Salt cathedrals and buckets of rain

The traffic here in Bogota is bad, very very bad indeed. It took us almost 100 minutes yesterday to get 25kms north of the city. The locals grin and bear it. Yet despite this impediment which does limit one's ability to get around the city, we have really enjoyed our brief stay. Up here in the northern Andes, the countryside is green and lush and we have seen our first dairy cows on this trip. The temperature ranges between 16 and 20 degrees year round. In some months it rains more than others. I got drenched on Friday walking the 7 blocks to our office here. The water pours down the streets from the nearby mountains. The upper reaches of the eastern part of the city have gated communities and favelas side by side. Like all of the Latin countries we have visited on this trip, there are gaping gaps between the rich and the poor. There is very little hassle here though. The old city has been partially preserved and the Museum of Gold is extraordinary. So too is the Salt Cathedral, built into the side of a mountain to the north of the city. And finally, we have had fantastic coffee. Fix the traffic and we will be back, slightly breathless given the altitude and prepared for rain.