means 'Without'. The opposite is 'Con' (Isn't is funny? In English a 'Con' is one who commits some type of 'Sin'). Dulce as everyone knows means 'Sweet' (As in 'Dulcet' Voice meaning 'Sweet' Voice). I immediately knew that I had landed on a 'Gold Mine'. I purchased two packets of the best, along with a packet of Potato Chips ('Yogurt Sin Dulce con Patatas de Fritas') and immediately headed for my room.

Here again my knowledge of Spanish came handy. I ordered 'Arros Claro' which meant 'Plain Rice'. The time stood still as the room service took about half an hour to get me the plate of 'Arros'. Though my heart was beating wildly, I put in an air of non chalance as I patiently signed the bill and saw the waiter out of the room.

To say that I hogged will be wrong. The right way to say will be that I carassed the curd rice. Each morsel was inspected, smelled, mixed with chips and slowly and sadly (the food was getting reduced with each morsel) put away into the mouth and after staying there for a minute, was slowly gulped down...

Man, it was heaven!!!

The tip for any Vegetarian coming to Bogota: Bring pickles from home and be either a bread fan or a yogurt fan. Also you get plenty of fruits here. And better learn Spanish....

View from Bogota - Of holiday lists, traffic rules and vehicle registration numbers

OK, here is a riddle. Can you find the relationship between the following? Your vehicle registration number, the official holiday list and the traffic rules in your city.

Racking your brains (or whatever that is there) aren’t you? What could be the relationship between these totally different entities, you wonder. You could sense a nebulous relationship between registration number and traffic rules, but relationship between these and your holiday list? Impossible, these are like chalk and cheese. How can you have a relationship between two unrelated entities?

Well, here in Bogota, everything is interelated and are a part of a unified whole. Much like Indian philosophy of ‘Vasudeva Kudumbakam’

Let me tell you the story of how each of them are related here in Bogota…..

I wish I could start by telling you that it all began in the year 2000. Unfortunately I can't because it all did not begin in 2000. It could have begun in 1995 or it could have begun in 2001. Safe to say that it all began around the year 2000.

Till that time, Colombia's economy almost in tatters. With inflation ranging from 20-30%, and the currency highly devalued, the country was going the same direction as the other lat am countries.

Then the slow turnaround began and the economy started to look up. The inflation came down to single digits and businesses started investing again. Soon people were buying cars and other vehicles and within no time the city was rampant with traffic jams and slow moving vehicles.

The city adopted a multi pronged strategy (Don't I love those cliches?) to counter the menace. (I could have lifted this sentence straight out of ToI Bangalore edition and no one would have known that I am talking here of Bogota). One of them was to bring in a rule that one can take his vehicle out only 2-3 days a week on working days.

(Notice how subtly I am bringing in the 'Vehicle Registration Numbers' into play)

Here is how it works. The vehicles whose numbers ending with 0,1,2,3,4 and 5 cannot come out between 6.00 AM to 9.00 AM and between 4.00 PM to 6.00 PM on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The vehicles whose registration number ending with any other digit cannot come out on the other days during the peak period mentioned above. This system will go on for a year after which the counter will move forward one day as it were.

The only people who were happy with the new system were the Car manufacturers. This is because, now people bought two cars instead of one. You had the 'Monday cars' with numbers 1 to 5 and 'Tuesday Cars' with numbers ending in other digits. Needless to say, the new system hardly helped in bringing down the traffic congestion in the city.

Now let us smoothly transition to the the motif of 'Holiday Lists'.

Colombia is a high holiday country. (Public Holidays 2008). The country has an average of 2 holidays a month, in addition to the weekends. The holidays can be divided into two categories. There are those 'Fixed Holidays' which cannot be changed. For example, Christmas and other holidays related to Christian Saints which has to be celebrated on the fixed day.

And then there are 'Movable Holidays' or the 'Monday Holidays' ...

These are mostly related to Wars, Centeneries, Memorials etc for which there is neither a fixed date or a day. (Unlike for example, India's Independence day falls every year on 15th of August) If any of these holidays falls on a week day, it is moved to the Monday so that people can enjoy an extended weekend. This means that many of the mondays are holidays in this country.

Since Monday is predominantly holiday and you do not have any restrictions on taking out your vehicle on a holiday, there is a lot of demand for 'Monday' numbers. This means that there is heavy traffic snarls on those mondays when the country is working.

Tail Piece: Recently Govt. is focussing on creating a better public transportation system and creating 'Cycle Routes' known in spanish as 'Ciclo-ruta' . These are dedicated bike path network which has rekindled interest in cycling in Bogota in a big way.