The Streets of Colombia

My Colombian journey started in the capital city of Bogota (with its 8 million residents!). It’s certainly not a small town. . .

At the heart of Bogota is the Candelaria neighborhood. Congress and the Colombian Supreme Court are both located there and this neighborhood is full of buildings built by the Spaniards when they ruled the area. The old buildings, churches, and narrow cobblestone streets are charming and a glimpse into what many of the streets of South America must have looked like a couple of hundred years ago.

The city is perfect for people watching. . .I particularly enjoyed watching the cellphone minute vendors! It seems that many people in Bogota don’t have a cell phone. Instead, on nearly every block on major streets you’ll find someone standing with a sign advertising the price of minutes. They usually have 4-5 phones chained (literally) to their bodies. People will walk up, pay the equivalent of $.10/minute, and have a phone conversation while chained to the vendor. Sometimes, they’re standing there with 5 people attached on various cell phones. It’s a great business idea and seems to have really taken off in Colombia. Personally, I just enjoy watching people and pondering having a private conversation while attached to someone else. Fascinating!

While wandering the streets one Sunday afternoon, I met my favorite residents of Bogota!

It's not common (for me) to see a gang of guinea pigs wandering down the street. But these cuties were special. . .they're athletes. I’ve never seen guinea pig races, let alone bet on one before! But I stayed for 3 or 4 races putting my money down on the bowl I thought those little guys would pick. And I managed to be wrong every time! Fortunately, I only lost about $2 for nearly an hour of entertainment! Better than Vegas!

These cuties weren’t the only random animals I found in the streets! While wandering innocently along, I encountered a small horse. He was just standing alone with a sombrero on his back begging for someone to hop on. After staring for a bit, wondering why he was all alone, I couldn’t resist. Besides, after my Argentinean gaucho experience, I was a pro, right?  So, I hopped on and went for a quick ride!!

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