Here's part two, guys. Sorry it's a I little late, but I've been pretty busy.
On Saturday, Maria and I had planned to spend the morning sightseeing in Bogotá then meet at her mother’s place for lunch. She hadn’t been to la Casa de Moneda in years and I wanted to go back there to see part of the museum I didn’t get to on my first trip and especially to see the Botero exhibit again. Her brother was going to go with us but we were a little late collecting ourselves that morning. Fortunately for us, he was even later. We decided to grab some breakfast at Los Arcos, the restaurant in the hotel. An excellent restaurant, very classy, and even if you don’t stay at la Fontana this would still be a great place for meeting a lady. We arranged for her brother to meet us there when he arrived. He showed up and the three of us had a short chat over coffee then took off in a cab for la Plaza de Bolivar. The last time I was in Bogotá I went there but I didn’t have my camera with me. I wanted some pictures of the plaza so this was our first stop. Great day for shots, it was Saturday and to top it off, the following Monday, Uribe would be moving the entire seat of government to one of the outlying cities, Cucuta, for a short time. Cucuta is on the border with Venezuela and has been a hotspot of guerrilla activity. It was his way of sticking it in their eye and saying, “F.U., I’m in charge here.” But that meant that the streets weren’t blocked off and the normal phalanxes of men with guns were no longer surrounding la Plaza de Bolivar. It made for a nice, normal day at the plaza. The weather was great and I got some excellent shots of the plaza, la Catedral Primada de Bogotá and la Casa del Florero (where on July 20th, 1810 the Creole rebellion against Spanish rule broke out). After hanging out at the plaza for a bit, we took off up towards la Candelaria and la Casa de Moneda. La Casa de Moneda is a wonderful resource and if you are in Bogotá you should make an effort to go there. You’ll see lots of Spanish and Colombian art as well as Picasso, Klimt and Renoir. But the kicker is the Botero exhibit. Primeaux. Afterward, her brother took us on a tour of la Candelaria, the oldest part of Bogotá which now is sort of the artsy part of town. You know, lots of universities and coffee shops. It’s a VERY colorful area and a must do when in Bogotá. You’ll see wonderful old Spanish architecture, parks and colorful buildings and murals. I’ve been through there twice now and although I’ve never sensed a problem I’m told that you don’t want to do this w/o a companion or two and do not even think about going there at night. Probably the gringo factor. When then caught the Transmilenio, a great system of articulated buses with dedicated high speed lanes, back over to the area of Bogotá where she and her family live.
When we arrived at her mom’s, I knew something was fishy when I saw the car of Luis, her brother-in-law, in the drive. When we walked in the house, there were people EVERYWHERE!!! There were children running around in the back yard, the kitchen was full of women cooking, and just about every room in the house had people in it yapping and carrying on. This was clearly a big deal and totally unexpected, at least to me obviously. Her mom stopped me on the way in, handed me the ring I’d given to Maria and told me that when she gave the word, she wanted me to place the ring on Maria’s finger. OK, no problem. She introduced me to those I didn’t know and they had me take a seat on the couch next to Maria. Well, I looked around a minute or so later and everyone in the place was forming a semicircle around us, her brother was coming down the stairs with the video camera and I knew then my goose was cooked! Her mom came over beside us and laid down the law. I was to basically propose to Maria again in front of the family and then to ask for her (Mom’s) permission. I had planned to do the permission thing while there that weekend but this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind. So for the camera and in my best Spanish I repeated my love for Maria and how much I wanted for us to be man and wife, placed the ring on her finger, and stipulated that I would only do so with her mom’s permission. Which I then received, albeit with a couple of caveats. Only, she said, if I married and loved her daughter for the rest of my life. Gladly, I replied. Applause, and shouts of “Beso, Beso, Beso!” Excellent! What a great experience. We had a wonderful lunch of traditional Colombian ajiaco and spent the rest of the afternoon socializing and having just a wonderful time.
At one point, Maria and I took her little dog, Brownie, out for a walk down the street to a small park. I can’t describe how different things are there. It really is like a Norman Rockwell painting. It is a little strange, because he’s so typically American. But I think we’ve lost a little of the ideal that he represented and the two times I’ve experienced it in recent history were both in Bogotá! The park is very nice and everything you could imagine in a small, neighborhood recreation area. That area of town is close to the edge of the surrounding mountains so they rise in the background providing a striking relief to life there. What struck me especially was the feeling that even though we were situated in a city of over 10 million people, I felt like I was in Mayberry. No hustle, no bustle, quiet and peaceful. I think I could have plopped myself down and taken it all in for a couple of hours at least. However, we let Brownie do her business then walked up the street to her Mom’s. It was getting late and she and I were pretty tired. Things were winding down at the house and we decided to go back to the hotel for a nap, and then possibly go out dancing that evening with her Mom, sister and brother in law. I thanked them all, got lots of hugs and kisses and we were off.
After napping for a while, we called everyone, but her Mom was pretty worn out and sis and bro in law had a baby who wouldn’t go to sleep so we all agreed to call off dancing. Maria and I went up to la Zona Rosa to a Thai place called the Wok. She’d never been and I’ve never had Thai food so it sounded like a good idea to me. I love that area on the weekend, it’s a great place to hang out. Safe, lots of restaurants and bars. And there is a great mall, Andino there as well. The Wok was very good, we both enjoyed it, although Maria caved in and had to ask for silverware after dropping the first few bites of her meal using the chopsticks. We had a great time, very laid back. After eating, we walked around for a bit, then grabbed a taxi back to the hotel. It was approaching midnight and we had a big day planned for Sunday. As we were walking to the room in the open air of the hotel plaza, I looked up to see the stars and moon. What a gorgeous night and what an absolutely perfect day it had been. Get on the plane guys!
JR
Next, Sunday. El Cerro de Monteserrate, el Torre Colpatria, y Andres Carne de Res!
