Bogotá
Along came a song for you.
“Home, sweet home!” they call it. As the plane descended upon its final southern destination, a single singing voice united the plane’s passengers into chant. The wheels touched down and a resounding clapping filled the cabin as both locals and foreigners celebrated reaching ‘home’. Arrival to Bogotá was not only marked by a happy landing, but also by a musical changing of the guard.
The pervasive—and uniting—nature of music reached further than the tarmac that we were now leaving; In the taxi, in the hostel, and finally, in the café bar where we settled in the evening. There, a man calmly gazed into his companion’s eyes as she recited ‘La maestria del amor’. Friends rejoiced over a certain joie de vivre, laughing and singing with the bustling radio in the background. The bar’s door, wide open, invited the cool but still pleasant El Neogranadino wind inside. There, it clang on to the bar’s red tinted atmosphere, igniting a calm feeling inside of me.
-Shot with Olympus EM-5, 35mm f1.7
Outside, the now settled sun relinquished a hidden truth; A people of outward expressions, a people of genuine smiles, a people of insatiable curiosity. The night drew forth an honest mosaic of the Colombian populace.
In the morning, school children, policia, and couples found interest in the story unfolding before their eyes—language barrier or not, the human spirit seeks to understand. Filming, photographing, and eating; These are all activities that drew their attention into conversation.
-Shot with Olympus EM-5, 35mm f1.7
Beyond, gracious green mountains surround and romance its inhabitants. Sloping downhills, albeit, a chore if going in the wrong direction, are extremely rewarding. Beautiful vistas at sunset truly warm the heart.
And now, outside of a creviced café alcove, I witness a sunbeam shining straight down on a steaming coffee machine. The radio is tuned in to the local music station providing an attractive atmosphere, perfectly conducive to gathering my thoughts.
There, I will reflect and write over an excellent Colombian coffee.
-Shot with Olympus EM-5, 35mm f1.7
