An interesting halloween...

Today has been an interesting day in Colombia. The problem is the Colombian Customs agency continues to have our motorcycles taken hostage. What it comes down to is, there are many men in positions with authority who decide on which laws are in place; and if the law is not in place, then they make one up. Over the last 6 days, we have been fed a number of stories from both the Panama side and here in Bogota. What still remains true out of it all, is that our bikes are still under their control.
This is hard for me, because my bike is my best friend, and it has been very difficult leaving it in the hands of people of whom I do not know and in two countries very far away from home.
So, today we have traveled through town arranging the details in order to have our bikes released from customs and legal to ride in Colombia. This includes:
1) A form filled out for customs over the temporary release of import for tourism.
2) Copies of passports and titles.
3) Our passports to be stamped and confirmed by customs for motor vehicle access.
4) The purchase and registration of a $160 import booklet that allows us to import and export through S. American countries (which is not required, but like I said, these men make it required), &
5) Specially made vests with our tag numbers printed on the front and back that are required to be worn at all times in Colombia when riding a motorcycle.
And not to mention, the 6 days of waiting in order to be able for this to actually happen. We will end up paying off two more men, just in order for the complete transaction to take place.
Therefore, I must make a rebuttal of a previous statement. Where I once said that it costs $550.00 US in order for you to ship a motorcycle from Panama to Colombia...it actually costs $900.00 US and an extra week. Be forewarned if you are planning a cross-continental trip through Colombia...DO NOT go through an agency; it is more trouble than what is actually needed.
So, while we were running around today, we noticed kids on the bus dressed in costumes for Halloween on their way to school. We even noticed grown adults in costume as well. I cannot say that today has been a complete failure...we have progressed on being able to release the bikes, I have eaten the best hamburger in Colombia at El Corral and I have not been taken away from the spirit of Halloween.
While in Bogota, we have been able to see a few things. The Gold Museum was closed due to reconstruction, however, we were able to go to the Museum for Colonial Arts and were able to see great pieces of work (mostly religiously based) from 1500 to 1800 AD. The art work in Bogota is actually quite extensive. There are a number of galleries located throughout the modern city, including the national gallery and the Museum for modern art. Besides the staged art work, there is a number of modern pieces scattered throughout the city on walls of old buildings. I took a few pictures of some of the better pieces that I had seen.
Which reminds me...speaking of artwork, there is a dying art that is spread throughout Panama that I forgot to mention. It is know as the ¨Diablos Roja¨or the ¨Red Devils¨, which are actually old american school buses that have been painted over with some of the finest art work by some of the finest artists Panama has to offer. The problem with the Diablo Rojas, is that they are going to all be taken out of commission next year when the nation is going to go to a more ¨reliable¨ transit system. This frustrates me, not only as an artist, but also as a middle class worker. Think of all the jobs that will be lost; the artists, the drivers, and the mechanics of these old school bus beaut´s. So, in dedication, I have included a few pictures of the Diablos Roja as well.
There is a lot of bureaucracy going on in central and south america. It seems that they want to move towards a new system that is more organized and universal, however, they have been working on old bargaining mechanics for so long, and in a very patriarchal way, that it seems to have stalled out. Nonetheless, there are many things along this path that I have taken, that seems to work well with their culture. Maybe it does take some extra action under the table, however, they have preserved the beauty of personal interaction between their societies that could very well be erased with a more universal system. In the end, it takes a little more time and a few more people...something that this uptight capricorn is not used to, but a little patience may be just what the doctor ordered.