Bogota, Colombia

COLOMBIAN PROVERB: There is no better friend than a burden.

Colombia was the first stop on a brief trip around two of the more intriguing countries in South America, with Venezuela next on the list. I flew to Bogota's El Dorado airport from DFW via Miami. I was impressed with the airport and the super quick baggage delivery - virtually no waiting. I had booked a couple of nights at the Bogota Marriott using points and there was a free shuttle from the airport which barely took 15 minutes to deliver me to the lobby. The Bogota Marriott is an awesome hotel and typically room prices start at around $300 per night but for 20,000 Marriott points this place is an absolute bargain. I was upgraded to a huge suite and the executive lounge on the top floor has fantastic food and a wide selection of beer and wine. I wished I had booked more than two nights.

Colombia - country #110 for me

NUMBER 110

With little time to waste in Colombia I had prearranged a private tour for the day with Hansa Tours and their excellent guide, Daniel Pedraza, a Bogota native and one time Miami area Domino's pizza delivery guy.  Daniel met me in the lobby of the hotel and after a quick exchange of pleasantries we headed north out of the town of Gautavita (elevation 3,000), where the nearby lake is home to the legend of El Dorado. The indigenous Muisca Indians held religious ceremonies in the middle of the lake, their bodies covered in gold dust, while gold offerings were dropped as sacrifices into the lake. The walk up to the lake was littered with school children on a field trip and the odd tourist but it was very relaxing and good exercise too.

Gautavita - the legend of El Dorado

For lunch we drove to the town of Zipaquira for a delicious bowl of Ajaico - a traditional thick soup made with potatoes, chicken, avocado, corn and cream. We also tried a selection from the barbecue including pork, lamb, blood sausage, chorizo accompanied by arepas, which are corn based pancakes that you can stuff with your favorite filling. The rain poured down as we ate but just as we were about to leave the clouds pealed back and it was sunny again - but we were about to head underground.

Next door is the impressive underground cathedral carved out of a salt mine. At the entrance of the church are 14 small chapels, representing the stations of the cross, which illustrate the events of Jesus' last journey. Each station has a cross and several kneeling platforms carved into the halite structure. There are no images of Jesus but the symbolism of each different cross represents his struggle. The enormous main temple has three naves each connected by a thin crack in the salt walls. Thankfully there were very few other tourists there and at times it seemed as if we had the whole place to ourselves.

One of the stations of the cross chapels

The main cathedral at Zipaquira

I can't say enough about the quality of the tour and especially Daniel who was more than just a tour guide - he served as driver, translator, and bodyguard. For anyone with little time to spare, I highly recommend Hansa tours.

BACK TO THE CARIBBEAN (Colombian style)
The following morning I had an early flight to San Andres, a small island in the Caribbean Sea and an overseas Department of Colombia - technically another destination on the Travelers Century Club list. The island is really small and the airport is even smaller. The ocean flanks both ends of the runway so there's not much room for error. The hotel of choice was the Hotel Sunrise Beach, perfectly placed on the south eastern shore overlooking a private beach and well priced for $120 a night including breakfast. The island is a little bit dated but the beaches were first rate, the food was excellent and Aguila beer was about US$1.50 a bottle. Most of the tourists were either from Colombia or Central America and around every corner there seem to be music playing and over-sized golf carts doubling as taxi's or rental cars.

My view from the Hotel Sunrise Beach

The main beach at San Andres - near the airport

San Andres was a nice change after the big city of Bogota but before long it was time to move on to another big city, this time Caracas, and another new country. Based on what I had read and heard there was a fair amount of trepidation heading to Venezuela but the next week would change everything.

COLOMBIA QUICK GUIDE

Capital: Bogota

Currency: Colombian Peso (USD1 = 2,100 COP

Language: Spanish

Drives on the Right

Beer of choice: BBC (Bogota Brewing Company)

Bermuda

THE PLACE THAT PUT THE TRIANGLE ON THE MAP
Bermuda, also known as the Somers Isles, is a British Overseas Territory in the North Atlantic Ocean, about 1,000km west-northwest of North Carolina. It marks the northernmost point of the famed Bermuda Triangle, where a number of aircraft and ships have disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Whether caused by mechanical failure, mother nature, paranormal activity or extra terrestrial beings, many of the disappearances appear to have been exaggerated or inaccurately reported to support the romantic notion of the mysterious triangle. Research librarian Larry Kusche claimed in his book The Bermuda Triangle Mystery: Solved (1975) that the legend of the triangle is a manufactured mystery, perpetuated by writers who either purposely or unknowingly made use of misconceptions, faulty reasoning, and sensationalism - like when McCain chose Palin as a running mate in 2006. But I digress.

