la llegada.

Where do I begin? The past five days have been graciously calm, full of good food, and one very kind family letting me take in as much as I can handle.

The Garcias, the family that I stayed with for my first night here, are first-class. With them, I went to a jazz concert (en español, very unusual for jazz), a new play called "La Gorda" (fat pig), zipaquira (huge salt caverns that have been carved out to form the 12 stations of the cross and one big cathedral), and the Museo de Oro (arguably one of the most well-known things in Bogotà--incredible collection of gold pieces recovered from all over Latin America). They live outside of Bogotà in the hills in a very nice house--think California gated community. They're an incredibly close, loving family. I really enjoyed being with them.

So far, Bogotà is an interesting city, but it's difficult to know exactly how to describe. It's sprawling like I've never seen sprawl. Whenever I thought we'd reached the city's edge, everything seemed to continue for miles in every direction. The city is situated right next to the mountains, with the hills to the east (sound familiar, Albuquerque?), and constantly pulsing with traffic. While public transit is here (and growing. Wikipedia "transmilenio"--their bus system.), there are TONS of cars and commuters. Like most cities, Bogotà has eaten up little suburbs that found themselves in its path of growth. Nonetheless, I'm incredibly impressed by the measures the city has taken to lower that pollution and encourage efficiency with transport. For one, the city has a decent network of bike paths that run through the middle and alongside the major roads--you can read about the Sunday "ciclovia" in any guide book. Along with that, they have a new system called "pico y placa." With this, there are certain cars that are prohibited from being on the road every day--everything having to do with what number your license plate ends in. For example, plates ending in 1, 3, 5, or 7 can´t be on the road on Mondays. Interesting way to lower traffic, but the some of the consequences are not as favorable. People in the lower middle class, who have only one car that they use for their work (think self-employed, like gardeners or vendors) suffer, now having only 3 days a week where they can really work. Like most good ideas, there is a dark side that some may not have considered.

There are so many other things to report, but those will have to wait. This post is becoming dangerously long and rambling. For those of you who are reading, however, know that I'm safe and excited to explore what the city has to offer. I'll try to get some photos up here soon. Ciao ciao.