As we sat on the runway waiting, waiting, waiting for our flight to Bogota to take off I couldn’t believe that we were back on an airplane. (I don’t know how Sean manages to travel as much as he does.) Our few days at home went by so quickly. I don’t think that I have ever been less prepared for a trip than I have been for our trip to Colombia. I didn’t think too much about what we would pack (but somehow managed to get clothes in our suitcases) or what we would do once we got here (I looked at the guide book on the plane.)
Part of the reason was the short amount of time between this trip and our trip to Sweden. Another reason is since Sean has been traveling to Bogota several times a month for the last year and half I figured he could be our guide. (Perhaps not the greatest plan since he has been working, not playing tourist. But, he does know how to get around and where to eat.) The other part–the part that I am kind of proud of–is that the more I travel, the less daunting it becomes. I can pack my carry-on-bag in about five minutes and pretty much know what I will really need as opposed to what I think I need to bring along. (Although Sean did tell me it was going to be warmer here than it actually is. Fool me once…) Compared to our seven weeks in Peru last summer, packing for less than a month in Colombia seemed easy. This was the first time in my life (yes, I am crazy) that I waited until the morning of our flight to put our clothes in the suitcases. New city? No problem, been there done, that! As someone who likes to plan everything this has been a good excercise in going with the flow.
So far, on our second day in Bogota, the flow has taken us on walks around our neighborhood, a visit to the office where Sean is working, two good lunches and a fun dinner last night with one of Sean’s colleagues and his family. The alititude (about 8300 feet above sea level) is making us feel a bit tired and lazy so the kids and I have also been doing our fair share of lounging. Luckily our apartment is really nice and the downtime has provided me with an opportunity to do all the research on Colombia that I didn’t get a chance to do at home. We have plans next week for language lessons that will be combined with excursions in the city.
I am pleasantly surprised by how much I like this city so far. (Sean gave me a big “I told you so” when I mentioned this to him.) I made the big mistake of listening to people who had never been to the city before tell me how dangerous and run down it was. I also completely freaked myself out by watching “Narcos” the excellent but frightening Netflix series about the Colombian drug lord, Pablo Escobar. But, I am finding out on my own that Bogota is a really vibrant, interesting city with a lot going on. I cannot wait to explore some more.
(View from our apartment of the convent across the street and mountains in the distance.)
What To Do Tomorrow... 