The edge of Monserrate

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Parque del Periodista in Bogotá, Colombia by Deepika Nath
Parque del Periodista in Bogotá, Colombia at the entrance to the Candelaria neighborhood.

“Never forget where you came from,” said a very dramatic Emilio, in the 2011 action-flick, Colombiana. Quite unnecessarily, as any tourist or visitor to Bogotá will tell you – one does not simply forget the “Athens” of Latin America. It is an unfortunate occurrence, that like many other travelers before me, security briefings and safety tips were offered before any information about the cultural heritage or tourist hot-spots of the city.

Based on exaggerated fear cultivated by inaccurate movie depictions, hearsay and media speculation, Bogotá’s association with drugs, crime and petty theft overshadowed its true identity as an emerging metropolis with an appreciation for its history. Before I left for Bogotá, friends and family gave me comprehensive instructions to stay away from the vengeful drug lords, the dangerous ghetto and avoid any conversations related to their national soccer team.

Monserrate Cable Car by Deepika Nath

Occasionally overwhelming at ground level, Bogotá from Monserrate could hardly be more sereen, particularly on a sunny day.

My first two weeks in the city were clouded by El Niño’s incessant pouring that held me captive in my hotel room and prevented me from doing exactly what I was asked not to. But even as I looked towards the city sprawling out from Monserrate and Guadalupe from my rooftop, I could sense the restlessness on the roads. This was not a city that let the weather decide its fate. Even on the gloomiest of days, I saw the streets crowded with people braving the rain, hopping on to the Christmas-colored buses, umbrella in one hand and empanada in another. Taking their lead, I decided to step outside the safety-cocoon of the secure North and explore the city.

As a right-hand driver of India, the layout of the streets and traffic rules disoriented me at first. There seems to be a system of organized chaos on the roads, where cars, buses, cabs, pedestrians, and occasionally horse-carts, dance to some unspoken rhythm of understanding. Rebelling against common advice, I hailed a cab off the road and made way to the city’s socializing center for multiple photography and art exhibitions. At each event, the people and the art work were a sharp contrast to the drab and colorless exteriors of the clouded city. Travelers, expats, artists, writers and media gurus regaled in the stories of their Colombian adventures, and shared animated conversations about the city and its coming-of-age stories.

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But to truly understand a city, it is important to look at its younger generation. The National University is a prime example of political activism in the youth and their voices of dissent. As a journalist of a developing country, the works of street artists reveal more about the sentiments of the common man than indoor exhibitions. In this case, the walls of the entire university have been spray-painted with various political messages: anger over the Summit of the Americas, calls to march the patriotic political movement, and banners of Labor Day celebrations.

After months in Bogotá, I seemed to have disappointed several of my journalist friends back home at my inability to meet mafia dons, or an encounter with the tracksuit-wearing mayor. But like many other cities with its stereotypes and cultural clichés, Bogotá is a city that smiles at you when you can’t speak or understand Spanish, and a thriving social and economic hub at the edge of Monserrate. It’s surprisingly welcoming, with an inspiring story at every corner – the ultimate joy of every aspiring writer.

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