Bogota Journal # 2

View of the Park in Bogota

My first full day In Bogotá just rocked. The people are all wonderful and the food is out-of-bounds (that’s a good thing).

I met Mario, the General Manager of the hotel and he pointed me in the direction of a beautiful park right next to the hotel. It’s 2 and a half miles if you walk or run the entire thing. The sub came out and I took a walk mid-day. Sort of reminded me of Central Park – not as big but the variety of people and activity are the same. I saw jugglers, business people, mothers with kids, boys playing soccer, and a whole lot of dogs walking (Captain Jack and Bella can learn manners from these Colombian dogs).

I enjoyed a terrific massage in the hotel. I’ll tell you, a full day of traveling (especially 9 hours in the plane) can be brutal on body and mind, and the massage was a needed treat to be ready for today.

Now the food. I told you I got a tip on a great Colombian dish called Ajiaco (Ah-ee-yaco). It’s a chicken soup with Colombian potatoes, spices, capers, cream, and a whole lot of flavor. The capers are what brought it for me. The side dish was rice, corn on the cob, and a delicious slice of avocado. I think we should be doing more of the avocado on the side in our restaurants. I had a terrific house “tinto”…red wine with dinner. For dessert, I had Postre de Natas. No idea what it was but my server Tatiana recommended it and she was right! Not bad for a smooth $46,164. Oh…pesos. About $27 in dollars;)

I ended the evening meeting with one of my fellow speakers, Tim Ludwig. Tim is a professor and consultant out of North Carolina. He’s an expert in behavior science as it relates to safety o the job. I’m eager to hear him speak.

Well, now it’s game time. I’m ready to knock it out of the park for these folks. It will be a different experience using an interpreter. As you know, humor in stories is predicated on timing and gestures. I really use the audience reaction as part of my speaking. This might have a “delay” through being interpreted. I will let you know how it goes.

Another great day in Bogotá in store!