Obama win is good for Colombia

Approaching Barichara, you can see one of the cordillas of the Andes stretching out ahead under the clouds.

I am not taking sides when I say that Obama's win is good for Colombia, but the last four years of working to strengthen the ties between the two countries will benefit from a continuation of the existing policy. While I do not want Colombia to become 'Americanized' in any way, inevitably that is going to occur with people all over the country watching the TODAY show, learning English, and having more tourists coming from the U.S.

Clearly my blog has been read by a huge number of Americans, possibly those looking for a nice retirement option. And Colombia is supportive of retirees (although you have to prove you can support yourself to get a visa) and welcomes Americans as visitors. Santos has been working hard to bring the FARC to the peace table and since Obama supports this, there are plenty of hopeful signs that an end to the conflict could occur. This would only benefit Colombia as a tourist destination country because it has so very much to offer.

Cathedral in Barichara - early morning shot

Although the U.S. State Department does issue travel advisories about Colombia, anyone visiting here and taking reasonable precautions for their personal safety should not be any more concerned about touring here than touring in the U.S. Don't bother wearing your expensive jewelry in any of the large cities. (If you are going someplace where you want to show it off, carry it in a pocket or something until you reach the inside of your destination, then you can put it on and remove it when leaving. That's what Bogotonians do.) Probably that's good advice in the U.S these days as well.

Anyhow, all you folks reading this, come on over and see Colombia for yourselves... the El Dorado airport in Bogota is being upgraded, you don't need a visa for a two-month visit, and it's well worth the trip!
NOTE: One village in northern Colombia is totally pro-Obama... read this!

These Sands are not Shifting

Not the greatest shot of me at the entrance to the Marvels
of the World in Sand, but it's not really about me.

The last time I was in Bogota, I had time enough to go and visit “Maravillas del Mundo en Arena” (Marvels of the World in Sand), an amazing collection of sand sculptures on display in a series of tents covering 32,000 square feet, created by sand artists from around the world. It took over 6,000 tons of sand from the Rio Sumapaz, determined to be of the right consistency to build sculptures that are over three stories in height using only water to hold them in place.

10,000 foot mountains surround Bogota
which is at 8,000 feet of elevation.

This is another good reason to check into events that are taking place when you are traveling. The event was over at the end of March and I would have missed it if someone had not said to me, "If you have time, make sure you see "Maravillas" and I am glad I did.

The first sand sculpture seen upon entering
the show.

Sand artists have been building castles and other structures for decades and some of them probably got their start at a beach, building moats and then watching the tide take their work away. You can see some of the internationally renowned sand artists and their work here. I was unable to get a list of those participating in the Bogota event, but am fairly certain some of them were among those displayed at that web site.

All of the "Wonders of the World" were re-created in sand, including the Pyramid at Giza, the Sphinx, the Great Wall of China, the Buddha, the Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal and more. There were tableaus of the U.S. Space Program, a nativity scene, South American indigenous archeological finds, the Tower of London and Big Ben, a giant chess set in sand and other artistic creations.

What follows are some photographs of the sculptures. The lighting was difficult for taking photos, so some are not as clear as I would have liked. I could have done a better job if I had taken a tripod with me, but this is not something I normally do. This presentation of more than 100 sculptures was sponsored by Foto Urbano, an international training company which has sponsored similar events in other places world wide.

This photo of the Buddha is credited to eltiempo.com

If you look closely at this you will see the 'shadow' of
the Twin Towers in this NYC structure in sand.

The U.S. space program featured in sand. Notice the
people to the right, giving you an idea of the size and
scale of the sculpture.

One of the artists at work near the end of the exhibition.

The Nativity scene was given a place of honor at the end of the show,
taking up about 10 meters in length - very impressive!

Close up of the Nativity scene. The standing Joseph is,
in my estimation, approximately 18 feet tall.

If you are interested in learning more about sand sculpture, here is a short video of the 2011 world competition in Washington state.

Getting Away on Another Journey

Rainy season & derumbas - scary road conditions.

I barely got back to Barichara when it was time for my birthday and a trip planned to celebrate. The trip was with a small group driving south in the state of Santander to Puente Nacional for their fiesta, a visit to Vélez, and a short tour of Chiquinquirá (the city where the cathedral for the Virgin of Chiquinquira is located) then an even shorter tour - after a longer drive - to see one of the very first churches in Colombia in Ubate/Sutatausa, located in the state of Cundinamarca, making it about an hour north of Bogotá.

There is a lot of information to share and I took over 400 photos (I won't bore you with all of them here; you'll have to come for tea!) and so I think I will divide it up by location so you can enjoy it all at a slower pace than I did. This will mean several blogs in sequence instead of attempting to post it all in one. I will title the series "Getting Away" with Puente Nacional as Part One, Vélez as Part Two, Chiquinqierá as Part Three and Ubate/Sutatausa as Part Four.

