Despite any reputation to the contrary, Bogotanos seem to be very healthy people. Or at least they are encouraged to be!
My first day walking around Bogota I immediately noticed fruit vendors everywhere! Fresh fruit is a popular snack in Colombia and fruit and juice stands are basically at all major intersections and many points in between. There are little baggies of cut-up fruit and big tanks of fresh squeezed juice.
A vast number of fruits grow in Colombia: mango, watermelon, papaya, guava, pineapple, three kinds of passion fruit, tree tomato, ground cherry, and many more fruits which have no English translation. A popular one is the lulo. It’s indigenous to Colombia and only grows here and on the borders of Ecuador and Venezuela. It tastes a bit to me like a sweet tart! But, as a fruit fan, I'm really enjoying trying all kids of new fruits!
It’s going to be hard to leave Colombia and all of it’s fruit. I’ve always been a fan of fresh fruit and I think people in the states would be a lot healthier if there were more fruit vendors than vending machines with chips and candy bars!
Another healthy habit of Bogotanos: bicycling. First there’s the CicloRuta -- more than 300km of dedicated bicycle lanes in Bogota.
If that's not enough, every Sunday and holiday, from 7am to 2pm, the city sets up the Ciclovia.
More than 122km of city streets (including some major throughways) are closed to cars and dedicated to bicyclists, rollerbladers, and joggers. It’s amazing to see. More than a million residents head out every week for a little fresh air and to mingle with their neighbors!
There are even stands for repairs every few kilometers and vendors selling bicycle parts and accessories!
I always loved Chicago for being so bicycle friendly but I think Bogota might have us beat! Maybe it can be bicycle-loving Mayor Daley’s last act in office??? Regardless, I had to rent a bicycle and get out there. . . gotta love good, clean livin’!
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