Nuns and guns
flying on delta was our first experience of flying with an american airline, and consequently of transitting through the states. so what did we learn? well, delta favour a slightly more mature air hostess, more mother of cheerleader than last year's cheerleader. this in itself actually turned out to be a good thing as a maternal air is a prime air hostess characteristic, and we were well looked after throughout. good service in the air however may not be enough to make flying with an american airline a worthwhile option given that it also leads to a face-to-face with US immigration staff. bear in mind that we were only transitting through atlanta, and would be in the airport for a few hours at most. this was still enough justification however to take all of our fingerprints (to go on god knows what database) and also put up with incredibly surly, bordering on aggressively unfriendly immigration officials. we're not all mexicans looking to invade your dismal land or islamists looking to blow things up in it so stop being so snotty. to be fair i was grateful to be spared the rubber glove treatment but really, don't make yourself have to deal with homeland security unless completely unavoidable.immigration in bogota by contrast could not have been friendlier, not least because they are operated by an outfit called DAS. when my chap clocked my surname on my passport and looked down to see those magic letters emblazoned on his lapel much hilarity ensued and we were waved through with a convivial grin. driving through bogota at about 10 pm on a saturday night gave an intriguing foretaste of where this city may be. beautiful refurbished colonial buildings peering out from between their less loved brethren, minutes of empty streets interrupted by bursts of frenetic, salsa heavy, activity, numerous seemingly ambitious public works watched over at night by unsubtly dressed hookers, this immediately felt like a city where, more than any clash between past and present, an age old battle was taking place between gentile refinement and sleazy vigour.
our sunday wandering around the old town very much confirmed this initial impression. after a quick schlep up to monseratte, a hilltop church whose cobbled paths made you realise that bogota is 2,600m above sea level we spent the day wandering around the old district of la candelaria. beautiful old buildings, cheery young colombians wobbling around on bikes, nuns and monks swarming in and around the huge cathedral, and yet the air of comfortable serenity was punctuated by the vast number of military and civilian police on each corner, each visibly heavily armed. this ultimately remains a city where it is unwise to stray off the beaten track at all as, heading out of the areas interwoven with law enforcement, all bets are apparently off. anyway, other than being careful not to dive down too many back streets, bogota did not disappoint at all. in some ways similar to other south american cities such as cuzco or montevideo, the marked difference with bogota is the feeling that this is a city which is going places, which is embarking on a journey to become and remain a better place. we certainly felt it as we lolled in the sunshine sipping our fresh fruit smoothies in the cafe of the new gabriel garcia marquez complex; in ten years this could outshine buenos aires as the most cosmopolitan, artistic, must-visit city on the continent.
so a good first day's mooching. off to see the salt cathedral of zipaquira tomorrow, but first a desperate hunt for anywhere which is open on a sunday night to feed us...
posted by bicrom @ 9:55 pm
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