Colombian girls are reputed to be very pretty...

Today I will just share some unrelated aspects of the trip which managed to get lumped together by virtue of driving in Colombia. The first aspect is that when one is traveling with a group, there is a kind of team and leadership dynamic that develops. The one who organized the trip is looked to for information, the driver of the bussetta (small van) is supposed to be responsive to the organizer and since seats are not assigned, and yelling "I get the window seat!" in Spanish has no effect whatsoever, it certainly pays to arrive on time. It was frustrating to try and get photos on the way, and the driver was not inclined to stop - ever - for something as silly as a photo op.

It's cold enough in Vélez for irises to grow well.

The second aspect is that it is important to realize that Colombia is divided up into six regions: Caribe (everything from the northernmost tip near Venezuela down to Caretgena on the Carribean Ocean), Andina (Andes - the interior portion bordered by the Rio Magdelena over to Venezuela), Cafetera (the coffee region from the other side of the Rio Magdelena over to the Pacific from Cali north), and Suroccidente, (a large region from Cali south on the Pacific to the border with Equador and over to the beginning of the flatlands at the base of the Andes on the eastern side), Llanos (plains and grass lands from the base of the Andes to the west and over to the Venezuelan border) and last, the Amazonia (that portion through which the Amazon River runs in the southernmost part of the country.)

I explored some of the Caribe region in 2009, live in the Andina region and still have four regions left to explore. The most recent trip was confined to the Andina region. This meant changes in elevation from 5,000 feet (where I live in Barichara) up to approximately 9,000 feet to Velez and back down to the valley of Laguna Fúquene (a lake shared with both the states of Boyaca and Curdinamarca) where the first church was established, which brought us down to about 2000 feet of elevation.

No way to know what happened to the driver.

Finally, the third aspect is that driving in Colombia is not like other parts of the world where two and three-lane highways are the norm. Colombian drivers make every one-lane highway into a two-lane by passing on curves and other apparently illegal conditions, depending on the truckers to let them pass and other drivers to slow down when approaching. Traffic delays are common, and so are road closures due to bridges or roads being washed out. Sometimes the travel is all good. Other times it is very bad - for someone.

We had mixed conditions of rain, sun and clouds. As the photos will show, most of the time we were able to enjoy sunshine. But this is the rainy season, so it is no surprise when the clouds become unglued and end up in our laps. I am grateful our trip was only delayed by a few events and none of them included us.

Surviving a Car Crash in Colombia

The trip from Barichara started on Friday the 13th, and while I am not normally cognizant of these mythical ‘bad luck days’ I have to say it was interesting. First, I was supposed to have a real car taxi to take me to the bus terminal, but the number I was given turned out to be for the three-wheeled jitney, So it was kind of like riding a motorcycle but with plastic cover and room for a suitcase. It actually only took about 15 minutes longer than the car taxi and I was grateful it wasn’t a horse and buggy which would have taken all day AND all night.

This was my jitney and driver from B'chara.

Then I was rushed onto the 11 p.m. bus and as I sat down and started to gather my wits, I realized one critical wit was missing - my passport! Oh crap. I knew we were on our way to Socorro and I had to think about how to solve this problem. About five minutes out of Socorro, I moved up to talk to the driver and told him I had forgotten my passport and he would have to let me get off the bus in Socorro. He reluctantly agreed and I found a taxi to take me back to San Gil.

Well, the first part of the problem - getting the passport - was solved when I called my Angels in Barichara who agreed to hire a car to drive them to the bus station and meet me there in time to catch the 12 a.m. bus. But because I was expecting to have my passport (and the slush fund I had in the same envelope) I only had $28,000 COPs for the taxi driver who really wanted $30,000. ($15 USD +/-) I told the taxi driver I could take his name and see that the money got to him... he said “No,” and judging from my frazzled appearance I can see why he wanted to be well rid of me.

I waited and waited.... time ticking by and the woman in the terminal was calling out “Bogota! Bogota!” meaning the bus was arriving. If I missed this bus, the chances of making my flight at 9 a.m. was slim to none. Just a few minutes before 12, my friends rushed in with the passport, and the money inside (so I could buy another ticket) and then they explained to the bus people what had happened and I was allowed to use my old ticket !! Yippee!! But the car man said it was going to $50,000 for this midnight run. And the reason they nearly didn’t make it was because he was just about out of gas! I think I understood correctly that he took off the gas cap and blew into the tank to get them the rest of the way to the terminal!

Finally on the bus, I was unable to sleep thinking about how many blessings I had had and how close a call it was for me to make the flight. Eventually fatigue took over and I did catch a couple of hours of sleep and as we pulled into Bogota, I had no idea what a close call was.

