Not much to report, and no new photos. Yesterday I got some passport photos of the kids, which are needed for various documents coming up. We took the kids out to a Colombian restaurant tonight, and played with a ball. Early to bed tonight as we must get going early tomorrow for an 8:30 am appointment to get their Colombian ID cards.
I like cars and other mechanical things, so I notice the different vehicles here. Lots of Renaults, Kias, and Hyundais - but mostly different models than we see in the US, generally smaller. Also lots of odd Chinese cars. Some US cars too, mostly small Fords and Chevrolets. Many small motorcycles, with the most common at 100-180 cc's. They scoot between traffic in ways that would be very illegal in the US. We even see bicycle taxis, and some hand pulled carts. Every inch between cars in traffic must be an inch considered wasted, because they drive very close. Horns get a real workout here. Driving on the wrong side of the street to get around traffic is common, usually if no cars are coming. Many roads are narrow, and parking ramps are close quarters. I would not want to drive my F-150 pickup in Bogota! The huge population and small streets makes for total gridlock at times. It can take an hour to go a few blocks. There must be a million cars/trucks/busses idling at once during rush hours. The air pollution is noticeable.
To us the city seems crowded, dirty, smelly, and generally an unpleasant place to live (but note that we felt similarly about our visit to Chicago in October!). Yet I know that this has been home for the girls and is normal to them. They may find our Eden Prairie neighborhood too low-density, too clean, too quiet, and too sanitized! I hope they can adjust easily.
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