Bogota: Enjoy the Sightseeing but Stay Safe

The lock in this picture is 400 years old and, for its day , it probably did a good job.  Today such a lock would be easy to break.  Times have changed.  The rules for staying safe in a new country have changed .   But I bet even back then being aware of your surroundings, being conscious of who is near you , traveling with a friend and acting confident and as if you belonged in the area were all good practices.


Security in A Big City

ATM  crime happens in the US and in all the South American countries we visited, But here the twist is that the  random victim is kidnapped and driven to different ATMs to withdraw money.  I guess there are no daily limits. A friend told us of a guy walking in front of the Japanese embassy to the most popular steak place in town  for dinner and as he passed two guys casually talking in front of a car, they threw him in the back seat and then drove him to different ATMs to get his money.  Moral of the story: don't carry an ATM card.

The other scary thing here, although prevalent in all the countries we visited,  was the presence of  scopolamine - one of the date rape drug. Primarily a drug used for crime by men on women in the US, here it is used by women on men to render them unconscious and steal their money.  Our security advisor told a large group to take the supermodel test : "If you are in a bar and a supermodel or two start paying a lot of attention to you, ask yourself if supermodels paid attention to you in the States.  If this was not the case back then, it may ne time to leave.  The drug not only renders the victim unconscious but takes away all memory of the last 12 hours.  Guys wake up in their apartments to find money, valuables, computers etc long gone.  However, it is not only guys at bars who fall victim.  The drug comes in an  aerosol spray and when a person , man or woman  get into an illegal taxi , the driver sprays them with it and takes their valuables. They wake up with no money and no memory.   Illegal  cabs are yellow just like the real thing but often do not have ID numbers on the side.

As the sergeant in Hills Street Blues used to say  "You be careful out there

We did not let fear of crime stop us from exploring the city but we were cautious.

We shopped but kept our eyes open.

We visited well known restaurants.

We visited iconic restaurants.

Bogota - I love Graffiti

The historic, and now artistic,  district of Bogota changed my mind about graffti and now I think that  maybe  not all graffiti is bad.

Even normal streets seem kind of funky.

Our guide and Medi take in a graffiti wall.

Bogota for the Creatively Historic

Our guide took us to the site of the first square and the first church in Bogota ranging back to the 1500s

Churches abound

Here is another church.

We loved the history of being there but we did not know the square had  become become something of a mecca for performers and improvisers .  These performers from Spain created a symphony  just by clapping their hands and dancing to the accordion player's tune.  The dancers glided on air as the accordion players turned out russian folk tunes.

 The Spaniards had the field until the native Columbians came by to perform.

La Paz, Bolivia

I really did not see much of Bolivia in the short time I was there but what I did see I liked. I could understand why the tour groups I met spent a week or more in country, mostly at the lower altitudes.

HISTORY 

Bolivia is a country rich in the Inca and Aymaran cultures. It is a small country with just over 9 million people. Like most countries in South America, it was once a colony of Spain, attracted there by the rich silver mines.  Its national hero , Simon Bolivar, liberated the country in 1825.

ADVICE

Do not make the mistake I did and pronounce “Simon” like a New Yorker named Simon or “Bolivar” like , well , like a New Yorker. The people may still be laughing back in La Paz.

The Sights





La Paz did have its share of hostels, catering to young South American and European backpackers.





Backpackers

Presidential Palace

Downtown

The Bolivian Ladies In "Bowler" Hats

When I think of Bolivia, I sometimes think of women wearing bowler hats.  Who are these ladies ?  How did this tradition start ?

I did some researche on the internet but could not find very much. At least I did not find very much that sounded credible but that should not get in the way of a good story.


The tale repeated the most is that in the 1920's, a British railway company had hundreds of bowler hats shipped over from Italy for its railway workers.  When the hats got to La Paz, they were found to be too small for the average worker.  Rather than ship them back, the British put them on the local market where they became a best seller.  They continued to sell well and the Italian manufacturer received and shipped orders directly to stores in La Paz. 

The hats, known as "bombin". are worn by women of the Aymara , a colorful and  distinct minority.  The vast majority of Bolivian women wear western dresses and the younger women wear blue jeans and the latest fashion.  But for those who do wear the bombin , they make their own fashion statement with the quality and height of the hat.  The hat can also make other statemennts.  Based on where the hat is positioned on a women's head, it tells whether the wearer married or single,  In the picture above,  a scene I saw repeated many times: mother in traditional outfit; daughter in  bluejeans,

Danger Ahead

Now here is something I learned the hard way: Aymara women do not like having their picture taken.  Second lesson :  they have pretty good pitching arms.  I was in a cab my last day in La Paz ready to photograph the streets of the city.  From my taxi window,  I saw this women fruit seller. I took her picture but my flash went off accidently . She saw the flash and started shouting at me. She hurled a cherry which just clipped the top of the window and then an apple which clipped  the window frame. Her friend joined her in yelling at me.  My taxi driver seemed in another world and did not move at first.  The things you learn with your camera. 