The right front fender and bumper were damaged in the hit;
my arm at the elbow was bruised - not worth a photo.

I did the usual bathroom run so I could push onward to get through all the lines at the airport without interruption. But the line for the taxis was horrendous... silly me, I never realized it was, of course, Saturday - the weekend. By the time I was through the line, I was already past the three-hour international arrival-at-the-airport-time. The taxi driver was young, eager, and quick. I was just about to tell him what good driver he was as we were approaching the last set of curves at the airport, when he skidded coming into one of the curves that had filled up with water and mud from the rain the day before, and plowed right into a guardrail, causing me to jam my elbow into the door.

Another reminder to wear seatbelts, folks! He jumped out of the car and instead of coming over to see how I was, he went to look at his car - WTF? I knew as we were coming into the curve that he wasn’t going to make it. I could feel the car sliding and I think I must have braced myself before he even realized he was in trouble. The jolt to my elbow wasn’t the first bump, but the second when we bounced off the guardrail and back into traffic, neatly avoiding being crashed into by some other rushing fool.

I did a quick assessment of myself - head still attached, no blood, sore arm, any whiplash? Nope. Just at that time, he stuck his head back inside the car and asked how I was. I said, “I am furious! You were driving too fast! And you caused me to hurt my arm. I am going to be even madder if you make me miss my plane!”

I took a picture of the car and driver in case there are any consequences of his bad driving, and hurried inside before the shock of the accident set in. The line at JetBlue was short and I explained to the agent what had happened. They asked if I wanted special assistance and I simply nodded, not knowing exactly what that meant. I was moved into the Special Assistance line which was very much shorter than the other one.

JetBlue staff was very helpful and I was glad
for a seat where I wasn't crammed into it.

By the time I was through getting my bag checked and received my boarding pass, they had a wheelchair for me and rolled me past everyone else in the line for the immigration and the next one for the screening, hurried me on down to the pre-boarding waiting room and I was shortly thereafter rolled down the ramp to the aircraft.

The nice young lady who was in charge of wheeling my wheelchair also got me some ice to keep the swelling down on my arm. As I write this, I am giving thanks for the accident because I never would have asked for help if my arm hadn’t been hurting so much, and  it would have been a huge rush for me to make the plane on foot. But I am also offering up some warning to riders in taxis in foreign countries... they are not very concerned with YOUR well-being, but in the investment that makes it possible for them to earn a living. If you are going to be doing a lot of taxi riding, it might be worthwhile to have accident insurance from your own country to cover mishaps.

SIDE NOTE: Once I was settled on the aircraft I began doing Reiki on myself, along with intentions for quick healing. I think the ice, the Reiki and the intention process all contributed to my being able to gather up everything and move on my own speed into US Customs and out in the humidity of Florida in April.

It’s a crap shoot when you walk out of the terminal - bus or plane - and get assigned a driver. You don’t know if he’s a drinker, a fool or worse, except that in Bogota and other cities in Colombia, the driver does have to have credentials. I guess it’s all part of the adventure.

The Blue was new.... at least to me

I didn't know it when I took the photo that this man is the
father of twin girls who would be seated with the rest of
the family (boy 3, and girl 5, and Mama) across the aisle
from me and who I would later help disembark in Bogota.

This is the first time I’ve flown on jetBlue, but they offer a direct flight from Orlando, FL to Bogota and back. No stopping in the MIami crazzzzziness, no layovers waiting to get another flight on to Bogota or from Miami to someplace else. Yippee!

Look at all that legroom!
And the leather seats!

And their promise about the seats is all they say it is!

When I was trying to decide how to go back to Colombia, I looked at all the options. Because it is harder and harder to redeem air miles, it hardly matters whether I fly on one airline or another, they all seem to arrive in Bogota after 9 p.m. (even from MIami) and so I began looking for flights from Orlando. American Airlines, Spirit and Continental all have flights, but they have at least one stop. 

Then I needed to determine how to get to the airport. MCO (Orlando International) is about 2.5 hours from Lake City and while JAX (Jacksonville International) is only a little more than an hour away, the cost is huge to fly out of there and connections are awkward. I found a shuttle service operating from Ocala (Florida’s horse country if you are not familiar with the name) which is also about an hour from the house. Last time I drove to Orlando, I parked the car for two weeks and drove home again for the same cost as a one-way bus fare to Orlando. But as I am going to be gone longer this time, parking the car was not the best choice this time.

Once I took a bus to Ft. Lauderdale to get on Spirit which flies direct from there to Bogota. I had to pay for everything except using the loo... turned out not to be such a bargain after all. And the bus ride was horrendously long. After flying out of Orlando, it will be my first choice most of the time and apparently I’m not alone with that idea... the TSA lines are 30 minutes long during the week - the only drawback.

