The Art of Travel - rescuing a friend from winter's window - many months later.

A plan was hatched, a rescue ploy to save a friend from the depths of winter.  Come to Colombia we said, its warmer here and it doesn't snow nearly as much!  Let's make a plan, execute, and soon you will be down here with us!

Looking back on winter's window seems strange now as much of the northern world is engulfed in heat waves and record highs - anyone without a tree to sit under is feeling pretty silly right about now.  But plans were made from this cold place and we shall not deny the wintery origins of this quest.

Our plucky companions set off to the faraway airport, taking two buses and several taxis throughout the two day journey.  After having lived in Colombia for so long, it was hard to remember what people would be excited to see, what would seem different to them, what would marvel and astonish.

Perhpas not much - Bogotá is a city much like any other; sprawling cement with cars, motorcycles and bikes, people rushing across streets controlled by colored lights.  Grass and trees and some attempt at shade management gives certain areas of the city an upper class, new age feel.  

As we head deeper, it gets even more urban - hyper-urbanity is the new modernity for many throughout the world and Bogotá is no exception with its variety of barrios for all classes - all the way up to the richest of norther suburbia to the most struggling down in the southern reaches of El Sur.

We stop of at a panaderia, now what we have to do is wait.  Our friend will arrive soon from the heat wave'd, wintery north.  More updates to come as we travel on and remember our own first impressions as we guide and live vicariously through a friend travelling.