llegada

The fates have smiled on my in-transit stages of travel. The plane ride was long, but smooth, fulfilling the blessings invoked by the women who made the sign of the cross as we took off. I didn´t pass the day in a particularly social mood, after the last 48 hours of double checking bags and saying goodbye to parents, pets, and airport escorts (Thanks E!). The flight was a welcome opportunity to orient myself and build up the hype I had been missing since I have spent nearly all of the past few weeks wrapped up in holiday and grad school business. When the plane hit the ground, everyone cheered.

Winding between cars and dodging occasional motorbikes at 60 mph in the taxi to Platypus Hotel, I reassure myself with reminders of my history of surviving South American car rides, and that my 60 year old cab driver must know what he´s doing if he´s made it this far. Bogota is not particularly striking as very seedy or beautiful at this time of night, at least not in this northern area. Twenty-somethings out on a Friday night line many of the streets on the way. I´m happy to see that it seems not to be an unwelcoming place.

My hostel is a classic backpackers´ spot with dorm rooms, hammocks, and shared kitchens. I am rooming up with two Australian girls doing a 2-month hit-and-run tour of a few South American countries. I say I ought not to be surprised to find more non-Americans than Americans around here, though I keep my ears open (more than say, my eyes, cuz you can´t always be sure who´s what just by looking at them). Despite sharing the common experience of being an outsider with everyone, it´s always interesting to compare notes with one of your own. I think it´s extra fun considering that we don´t have the fostered backpacker culture of the Australians and Europeans.

It´s about 60 degrees in Bogota. At 2600 meters (about 1.5 miles), I feel the altitude headache beginning to creep in slowly, and 11:30 means it´s almost naptime. Tomorrow´s missions include geographical orientation, and seeing if I can get a cellphone.