The shuttle turned out to be a great idea. I got a ride to my pick-up spot and then was dropped off about an hour and half later right at my airline. They will pick me up and take me back to the same spot, and if I have to wait for a ride home, there is a fancy restaurant and even hotel accomodations if I have to wait too long!

The full moon was rising (you can see it just above
the wingtip) and as night fell, the moonlight danced
on the silver wings of the jet - a lovely sight.

What else do I now love about jetBlue? Free entertainment, seats with plenty of room, free snacks, mileage points, cheerful flight attendants and a flight that gets me to and from Bogota directly!! The price was very reasonable, too.... so if you are thinking about coming to visit me in Colombia, maybe the Blue is for you.

(No, they are not paying me to say all this, but I hope they will check in and find out they have a very satisfied customer.)

NOTE: I found a 'boutique' hotel in Bogota for a really decent rate and will take some pictures tomorrow in the daylight. Then it's back to Barichara and my project list. And certain special people will understand the fascination with twins - more on that later.

It was a Looooooonnnnnnnggggg Trip!

I don't have any photos to post of the trip from Barichara to Florida, but it was long and dark, and sometimes rainy. I left my old casa about 10:30 p.m. and arrived in San Gil at the terminal in time to catch the late-running 11 p.m. bus to Bogota. I determined I was charged the highest price (50,000 pesos) because the driver correctly evaluated me as a gringa, tired and distracted. Oh well, my Christmas present to his family... it should have been about $35,000 pesos.

The bus pulled into Bogota about 6:30 a.m. under temporarily sunny skies and I caught a taxi from there to El Dorado airport which is under construction for a fabulous new system, making it the most modern international airport in Colombia, and about three or four times larger - much needed! So I was ready to get into lines by 8 a.m. Only they weren't ready for me! The international flights -  most of them - leave after lunch and do not begin service for ticketing, etc., until 10 a.m.  OK, then.

I went back to the Beauty Salon I visited last year and they were ready for a customer, so I got myself a hair treatment, nails and while my hair was being done, they stuck me in a full body massaging chair for 20 minutes. I was tired but totally relaxed. Three hours later I went and got into the LAN line and was quickly processed, they took my two bags and no extra fees and I left for a light lunch and more lines for the LAN security final check.

Most of the international flights do a final search of your things in the waiting area for the flight. That's also when the last body scan is done, but it seems 'friendlier' somehow than the TSA people in the US make it. Not 'friskier,' suggestive or whatever, even though it is a frisking of the body total, but it feels less invasive.

Anyhow, flight was delayed slightly, but we arrived in time in Miami at 7 p.m. Now I've had 20 hours of traveling and less than six hours of sleeping as the bus is not condusive to quality sleep time, even though I was lucky to have two seats for most of the journey. By 9:30 p.m. I have my rental car and am heading up I-95 to Jacksonville as I will have to turn the car in at the airport and a friend will pick me up there.

Can't make it... angels on my shoulder guide me to a rest area at 2 a.m. and I sleep there until about 5 a.m. under the watchful eyes of the security guard and then I head out for a road trip breakfast before getting into JAX. It is noon by the time my buddy arrives to pick me up, and I can tell I am getting ready to crash after 36 hours of traveling. But when I get to my FL cottage, I am too tired to go to sleep and I finally fall into bed about hour 42....

No surprise that over the next few days I am fighting a cold... but I made it safely back to the U.S. and I will soon have this cold behind me. Hope you all are having good holiday events and I wish you joy!

The Rain in Spain stayed mainly on the ...

My return to Colombia was heralded by buckets of rain... rain in Bogota, rain in Socorro, rain in Barichara. Apparently there were five continuous days of rain and the rivers were already swollen and violently rushing to the next biggest river.

This is the road heading toward Socorro, the next largest
city, south of San Gil. It used to be the seat of the state of
Santander, but that is now in Bucaramanga.

I've been back for a month and during this time we've had 17 days of rain. Last night and tonight there have actually been thunderstorms and I got caught in a downpour coming out of the theatre group meeting. The streets had water rushing down them so rapidly it would have been dangerous to try and cross them!

The heavy rain is a serious concern because the ground gets so soggy that there is nothing to keep the rocks and trees from simply sliding down the steep inclines. This event is called a 'derumba,' and can cause the roads to become impassable.

The good news is that President Santos has pledged funding for repair of this main road through Santander. The not-so-good-news is that he hasn't said WHERE the funds will come from and Santandarianos' pockets are already pretty well picked. But improved roads will likely mean more tourists will come to visit and that might fill up those impoverished pockets.

Although the rain in Spain stayed mainly on the plain, there are few plains here to hold the rain and instead we drive being on the lookout for rocks, trees and dirt from above along with wild drivers in our lane on the curvy roads... making life quite interesting.

