after a couple of days just hanging out in santa marta, enjoying serendipitous afternoon conversations with local people, i took off into the mountains again, this time just a two-hour bus ride up to a small village called minca. a german guy operated a small farm up there, and rented out the spare rooms. it was very peaceful and relaxing, and i ate a lot of delicious mangoes which were just then falling, and helped to roast and grind coffee beans and peel and boil mangoes in exchange for my room.
then, it was time finally to leave the coast and head inland.
i arrived last sunday in bogota to beautiful blue skies, and a city with a very european feel, with gleaming twingos competing politely for road space with battered renault 4s, clean streets bustling with pedestrians, and an effective if complex rapid transit system, utilising bendy buses in dedicated lanes.
the following day, i moved out of the hostel and into jason's tiny but very cosy apartment in a colonial building. since then, i have been relaxing and just enjoying being in a city of some size. it's great to wander the streets people-watching, hang out in the parks or plazas, stroll amongst the colonial architecture of the old city, or sip juan valdez coffee amongst the students who are much cooler than me. the girls are, true to reputation, beautiful. i have no idea what the crime figures actually are, but i certainly feel safer here than in any of the central american capitals, and window-shopping along carrera 7 could be in any european city. every sunday several main thoroughfares are closed to vehicular traffic, for cyclists, joggers, skaters, or just strollers.
i really like this city, and i don't think there's another one to rival it this side of buenos aires, so i am inclined to consider staying here a little while.
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