Tolima!

Greetings!

I just got back from my first trip in a long while. Didi and I went to Tolima. Tolima is located slightly southwest of Bogota. Without traffic it generally takes 3 hours by car. But unfortunately there is traffic. A lot of traffic. It took us almost 6 hours to get there. On the way back we took a VIP service (because who wouldn't?) I discovered the VIP lightly translates into "We will drive like maniacs to get you to your destination quicker." However it didn't really matter. We got to the southern rim of the city in 2.5 hours and then once inside the city we found ourselves in a chaotic 2.5 hour traffic jam just to get to the bus station.

We went to a city called Ibagué, which is the capital of Tolima. It has a population of around 500,000. However, it seems like a small town compared to Bogotá and it's 10,000,000+ inhabitants. I think more than 500,000 people live in my neighborhood. Anyway, it was nice to get away from the perpetual horn honking and road rage to a quiet, tranquil town (I mean, a city slightly smaller than Indianapolis) that while still at an elevation 4,000+ feet, has some of the best weather in Colombia. 80 degrees year round.

 Point A is Bogotá and Point B is Ibagué.

The downtown streets are lines with coconut trees.

 The also have the tallest palm trees I have ever seen.

 To give you a better idea of the height of these things, I'm the werid-o in blue next the tree.

 A statue to Simón Bolivar, or if you would like to know his full name it is: Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar Palacios, yeah, I'd shorted it, too.

Banana trees were also in the streets and plazas, too. I was tempted to take a couple...

Downtown at dusk.  70 degrees :)

Didi took a picture of me after I had some ice cream. It was hot, I had to have ice cream. At least that was my excuse.

The tamal! The native food of Tolima! Delicious. Chicken and pork with rice, peas and carrots wrapped in a plantain leaf. 

 Trees.

 More banana plants. They are really beautiful.

 The church in the main square.

 Another downtown street.

Every crosswalk light was like this. I loved them. The closer to 0 the faster the little man runs until he is eventually ran over by a car, or turns red.

 The bus station. The Kia minivan behind the yellow bus was our "VIP" ride. I like it a lot. It was very comfortable. Better suited for two-laned mountainous roads that a giant Greyhound.

Traffic jam in Bogotá! Reminding us that Bogotá really is a different animal!

Well, I'm back in the "freezer" as people call Bogotá. Havin' fun!

Saludos desde Bogotá!