A BRIEF HISTORY
Bermuda was uninhabited when Juan de Bermúdez claimed it for the Spanish in 1503. He never actually landed on the islands because of the dangerous reef surrounding them but it became a popular stopping point for Portuguese and Spanish ships for the next hundred years. The British, led by Sir George Somers in 1612, were the first to send settlers to the islands and before long it was claimed permanently by the British and linked to Jamestown, Virginia. During the War of Independence Bermuda may well have been among the original colonies to join the rebellion but it's distance from the American east coast and the strong Royal Nay presence counted against it. Some Bermudan aided the rebels by providing ships, gunpowder and salt but after that proved an unsustainable economic model, many turned to pirating.  When Newfoundland became part of Canada in 1949, Bermuda became the oldest surviving British colony, and when Hong Kong was returned to China, it became the most populous as well. Today the finance and tourism industries dominate the economy and English traditions dominate the culture with fine pubs and courteous drivers on the left hand side of the road. US dollars are interchangeable with the Bermudan dollar and 1:1 (just like the Bahamas) but it's an expensive place to visit. Hotel rooms generally start in the $250/night range (excluding taxes) and an evening meal and drinks is easily $100 for a couple. For both Sara and I, the highlight was the excellent 'Dark & Stormy' cocktail - Ginger Beer and Goslings Black Seal Dark Rum.

A Dark & Stormy

IN AND AROUND HAMILTON
Bermuda's sleepy capital, Hamilton, is home to banks and reinsurance companies and filled with men in shorts, knee high socks and sandals. Our home for four nights was the delightful Edgehill Manor on the hill overlooking the city of Hamilton and the harbor. Edgehill is an old sprawling mansion, converted into guestrooms, overlooking the suburbs around the city center and a short walk to the city center and a host of dining options.

Edgehill Manor

We spent one day exploring the city of Hamilton on foot, wandering up and down the narrow streets and scoping out places to eat. We stopped in at a few banks to try to pick up some local currency but they were all extremely busy. It appeared that much of the population of Hamilton was either on their way to a bank, or just coming out of one presumably on their way to the next. I finally found an HSBC teller who was sympathetic to my plea for a selection of crisp new bank notes for my money collection. We ate at the Pickled Onion restaurant overlooking Hamilton Harbour and took advantage of the location to do some people watching.

Hamilton Harbour

Anglican Cathedral

The following day we caught the ferry to Ireland Island and the Dockyard where the cruise ships make their home. It's a wonderful place to wander around with a nice craft market, national museum and dock buildings. Near the dock is a wonderful English pub called the Frog and Onion pub, where we ate lunch, watched some of the opening day of the English Premiership Football season and shared a huge 50oz locally brewed beer. The ferry ride from Hamilton takes about 20 minutes and costs US$9 return.

The Bermuda Dockyards

Scooters are a great way to get around the island because there isn't a lot of traffic on the roads and the speed limit is technically 20mph everywhere. All of the scooter rental outfits insist that tourists wear white helmets to differentiate them from locals but the fact that I never went over the speed limit was probably a give-away for anyone that saw, or got stuck behind us. During the day we ventured back towards the airport to the excellent Crystal & Fantasy caves, lunch at the Swizzle Inn and some sightseeing in and around the historic town on St George's. The claim to fame of St George's, apart from being the former capital of Bermuda, is that it's believed to be the first and oldest continuously inhabited English town in the New World, settled back in 1612. It's a UNESCO World Heritage site boasting wonderful old buildings and churches including St Peter's and the eerie Unfinished church.

Scooter safety starts with white tourist helmets

Crystal & Fantasy Caves

St Peter's Church, in St George's Bermuda

Our stay was all too brief but after four days of sightseeing and drinking dark and stormy's (ginger ale and dark rum) it was time to fly back to Dallas, via Charlotte. It rained every day that we were in Bermuda but never for longer than 30 minutes before the clouds rolled away and the sun returned. The sub tropical climate meant the humidity was very noticeable, almost uncomfortable, but the sea breezes were refreshing.

The next trip..... a return to South America.