15-62

"15-62" ~ Bogota, Colombia (c) 2012 Skip Hunt

Santa Librada

"Santa Librada" ~ Bogota, Colombia (c) 2012 Skip Hunt

30

"30" ~ Bogota, Colombia (c) 2012 Skip Hunt

La Paella

"La Paella" ~ Bogota, Colombia (c) 2012 Skip Hunt

El Fin en Bogota

I wanted one last taste of that anxiety I've felt in many of the Colombian cities before I left & Bogota didn't disappoint. It's not that they're all extremely dangerous… they're not. And, if you stick to the most popular tourist areas and areas where the affluent live and work, you're likely just as safe as you are in just about any city. Just make sure there are police visible and you don't wander too far away. 

This is the main problem I experienced in this country. Most touristy areas seem so faux & lack the kinds of color & texture that excites me. This means I've got to just drop my guard & simply wander without direction or plan in order to get to the level of awareness I seek. Unfortunately, you can't do this safely in any of the larger cities I visited. Before you know it, you're in very dangerous barrios without a clear idea of how to get back to the safe areas. I think even the most liberal Colombian will admit this is very unwise & particularly dangerous.
 
I spoke with a Colombian physician who I met at the airport. She defended her country with the explanation I heard time & time again, ie. that every city has dangerous areas. She used her new home city of San Francisco, CA as an example claiming parts of Oakland are just as dangerous as the most dangerous Colombian barrios. I countered that it's different because the dangerous areas in the U.S. tend to be consolidated. That as long as you don't go walking around in the Bronx at midnight in NYC, you're not likely going to run into any problems. No so in the Colombian cities. You've got to know where all the pockets of dangerous areas are & constantly adjust your route so that you're not going through them. This makes the prospect of a "wandering" foreigner a dangerous one indeed. 

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Dancing in Bogota

Amidst the troubles of Colombia, most of the folks seem to be firmly focussed on the future and the joy of enjoying life's dance and all her treasure. This attitude is what I love most about this country's people.

Avion

"Avion" ~ Bogota, Colombia (c) 2012 Skip Hunt

Clean Shave

"Clean Shave" ~ Bogota, Colombia (c) 2012 Skip Hunt

Gilded Cage

"Gilded Cage" ~ Bogota, Colombia (c) 2012 Skip Hunt