We made arrangements with Mike from Bogota Bike Tours to ride the streets of Bogota. Mike is the person I have been writing to this past month to arrange a bike tour and to donate supplies to an organization that works with the poor in central Bogota.
We went to the bike shop and signed up for the tour. Two Bogota college students also signed up for the tour. We got our bikes and helmets and headed out to the streets. We did an uphill climb and then headed down hill through the city streets. Mike said the cars would give way to bikers, but we had to learn how to manage our way through the traffic. Next, we had to learn how to ride the bikes on the sidewalks and avoid hitting the people. It was a touch and go situation and you either stopped quickly or peddled quickly to avoid hitting someone or something. You also had to miss the holes in the sidewalk and on the road and keep an eye on where Mike was heading.
We rode through the emerald district, and got to hold a raw emerald worth 1,000,000 COP's. Tasted exotic fruit at the second largest fruit and vegetable market in Bogota, visited a coffee and chocolate factory, went to the bullfight arena, toured the cemeteries, visited the graffiti art work walls, and toured parts of the city we would never have never dared to go by ourselves. Our three hour hour bike tour lasted six hours.
Mike, who was once a journalist, was a great story teller and historian. He spoke to us in English and then repeated his speech to the other couple in Spanish. It was a great way to learn about the city and practice our Spanish.
2 comments:
Oh I forgot- emeralds- yes please! :)
seems like all is going well
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