A front row seat to the collapse of Bogota’s healthcare system was not in my plans for the night. Of course neither was the emergency surgery the next morning. I will just use the word interesting (or maybe painful) for the event.
Tag: Bogotá
As I write this we hit day 100 of confinement. Things have changed some from the beginning. More people are ignoring safety standards. Seems like most citizens and politicians are getting crazy in one way or another.
The government reports 88,591 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the country with new cases reported going up significantly on a daily basis. Bogota, with approximately 17% of the total population of the country, exceeds all other departments.
March 2017 By Michael A local Bogotá newspaper caught my eye. The publication written in Spanish had above the fold the big letters of the title written in English. Now I wonder how many of my fellow urban dwellers in this city of over eight million people understood what it said. Well, if all goes […]
By Michael February 2017 My wife decided it was again time to look at homes in Bogotá. Such is not always an easy task. There aren’t that many of them. The city has the 9th worst population density in the world. When comparing the quantity of apartments to houses the latter is a definite minority. […]
October 2016 Soiled hands grasp the ends of wooden 2X4’s rounded off for the purpose. A man wearing an old coat and stained wrinkled blue jeans leans forward. At the same time feet search for traction on the asphalt road. Slowly the car tires of a cart laden with cardboard, plastic and wood begins to […]
With bunches of bright yellow bell type flowers the chicalá trees are easily spotted around Bogotá. Visitors find them in town squares, lining the medians of streets, surrounding parking lots and bringing color to the surrounding hills. Considered a shrub the trees can grow to about 7 meters (20 feet) or more. Known by other […]
Michael: Colombia’s capital is unlike any other city in the world which my wife and I visited. There are many transportation options but not a single one blatantly sticks out as the best for everyone. Each has pros and cons. And many residents state that government officials are really not thinking of what best serves […]
July 2016 Michael: El Pórtico has it all, ambiance, great Colombian style food, a playground for the kids, a coffee shop and a church. All these features contributes to a dual personality. Depending upon the time of day it can be a restaurant for the family or a romantic dinner. But this Bogotá area establishment […]
Colombia is home to the largest variety of curuba. Also know as the banana passion fruit it is loaded with antioxidants especially proanthocyanidins and catechin. It contains vitamin A and vitamin C as well as high amounts of phosphorous, niacin, calcium and iron. When the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the Bogotá area they found the […]
Graciela: This bug caught my eye while outside the house. It looks like someone painted it. Michael: Neither my wife nor I knew what kind it is. I put a photo on Facebook asking for help in identification. A relative sent me an Email with a link. It is called a Chinche del Colores. They […]
Marzo 2016 Michael: “ Lo que màs me gusta es que està ubicado en un barrio donde nadie espera encontrar un restaurante como èste”. Este fue el comentario que recibì de la persona que nos invitò a conocer el lugar. Tambièn le preguntè còmo lo conociò? Y dijo: “ me encanta encontrar lugares que no […]
March 2016 Michael: Calle 53 just East of the Avenida Caracas is a part of Bogotá I always enjoy wandering, looking and tasting. This is the area where Bogotanos go for art and craft supplies as well as lessons. My wife and her sister shop the many craft stores which line both sides of the […]
**Michael: “What I love is it is in a neighborhood no one would expect to find it,” said the person who invited us. I then asked Georgio how he found the place. “I like to look for these places that have a speakeasy feel to them.” The restaurant seems out of place in an area dominated […]
February 2016 Michael: When a husband hears, “We need new living room and dining room furniture,” there exists limited options. But once the words have exited the wife’s mouth your best response is “Si mi amor”(Yes, my love) and try for the best deal you can get. Graciela: Sometimes I believe men really do not […]
January 2016 There is bread, then there is pan artesanal (artisan bread). Among those in the art group there are a few at the top of the game. Now one of them opened a coffee shop in Chia, Colombia. Daily errands took us down the street known as Avenida Chilacos in the small town outside […]
Enero 2016 Graciela: “Espectacular” dijo la señora luego de que le preguntàramos su opiniòn acerca de este centro comercial. Durante los fines de semana y la època de navidad siempre estuvo lleno de visitantes. Michael: Mi esposa y yo estuvimos allì el dia de la inauguraciòn en octubre, 2015 cuando hicimos nuestro primer reporte. Varios […]
January 2016 Graciela: “Spectacular,” the woman said. The answer came to our question of her thoughts about the new Centro Comercial Fontanar in Chia, Colombia. On weekends, especially during the Christmas season, the place attracts large crowds. Michael: My wife and I showed up on opening day of the mall in October 2015. We based […]
Deciembre 2015 Michael: Entrando por la puerta principal uno ve hacia el fondo un arco en donde funciona la cocina. Arriba se lee un aviso que dice: “Todos los dias se hornean tus deseos” y en la otra pared “El arte de hacer pan”. Afortunadamente èste es un lugar en donde se cumple lo que […]
November 2015 Graciela: Probocatto is one of the most enjoyable coffee shops we go to. It is clean. Service is fast. And it is quiet. And yes, they have Wi-Fi. Michael: Everything focuses on elegance with customer enjoyment in mind. The decoration invites one in. Glass windows and a glass door draws one’s eye to […]
November 2015 Graciela: The above is a composite of photos of the Black Friday sale signs at a local mall. Big deal you say. However if you look closer you will notice that only the words, “Black Friday” are in English. Everything else is in Spanish. These photos were taken at a mall in Colombia, South […]