A Different Sort of Art

In various cities around the world you are likely to see
artists like this one; usually men who look like statues
which move randomly and provide entertainment -
for a donated fee - see the slotted container? 

In my travels I have enjoyed going to museums, art galleries, art shows and other events where artists either have some kind of presentation of their work or are themselves on display. The photo above is of a man dressed up as a woodchopper. This is interesting on several levels. For one thing, there is a HUGE issue about cutting down trees in Colombia because of the erosion of the land, so I find this woodchopper in downtown Bogota, near the Museum of Gold (Musee del Oro), fascinating.

Secondly, this fellow appears to be wearing a cap which is more like something one finds in the United States up near the Canadian border, not common at all in Colombia. His artistry in the design of the costume and his actions was skillful and as one got closer, he raised his ax, made a few chopping motions and then stopped. Then he winked at me. And motioned for me to get a little closer. I'm all about the adventure, as my readers know, so I stepped in a bit closer. He bent down and planted a kiss on my cheek. Of course I made a donation!

The woodchopper's kiss - no splinters!

Then I managed to persuade my guide and friend, Stella, to pose with him for that winsome woodchopper's kiss and this is what I captured.

I have seen an all-gold fireman in Cabo San Lucas, a silver-toned 'Mercury' in Seattle, Washington, and a couple of coal black 'cast-iron' fishermen in Cartegena, Colombia. These men go to a lot of work to create their characters - I have yet to see a woman doing this kind of art - and I hope the next time you are in a city that has one or more statues that you will find it worthy of your time and a donation because it is an artistic expression that merits some attention.

Discovering more about Colombia - Bogota in particular this time

View from the host family's bedroom window of sunrise.

There are a couple things in Bogota, Colombia, that remind me of Seattle, Washington. First, there are a lot of cloudy days and when the sun comes out it is really hot and lovely. Second, although Seattle has mountains on two sides with clouds on top of them, making for truly fabulous views, Bogota is surrounded by them. Third, both places have a lot of hills with tall buildings perched on them, and fourth, the climate overall (even though it is on the Equator and at 8,000 feet in elevation) is very like Seattle so all the things that grow well in Washington also do well here making for a lot of familiar plants, and the temperature is very similar, except it is more constantly between 55-80 degrees than Seattle is.

Agapanthus grows very well in Bogota, Colombia.

American Embassy in Bogota, Colombia.

One thing Seattle doesn’t have is an American Embassy. But if it did, it would probably be just as frustrating to go to it as it has been here. First of all, it is only open from Monday to Thursday and only from 8:45 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. Being an American does NOT make a bit of difference. If you read the sign, you may notice there is something missing... how about a phone number to call for that “24/7” service they say they have?

Services are available 24/7... if you know the number.

Many of the service people are Colombian and are nice enough but there is not enough information in either Spanish or English to make the time spent there more productive.

My first interaction with this Embassy was a week ago when I called the general number - found on the internet - from Barichara and was told they couldn’t even talk to me unless it was between the hours of 10:30 and 12:30 p.m. Or I could e-mail them for an appointment. Waiting on the phone when minutos are so costly didn’t make sense and especially when I kept getting a recording during those hours. So I wrote them. And never got an answer.

I arrived at ‘my’ American Embassy a week later at 9 a.m. on Monday to see about getting my Social Security confirmation letter. First I was told they couldn’t see me because I didn’t have an appointment. I tried to talk to someone about the problems of writing and not getting help, but I was told to come back at 10:30.

So I went to a phone and called someone and was told they would make an exception and see me right away. I went back in... by now it was pretty close to 10:30 anyhow.

I was not told that I needed proof of my SS income so I just showed up with my card and my passport expecting they had access to that information. They claimed they didn’t. And yet, the form I had to fill out was a FOIA-style form which clearly indicated they could get that information. So I was sent away to find a way to get something to prove what I said was true, but discovered when I went across the street to the local Internet place that SSA will not provide any information online. It has to be sent to you - and it takes 2-4 weeks.

Nearly in tears, I met with the fellow who is doing my visa work (getting papers translated, etc.) and he said that I should get a listing of the bank deposits which would be proof enough. Why couldn’t the Embassy folks have told me that? Then I could have downloaded that and returned to the Embassy... Oh, but I forgot, they close at 11:30 and don’t open up for anyone. By now it was after that and I’d lost a day for the three-day requirements. 

So I went back that afternoon to where I am staying. Got into my computer and did a print-out of my bank deposits for three months showing that they were receiving SS payments for me. TIP: if you want to ex-patriate, make sure you have copies of ALL your important papers with you whenever you go to an American Embassy.

