Sunday siesta in the country

Busy day. Sunday in Bogota means it's Ciclovia, a a wet dream for bike geeks like me. They close off a bunch of major streets to motorized traffic and open it up to cyclists, rollerbladers and joggers. Picture 2nd Ave, 6th Ave, and 9th Ave being closed from 7am - 2pm EVERY sunday. Then multiply times 10 and you have Ciclovia. This city has a huge problem with traffic. There is no subway system but apparently the new new mayor was elected in large part because he promised to build one. In a city of 6.7 million that means a lot of cars, buses and motorcycles. They are taking such measures as banning car usage for cars with odd/even numbered license plates on alternating days- and its still conjested. Ciclovia is a way to encourage more bicycle riding and in general is a good idea for peoples health. I like it. Today I rode around for an hour on one of the hotel bikes. I wish I could blame the altitude or the fat knobby tires or the heaviness of the bike but men, women, and children were passing me on the road today like I was standing still. 3+ weeks without exercise and I'm feeling a little gelatinous. It didn't matter, it's not about the speed. It was just so good to be out on the road.

After Ciclovia we were picked up by Myriam and Joaquin, the parents of my friend Jorge. We spent what could be one of the more memorable afternoons of my life with them. They were the most generous, fun, and interesting people I have met in a long time. We drove north to Chia on a typically cloudy day here. They pointed out sights along the way until we reached their neighborhood. Joaquin described it as "the Hamptons" of Bogota. Although much closer to Bogota than The Hamptons is to NYC the description fit well. Their house is breathtaking. It sits high up on a hill that looks out into the valley below from many of the rooms. We walked through the house and I drooled over all the exposed wood beams and wood floors. There's a central courtyard with a fountain and innumerable types of flowers. The climate here reminds me of California (without the sunshine) in that you can have the doors and windows open during the day and not feel the temperature change from inside to outside. To my delight they even showed us embarassing pictures of Jorge holding his "Alf" doll. The sculpted grounds have winding brick paths that lead to different levels with multiple terraces. We parked ourslves on the highest terrace and were treated to mimosas and beer and some great Colombian music. They are passionate about their music as am I so I was very happy to hear the variety. Myriam fawned over Mariana. Who wouldn't? She makes good eye contact my daughter does, and has a way of making people love her.

We had such nice conversation, nary an awkward pause the whole day. They moved to the US in the 90's and just moved back to Colombia 2 years ago so they are both fluent in English. We talked about all kinds of things: music, adoption, politics, parenting. I felt like an adult, kind of. Myriam is very young at heart and has a playful manner about her and with a few more beers she would have been teaching me Latin dances. She tried actually but I kept myself glued to the seat. I still have remnants of my wallfower past in me. Joaquin has a quick smile and a very inviting manner and they were so excited that we are here. They kept telling us that we should consider their home our home in Colombia. They must have encountered many Americans who have such negative opinions about Colombia and seemed so happy that we are open to enjoying their country and all it has to offer. Indeed we are, and we plan on coming back to Colombia many times in the future. Mariana deserves to know where she came from and have Colombia be as much a part of her life as her 2 gringo parents can give her. We hope to see them again before we leave.