This lady did not hurl objects at me.  I liked her,

High Altitude

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When I think of my four day stay in La Paz , different memories come to mind.  One of course is the 13,000 feet altitude,symbolized here by the snow covered moutains .

But then I think the tall buildings that bedeck the city and hide most of the moutains stand out as a memory of La Paz,with its 11,000 feet altitude in the city proper.  Probably,  it is the only city with an airport 2,000 feet higher than the city itself.

But for me, hands down, this oygen bottle and its carrying case will  forever remind me of my stay in La Paz and will symbolize the precautions a traveler needs to take. 

We were met at the airport baggage area by the embassy expediter and our host embassy officer.  They told us they had brought oxygen for us and they had it in the car ready to use if needed.  They said we should keep the oxygen in the room and have it at  the read  handy  if we felt queasy or had difficulty sleeping.

As we waited for the bags, I looked around and saw three huge oyygen bottles with signs above them that said "Oxygen Station"  Although quiet the night we were there, my host said  he had been to the airport when all three stations were in use and with multiple  masked engaged. 

It is a strange feeling to be at such high altitude.  Your breath normally but you feel like you are taking in shallow breaths.  Because of  the limited intake of air, after awhile,  you feel tired. I slept nine hours a day but still felt like I needed sleep.  My poor colleague  got only 3 hours sleep a night .  The night we left for Chile (depart from the hotel at 2 am),  he did not sleep at all.  Inability to  sleep is one of the effects of high altitude, Fortunately, the really nasty effects: blinding headaches, grasping for air , stomach problems did not affect us

I attribute my good fortune to the Diamox pills I took twice a day to combat high alttude problems.  It may not be the majestic image of the moutains but it is fond image.  But even with the Diamox,  on my last day there feeling stronger than any other day, I tried to take pictures before work that morning and walked up about half a city block , stopping t o take photos and otherwise taking baby steps. Half way up, I felt pressure on my chest and felt I was breathing deeply.  It was time to stop. The embassy  recommends taking two weeks to adjust before doing anything strenuous.  Once adjusted folks are fine.  Embassy employees belong to soccer teams, long distance running teams , even moutain biking teams.

On our way out of La Paz, the same expediter who picked us up asked how the altitude affected us during our and we told him.  He said he could understand what we went through because when he goes to Santa Cruz, a popular city but lower in altitude,  for any extended period of time, he needs to adjust to the altitude when he comes back -- and he has lived here all his life.



Preparation For Bolivia's High Altitude

I am now sitting in Quito with the Andes right outside my hotel window. I leave for La Paz in four hours and  I'm worried about the effects of its high altitude.  It should not be too bad. I am already in high altitude. At 9,000 feet,  Quito is the second highest capital city in the world next to La Paz..

But it is La Paz at 13,000 feet that I am concerned about.  I hear the American Airline pilots keep their oxyegn on while the aircraft deplanes and then fly to a lower altitude.  The airport is unusal. It is 1,000 feet above the city. The good news I guess is that we immediately descend from the highest altitude we encounter  to go to the hotel,  in our case the Ritz Luxury Apartments, hopefully serving the special cocoa tea famous for treating high altitude sickness.

A few notes on the Andes:  it comprises the longest mountain range in the world and
 is about 4,300 mi long, about 430 mi  wide  and of an average height of about 13,000 ft.
The Ecuadorean Andes is located at the point on the surface of the Earth that is the most distant one from its center. These mountains are high.

Embassy Oxygen Kit (provided to all travelers)

High altitude illness comes about from  lower air pressure.  The amount of oxygen in the air at 5,000 feet 10,000 feet or 15,000 feet never changes but stays a constant 21%. The symtons of high altitude sickness are  headache, fatigue, stomach illness, dizziness, and sleep disturbance. Most people  can adjust in a week or two.  However, I will be there just three days. 

But I have already started taking Diamox to offset the worst effects of high altitude illness so I should be in good shape. I mentioned "cocoa tea" earlier. It is a mix of  cocoa lleaves and other ingredients. I think the leaves are a mild narcotic.  They say don't drink this tea right before your mandatory government drug test.  I'll stay with Diamox.
I have read wonderful things about La Paz and hope to take as many pictures as possible to capture its beauty.  I will pace myself for the altitude but shoot away nonethelss!

Quito : Natural and Manmade

Quito is a great city to walk around in and take photos in.  People here are laid back, gentle and non confrontational.  It is a pleasure to stroll the streets, not a chore the way it is in some cities where hawkers and child beggars abound.

The strucutres you see are magnificent.  Some were built to God and others were built for man.

Churches seem to be everywhere.

Near city hall.

People: in all sizes, shapes and garb