Day two with the Embassy - We arrived at 9:30 a.m., due to traffic which can be horrendous here (except on Thursdays when private transport is forbidden), and were told to sit down. I noticed people were getting up and getting in line and we’d been waiting for almost 30 minutes. I went to the youhttps://www.facebook.com/usdos.colombiang woman directing traffic and said, “Exactly how do I know when I can go up to the window?” She was less than pleasant and said, “You go after the man in the black leather jacket.” I guess if I had not asked I could have been sitting there for hours!

My request was processed and we left at about 11 a.m. The woman behind the window said to me, “You know this was a special exception.” I merely said. “Thank you” and left, because I didn’t want to get into it with her about how they had failed to answer my phone calls or e-mails making it necessary for me to make two trips to see them.

Finally, after three stress-filled days I have my visa. Yippee!! I am officially an ex-patriated American, living abroad. My next challenge will be to get a bank account and probably an International Driver license so that I don’t run into problems driving in Colombia in my car. NOTE: Once you have a visa, you are no longer tax-exempt for return to the U.S. and have to pay the Empuesta (Excise Tax) of $65,000 CPs or approximately $35 USD.

After the Embassy work my female Colombian escort drove me to see the National Museum. It was an impressive place with three floors of displays, starting with their archeological history and moving up to present day including some of the more famous Colombian artists. A good way for this new Colombian resident to get acquainted with her country, I thought. More on this in another post.

This drive along the mountainside above Bogota
reminds me a lot of Seattle, Washington.

There is much, much more to discover about Bogota - like places to shop, or eat, or go to a movie, or a bullfight... yes, you heard me correctly. They have a bull-fight here every Sunday in a ring that looks just like the one in the story of “Ferdinand,” one of my most favorite childhood books. I do not care to go and watch the bloodletting, but this Leo-energy city apparently puts it right up there with the national sport of futball AKA soccer.

Anyhow, I have made some new friends and have an invitation to come back and stay with them when I return, and I will... as l continue my discovery of Bogota, D.C., and the rest of Colombia.

2012 UPDATE: The US Embassy now has a FaceBook page, has Twitter and followers... here's the link for the FB 
and if you want have an e-mail address, ACSBogota@state.gov  (I hope this is the correct one for appointment scheduling. It took them over 9 months to reply to me last year, so we will see if there is an improvement this year.) That is also the link for the list of contacts at
http://bogota.usembassy.gov/contact.html.

I am getting ready for Round 2 in the renewal process and am both intending and hoping for an easier go of it. At least this time I am heading into the process knowing what documents are needed.

REVIEW for RETIREES:
1) The document that shows the pension income must be apostilled by the Secretary of State in the state where the funds are distributed. Plan ahead as this is a time-consuming process.
2) You must have your Social Security Award Letter for the U.S. Embassy personnel to prepare a confirmation letter. As you read above, three months showing of bank deposits may be sufficient.
3) Your passport must have enough pages left for stamping by the DAS.
If there is anything new required, I will post it after I finish this 2012 process.

Ten Tips for Traveling Solo

After reading the two remarks from readers about my safety, I thought I might write a little bit about being a solo woman traveler to those who may be thinking or dreaming of going someplace farther away than the next big city alone.

And I am sooooo appreciative of my reader's concerns... and it is because of those issues that I took this subject today and offer my Ten Tips for Tight-Assed Traveling... mostly for women, but men might find this helpful, too.

There is always a lot to see in a new city or country; take
time to do your research before going to enhance your trip.

First, I think it is essential if one is planning to travel solo anywhere, by car, plane, train, bus, ship or NASA moon rocket to have some kind of itinerary mapped out which is shared with several people who will be receiving your calls, text messages or e-mails along the route.

Second, an agreed-upon phrase to use which will indicate there is a problem and thus some kind of plan of action worked out. It is comforting to know that when you carry a cell phone it is like a homing device for the authorities. As long as it is on, it will "ping" various cell towers in range and you can be tracked in that way. (So if you plan to have an affair and don't wish to be found, leave the cell phone behind.)

Third step is to make plans so that when you arrive someplace you have a car, taxi, or hotel van ready to meet you after customs or baggage delivery. This is required if you arrive after dark! 

If you are driving on a trip (such as across the country as I have done more times than I care to discuss), make it a rule to stop before dark. If possible, call ahead to reserve a room. These places along highways are less security conscious, so if you are at all concerned and feel the room offered doesn’t provide the kind of security you want, ask to have it changed and that’s why you make sure you arrive before dark!

TIP: Those GPS systems are worth their weight in gold for finding the lost motel or hotel in a strange city in the dark!

