This is a statutory holiday in Colombia. Even though not many Colombians, or should I say Bogotanos, appear to be active church goers the Catholic legacy remains strong and still defines in many ways Colombian society, as it does in many Latin American countries. I am sitting on my hands waiting to see if any reforms that the current pope inaugurates could also have some lasting reverberations here. I have previously mentioned that the whole Latin American culture and history and mentality has been largely defined by the Roman Catholicism of the Spanish Inquisition, a very degraded and corrupted form of Christianity prone to violence and exploitation and conversion by force. This was the church of the Borgias and their patriarch who was then Pope Alexander VI had attained the papacy through bribes and connections, as well as fathering four illegitmate children, including Cesar and Lucretia. Anyone who has read about them or seen the TV miniseries, the Borgias, can fill in the blanks.
Its been a quiet day so far, barring this noisy internet cafe where someone is talking very loud in German. I always carry earplugs with me, my little orange friends. My advice to anyone sensitive to noise is never travel without them. The streets are largely deserted and almost everything, barring a few convenience stars, cafes and restaurants, is closed. There are a lot of cyclists out on some streets and some of the parks are full of families.
Most of the Internet cafes in Bogota are closed today and I have had to again walk five miles to get to this one. It isnt quite the ordeal that it may seem to be. I sit to rest periodically on park benches and I spent nearly two hours working on a drawing in the snooty French cafe, which really isnt that snooty and the staff there are actually very pleasant and seem interested in my art. When I travel I try to walk as much as possible. Given my reduced budget, of course, I am making a necessity out of a virtue but it could be a lot worse. I am not seeing the tourist Bogota but I am still seeing and learning a lot about this city.
I am quite certain I will have no need to return here. The altitude is still hard to cope with. I am here now because I feel called to be here and all the events that have occurred for me since arriving here have only confirmed that this is a necessary visit. However I do think this will be my one and only visit here, unless I hear from God a distinct call to come to Bogota again, and I highly doubt this will happen.
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