Hello Gringos

Bogota

Our days in the USA are numbered, a bit sad we leave Dalton towards Atlanta airport. Today we fly to the last continent of our trip: South America, Colombia. The stopover in Orlando extends our travel day enmorn and we only land in Bogota around 01:00. The migration process goes smoothly. An older man greets us in the arrival hall and escorts us to his car. We drive to our hostel in the backpacker district la Candelaria. The streets are deserted and there is hardly a soul in sight. We check into the hostel and already enjoy our first Club Columbia outside.

The next day we start exploring. We quickly realize that the English language won't get us far here. Bogota is not very touristy, not very clean or worth seeing. Many strange characters shape the cityscape. So we decide not to explore too far and stay in our neighborhood, where there are a few nice cafes and restaurants. There are also a lot of policemen who show their presence, so at least we feel safe during the day. We decide to take a city tour that was recommended to us. With a Colombian and a handful of tourists, we stroll through our neighborhood and learn a lot about the history and culture of the country. Of course, the drug war remains a topic, but since some rebel groups have agreed to a ceasefire with the government, Colombia has become quieter.

The next day, however, while having my morning cigarette, I hear a loud explosion and several shots from machine guns, which disturbed me a bit. To this day, I don't know what happened there. Nevertheless, we go out again and take a second tour. Bogota is famous for its many artists and graffiti. A guide shows us many beautiful places and we slowly warm up to the dreaded city.

On our departure day, we climb the Monserate mountain. We take the steep cog railway uphill for about 10 minutes. At the summit, there is a large church and since it is Sunday, it is bustling with local believers. The view of Bogota is phenomenal, only now do we see how mountainous the whole landscape around the city is. The city seems endless and it seems to stretch far beyond the horizon. We enjoy our last hours and then make our way back to the hostel, where our shuttle to the airport departs. We are heading to the Caribbean coast to Cartagena, where we want to master our much-needed two-week language stay.

Cartagena:

After a short flight, we safely land in the city of Cartagena. It is already dark and we don't see much on the taxi ride to our accommodation. But even in the dark, the city seems to look better than Bogota during the day. We check into our hostel "mi llave" in the far corner of Getsemani, the backpacker district and the location of our school. The room has a bed, a nightstand, and God bless you, an air conditioner! It is much warmer by the sea than in the mountainous Bogota. We have a welcome beer on the rooftop terrace and end the evening. The next day, we pack our school bags and go to the nearby school "Nueva Lengua". We start with the placement test, which consists of the answers "yes" and "no". Nevertheless, I am accepted for the lowest level. Hurray! The school consists of about six classrooms, and in the middle of the building, there is a small open pool. The teachers are very nice and we feel welcome, even with our non-existent Spanish. We join an existing class that is already two weeks ahead, which proves to be a real hardcore start. In the first few days, we learn the first words and sentences. Colors, numbers, clothing, adjectives, and verbs. It's fun, but it's hard to process the abundance of information. Every day we study diligently, mainly in the afternoon when it is too hot outside, in our air-conditioned room. Occasionally, we take a trip to the walled old town, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Everything is geared towards tourism, vendors selling their junk or tours on the street, and small cafes, restaurants, and souvenir shops adorn the cityscape. It's okay, but we like our neighborhood with its colorful houses much better. The school organizes small activities every day, so we cook traditional Colombian food or play soccer and go bowling. We are a wild mix, Swiss, Germans, French, Americans, Canadians, Australians, and Swedes attend the school. We meet many nice people and have a great time in the Caribbean city. But as you know, the two weeks fly by and our last Friday at the school is already here. Since it is the last Friday of the month, the school organizes a big party. We set off with hops and malt. During the cozy aperitif, we chat a bit, mainly in English, as the two weeks were not enough for a normal conversation. An indigenous brass band, trumpet, tuba, saxophone, flutes, and drums gathers around the mini pool of the school. It reminds me a bit of our carnival, with a Caribbean flair. Take a deep breath and the spectacle begins! The Caribbean rhythm doesn't let anyone stand still, and so we all celebrate into the night together. After a short break with refreshments, we gather in front of the school and form a line. With a loud drumroll, our parade sets in motion, with the dancing students in the front and the carnival band in the back. We walk through the narrow streets of Getsemani and heat up the scene. The locals, whether young or old, rush out of their houses to show off some hip swings. We have a lot of fun with all the people. After the concert comes to an end, we join our new friends in a cozy bar and indulge in cocktails.

A truly successful party! Our two-week language stay comes to an end and we are really looking forward to exploring Colombia. Saddle up our backpacks and let's go!

Lars