I didn't take my own advice on this: After getting up very early in Florida on Thursday, I arrived in Bogota that night about 8 p.m. I was concerned that the hotel I had reserved for the night would not know my flight information and would not be at the airport for me because I couldn’t remember when I made my reservation on line if I had told them I was arriving by plane. Guess what? They must be psychic! They were there; I just didn’t know it. (More fool me... an American woman arriving in Bogota for one night is very likely to be arriving by plane. How did they know which one? Do you really think you are traveling incognito? That’s a fiction.)

But I got assistance from the nice folks at Avianca (airline I flew in on) to find out if there was a hotel shuttle - there was - and to help me locate the representative. The Avianca arrival location at Bogota's airport is away from the regular arrivals so that was another part of my concern. But my name was on their hotel list and they whisked me away and got me into my room by 9 p.m.

Most of the international modern hotels today are very secure and don't do such foolish things as hand over a key and announce in a loud voice, "Here you go, Miss, your room number is 1234 and it's the single room you asked for," as happened to me in Denmark 35 years ago, resulting in a room invasion. That's a story for another time and although I was married, I was traveling alone, going on ahead to wait for my husband.

In fact, arriving at a hotel in Bogota, Colombia is like arriving at a G-9 summit meeting with armed guards, police dogs and undercover agents watching as people move about the lobby.

Have a camera handy if you enjoy capturing light and colors as I do.

The Ar Hotel Salitre is brand new (open only three months), very modern and charming at the same time. There was live music in the bar, the staff is sharp and professional and helpful, and even though the airport is close and the hotel is in a busy section of the city, most noise from outside is greatly diffused. And the hotel food was delicious, which is more common than not, at least in Colombia.

Security is top notch, with guards at the entrance, a para-military structure is in place with a dog patrolling the entrance outside along with its keeper, and all the rooms are only accessed by a card and you must have the card to access the elevators and other facilities - they have a fabulous spa and 'soaking pool' for guests; something I will hope to enjoy during my next visit.

I have written about Bogota before, but if you want to get some of the details and see some photos (I am usually here for such a short time and usually arriving in the dark, so I don't get the best ones.), then please click on the link.

Fourth on the list: Have currency for the country you are going to visit in hand when you arrive. There is nothing more risky than having to get money changed upon arrival and there are LOTS of people watching you when you do this. Most of the larger and international banks can get you some initial funds (equivalent to $200 USD, let's say) for taxi rides or tipping or meals. I make it a point also, to have small bills in a small wallet for these purposes and never, never show larger bills from that wallet. I keep the larger bills in another location in my bag and when I go to the loo, I transfer what I think I will need into the small wallet.  This avoids any big display of money when getting in or out of cabs, vans, or busses when you are really at your most vulnerable to pick-pockets, etc. I also try to have a tip amount tucked away in a pocket so I can just reach for it, knowing ahead of time how much it is.

When buying souveniers, remember that most sellers do
not have change for large bills and you will draw
attention to yourself unnecessarily.

Fifth point: Savvy travelers (men or women) dress to impress or dress to be invisible. I have learned I am more comfortable dressing to blend in and also to be comfortable. Long flights in tights are in the past for me, thank goodness! I wear Patagonia ‘sweater-things’ with zippered pockets ensuring tip money won’t be easily removed or lost and they are wonderful in multiple temperature zones. I wear black pants with a bit of elasticity so they give and don’t show the dirt. Then when I arrive I don’t necessarily look like I’ve been put through a travel wringer, though I occasionally feel that way. The last aspect of this point is that when you travel and are comfortable with how you look and how you feel, you have an air of confidence that tends to put Sneaky Snakes (apologies to Tom T. Hall) off to look for more vulnerable hits.

Sixthly (just kidding): Take your jewelry with you to wear for that special event you are going to, but limit what you wear. I wear a pair of simple gold hoops, a band on each ring finger and a simple silver or gold pendant (sometimes). Although not married, the wedding ring finger band discourages unwanted conversations and the other band seems to add enough confusion that I just continue to do it.

Number Seven: Never, ever take more luggage than you can handle all by yourself! Depending where you arrive and when you arrive, there may not be any porters or other service people to assist you. So all that rolling stock, ladies, better be able to be stacked, wrapped, hoisted or heaved onto your existing bags or your back... and the new baggage rules are 50 pounds per bag - absolutely - no wiggle room. Avianca even limits the weight of the carry-on to 10 pounds now. Spend $7 at some department store and get the baggage weight thing that tells you how much your bag weighs. Oh, and weigh it as well if you are taking it with you.

TIP: If your trip requires more than one bag and more than one stopover, choose one bag to be the one you open at the hotel and leave the other one alone until you are at your destination. This ensures you don’t mess with the weight of each bag by packing and unpacking at all your stops along the way and also makes getting up and out the next day a little bit easier.

