Bogota Through A Car Window

While Im not specifically anti car I do accept them as a not always necessary evil.  Bogota, like all big cities is choked with traffic and emissions.  I was riding in the back seat of the car of an uncle of one of my friends in Vancouver. My friends father and I were being driven to near the base of Monserrate, a church on on top of a mountain that has become a major tourist attraction here.  Moving through the choked traffic was snail pace and Im sure we would have arrived sooner on one of the fast buses, known as the Trans Milenio. We entered into a rundown part of the Candalaria where I was the day before, also known as the Red Zone or Zona Roja.  The driver instructed us to not open the windows no matter how hot inside for fear of robbery or assault.  Among the middle class, here as in other parts of the world, there is a widespread and often unreasonable fear of poor people.  It is also understandable given that even though it is under control now there is still in Bogota widespread crime, some of it violent.  I probably hear at least fifteen car alarms going off every day here, whereas in Vancouver I will hear maybe one or two in a week, and I live downtown.

There is a huge military presence here in the city though I wouldnt say its under military control.  The army in Colombia has become very powerful and very wealthy from all the goods they have seized from people throughout the country and now it seems, according to my hosts, that they have every intention of perpetuating the civil war so long as it makes them money.  They have even opened their own college.  The soldiers are of course all very young, too young I think, and some of them make me think of little boys dressing up to play at war.  If they were only playing.

I am reminded of something I read in Karen Armstrongs magnificent book, Fields of Blood, which is her dissertation on why religion should not be blamed for war and violence.  She says in her book that war is the usual outcome when at some level both parties refuse to communicate.  She was also party to drafting the Charter for Compassion.  Here is the link to a Ted talk she did about this  http://www.ted.com/talks/karen_armstrong_makes_her_ted_prize_wish_the_charter_for_compassion

Montserrate by the way was beautiful.  There is a long causeway for pedestrians going up to it, I think its over one thousand feet higher. The view from the cable car going up is breathtaking.  When we arrived at the top we stopped briefly in the church, where mass was being celebrated, then visited the souveneir shops and walked around taking in the view and the surrounding natural beauty. There are unfortunately no walking trails for the surrounding forest.  Its considered too dangerous because of fear of violent crime.  Likewise people are advised not to walk on the path going up for the same reason.