A Paisa Woman in Bogota
SUMMARY: I spent most of a day with The Mick and a little young paisa woman. We spent most of the day together playing golf and having lunch, and now I see why all the fuss about women from Medellin.
Alternate Title: My 1st Paisita and Now I Understand the Fuss about Medellin Women
After months of reluctance, I agreed to practice golf with The Mick. It’s a great way, if not necessity, to make friends and sales in Bogota (sales for our new English language business). The Mick had scheduled to play golf as a class with a student of his, Maribel from Medellin.
Maribel was a tiny little dandy with short hair that stood and hung. She wore big lens sunglasses that faded at the bottom. She also wore black aerobics tights to show off her shapely legs. The tights were the cotton type with straps underneath the foot inside the shoe to keep the cotton tight, not the shiny tights. After Maribel and I did an airkiss greeting, she warmed her legs up by stretching her quadriceps with a foot in her hand. She bounced around and twisted her legs up and about as if warming up for a run. It was a little hard not to get caught looking. … Read more
10 Things To Eat in Bogota
SUMMARY: Profile and description of my ten favorite things to eat in Bogota: bandeja paisa, ajiaco, black folks’ fish, chiguiro, arequipe, changua, ensalada de frutas, Andres Carne de Res, and Tramonti. Just for fun, I included three things you don’t have to eat in Bogota as well.
Arepas in Colombia
SUMMARY: This is my definitive post on arepas in Colombia. Arepas are a starchy biscuit / pancake and everyday food in the northern Andes.
Arepas are a staple food in Colombia. Arepas are to Colombia as tortillas are to Mexico. Arepas are basically cornmeal biscuits. There are many different kinds, but they all derive from corn and they’re all shaped in a patty. They taste almost like a biscuit but with less moisture. Most don’t have much flavor. They’re featured in my 3 Things You Don’t Have to Eat in Bogota. However, it’s pretty hard to visit Colombia and not eat these things. They’re everywhere. They’re served with street-food. Arepa with chorizo, or arepa with egg and chicharrón. … Read more
Contributed Story: Instability in Tijuana
SUMMARY: Luis from Borrowed Flesh describes a day in Tijuana, one of the more violent cities in Mexico, which US officials have stated runs the risk of becoming a “failed state.”
An old man draped in filthy rags blinked in the unrelenting Mexican sun. His creased face was the color of a brown paper bag and he sported a dingy yellow cowboy hat. Out of tired rheumy eyes, he watched three white Ford trucks – Tijuana paddy wagons – hurtling down a broad street kicking up dust. Several police clung to the sides as they raced by – dark eyes filled with fear and hatred, faces covered in black masks. One stared back at the old man, fingering his shiny black AK-47. The old man stood glaring in apathy.
Seconds later and blocks away, gunfire and a rumbling explosion erupted. Five more trucks careened past, followed by monstrous paramilitary vehicles while the street teemed with pedestrians casually going about their affairs. … Read more