Eight down, two to go: Do not tell strangers your life story while standing in line or at the gate. You do not know who is going where and what their agenda is. If someone asks you where you are going or who you are going to see, just change the subject or ask them those same questions. BE PRIVATE. It is possible to be friendly and still be very private. If they persist, be courageous enough to tell them it is none of their business why you are traveling. I am sure I have offended some people by telling them that, but I also ensured that the Sneaky Snake farther back in the line was not going to find out my plans.

Ninth: After arriving, don’t let your guard down. Pay attention to the people around you. Listen to your intuition. Even if you are going to be in a hotel with a group, don’t forget that there are people watching you. Some are hired to do that by the hotel or facility, but there are others who are looking for a chance to improve their situation by messing up yours. This doesn’t mean you have to be paranoid about everything and fearful - not at all. It does mean that you make plans to do things with an eye to your own safety.

Remember: if you have an agreement to call someone upon arrival, please do what you agreed upon. When I was in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, the biggest number of calls we dealt with were people who were called in, by concerned friends or relatives, as “missing” but they were actually those who failed to call in that they had arrived at their destination and were safe.   

Obviously... (amazingly not so obvious to some people) don’t leave jewelry, computers, other valuables like mp3 players lying around the hotel room... that’s why they have wall safes. Use them.

Last - Number Ten: The biggest reason for traveling alone is that you can sleep late if you want to, you can see what you want to see, you can stay as long as you want at the museum, have a massage or go shopping. There are a lot of joys to traveling alone. I met several really interesting people on my recent train and plane trips. I laughed, I enjoyed a meal with one of them, I got some good tips on new books to read and shared photographs of my travels with someone who is never going to be able to do what I am doing. She said, “I am not envious because I am too old for that. But you have made this old woman’s day of travel one she won’t forget. Thank you!”

That’s my reason for traveling... to share, to care, to listen, to talk and discuss, to learn something new, to have fun. I hope your next trip is successful and that you get out of it everything you expected and for those things that are not, may those surprises be wonderful memories.

This Must Be a Sign...

I followed my friend Betty into the Hospice Haven to see if I could find a transistor or portable radio for someone in Barichara. No luck. But while I was waiting for her to finish paying for some little treasure she found, I overheard a young woman making a comment about Colombia.

My ears went on red alert and I immediately, without any thought of the consequence of eavesdropping, listened to her conversation. But it was the end part that made me just shiver.... "and I cannot wait to get back to Bogota!"

Friends know me to be very approachable and I also do a lot of "approaching," perhaps because of all the years in the newspaper and other media businesses I was in. "Excuse me, senora, I couldn't help overhearing you speaking about Colombia... and I am leaving for there in a short time..."She moved over to speak to me and interrupted, "When, when are you going?"

A path from the village of Barichara to the overlook to try and see
if we could see the Rio Suarez from there.

I told her I was aiming for the first week in December and heading to the north in the country, to Santander and Barichara. Her eyes got all misty and when I told her I loved her country, she turned to her friend and said, "See, here is someone who can tell you how beautiful my country is since you don't believe me."

I have invited her to come to this blog to read about my travels and see pictures of her beloved land... and as I was leaving I was pondering the little miracle of finding a Colombiana in a small town in Florida - do you think it was a sign?

Exciting plans in the works...

In a few days I will be heading to Bogota to catch a flight back to the U.S. But this is just another step in my retirement plan as I have decided to make the leap and rent a small casa here in Barichara for a year to see how I like being a Colombiana.

I have met some wonderful, strong, creative women here who are very supportive of my choices and have helped me to find a safe place to park myself and my stuff. One of them is a Colombian Gestalt art teacher, another is a British medical doctor/archeologist/artist, another is an Austrian creative chef and instructor, one more is a French woman who started her own furniture business years ago here. And there are more who are part of the fabric of life in this vedeta (area). What is the thread between us all is our 'art.' And what I loved about Barichara at the first was the powerful creative energy that pulls us to this place to share and support each other.

I will always be grateful to Jey-hu for being the catalyst that brought me here. And for all the wonderful people at Corasoma who have been, and will continue to be, a part of the journey as well. (Click on the link for the English version, if you like.)

Jey-hu is returning to the U.S., but if he returns to Colombia, he will have his own choices to make about where to live. The trip to the northern coast with him was friendly, but reaffirmed that the gap has only widened between us. He is unwilling to invest himself in the local community and language, he really only wants to "see" it, take pictures of it, tell stories of it, but he is not a part of the picture or the story.

My desire is to immerse myself in this life... I have joined the local chorus, will be taking art classes when I return, am fully investing in learning the language so that I am truly conversant in Spanish the way I used to be in French. Making the choice to find a place to live and to move forward with my "pensioner visa" (retirement visa) paperwork is part of the process required to enjoy this new 'home'.

I tried to post a photo of the casa, but the uplink is too slow, so when I return to the U.S. I will share several photos of it and more of my plans.