Landed in Bogota

I have made it to Bogota. My flight couldnt be easier and the reception couldnt have gone smoother. I am staying at the FOR apartment in a district of Bogota called "the chapinero." The apartment is nice and I am comfortable. The plan is to stay here a few days while I register with the DAS (similar to a CIA/FBI combo) get my I.D. and get my bank accounts set up. I will start my journey to the community on Saturday morning when I will take a bus to Medellin, stay over night, take another bus to San Jose de Apartado and then meet my horse for the walk up to the community. Finally, I have a horse.

Bogota is definitly a Latin American capital. It is sprawling, always active and saturated with exhaust from the millions of cars that run only on diesel. The streets are narrow and often in a state of serious disrepair, but drivers drive as if they are at the indy 500. Walk signals at cross walks mean nothing, and daring to cross a 4 lane main artery wherever you want is a common practice. The city, like most others Ive been to in South America, have an amazing ability to have a grey, soviet-style concrete skyscraper that looks about ready to fall right next to a house with moldy, spanish-style tile roofing right next to a glass office building that looks like Chicago's Trump tower with the added treat of color changes every 15 seconds. I havent gotten to do much of my own getting-to-know you yet, but from what I hear, Bogota has some beautiful parks, great night life, welcoming people and a public transportation system with a reliability that is among the highest of all Latin American cities.

The fact that I was woken up at 6 am by the garbage man pushing an empty metal dumpster over a street riddled with potholes right under my window means that I will have plenty of time to see the city today.

Anyway, just wanted to let you all know that I have arrived safely and that I am comfortable.