August 30, 2009
Bogota, Colombia.
Being on vacation, it's very easy to lose track of time. Not paying attention to the calander or clock, the days just seem to slip by without our even realizing it. The other side of that coin is that sometimes, if we're not paying attention, the days actually go by a bit more slowly than we think- the pages of the calander peel off only with great reluctance. This is what I realized at 6 AM this morning when the Delta representative informed me that today is the 30th of August, not the 31st. "You enjoy one more day in Colombia," he said, laughing at the shocked expression on my face. "Wow," I replied, "Que paine." What a pain.
On the cab ride back to Salim's apartment, I began to wonder the hell one days with an extra day in a city, he has already said goodbye too. Yesterday was my last day! We took the cable car up Monserrate and took in the view of the city from on high. We went to a BBQ in the Historic Quarter. I thanked Salim for his gracious kindness and hugged him goodbye. That was my last day.
I called Salim from the airport. "Are you fucking kidding me? How does one get something like that wrong?" my gracious host asked, which I admit, is a fair question, "Well I have to do work today so..." He didn't have to finish his sentence. Obviously I am on my own.
So what do I do that I haven't already done? I'm not really fluent enough in Spanish to be comfortable traveling alone, so I spent most of the last nine days here exploring Bogota. Salim and I took a two day trip up to a tiny colonial village, Villa De Leyva, but other than that, I've really just been hanging out. Perhaps that's the reason I lost track of time. Perhaps I just felt my visit had run its course and it was time to go home. I wish Delta could be more flexible with unreasonable whims like that.
An extra day is certainly a gift, but with my bag all packed, and goodbyes said, it feels more like an extended layover. I suppose it is an opportunity to relax, having done nearly everything one can possibly do here on a trip to Bogota, a chance to be here without being here. I can wander around and do those annoying tasks like sending post-cards and buying a few gifts that I didn't get around to.
There was one thing I really wanted to do but I didn't get to and that was to go to a cock fight. There is only one legitimate venue that isn't really dangerous for gringos to go to, but the fights are only on Wednesdays and Fridays. I don't suppose they might have a special Sunday Night Fight lined up today. A disappointment I suppose, but there will be other cockfights at other times. At least that's what I tell myself as I wonder through Bogota and wait for one more day to pass.
Comments