I must have finally dozed off shortly before the alarm clock tells me to get moving. I get dressed quickly to get warm in this cold Bogotá night. Then I stuff the rest of my things into the bags, have a rushed breakfast (brownie and granadillas), call a cab and say good-bye to Francis. The cab ride is entertaining and all too soon we arrive at the airport. Check-in is a matter of minutes and so I´ve got plenty of time to explore the terminal. Too much time and too little to explore... so I decide I might as well pass immigration and officially leave Colombia. The immigration officer is extremely friendly and rather than asking the usual silly and annoying questions he wants to know if I liked my stay and asks me to tell everyone I know to come and visit Colombia. That´s something I can promise easily.
My flight leaves on time again and I take in the last views of this gorgeous country and the white Caribbean beaches and the turquoise waters shortly before landing in Caracas.I have loads of time to while away at the international airport Simón Bolívar, which I find rather uninviting and dull. The propaganda for Chávez and his socialist regime add to this. It´s like stepping back in time.
To kill the time I have a pizza at Pappa John´s, but eventually it´s time to board the plane to Frankfurt. The 10-hour flight is uneventful and not what I´d call comfortable. As always I can´t sleep at all, not even one second and the on-seat entertainment system doesn´t spoil you for choice... Still , the "pursers" are very friendly and the service is quite good. What more could I ask for? An upgrade!!!
Frankfurt welcomes me with bogotaesque temperatures - 15°C and sun. I desperately try to keep myself awake by calling people and having a welcome-back pretzel (skipped the beer, though). The short flight to Munich leaves late (this is so not Colombian!). Upon arriving I help 2 Peruvian sisters find out about their cancelled connecting flight to Italy. My bags arrive quickly and customs shows not the least interest in them either, so before I know it I find myself in front of my parents. The rest of the day passes talking and unpacking before I finally hit the sack after 40 sleepless hours - and hadn´t I received a phone call at noon the next day, I would have probably slept the whole day...
C O N C L U S I O N
This trip to Colombia was a dream come true. There were no real lows, one highlight followed the next and because of the country´s tremendous variety and diversity it actually feels like having travelled to many different countries. Many people were surprised to hear that I was going to go to Colombia and more than one seemed to be worried. One friend even asked me if I was feeling a bit suicital. Of course I didn´t and I prepared this trip well, so theoretically speaking I knew it was not more dangerous than most other countries in the region (in fact even less so!), but still, finding out the Colombian reality was another matter. I found Colombia not only to be a safe and fascination but extremely welcoming country! One of the biggest of its treasures is its people! I´ve never come across people more welcoming, going out of their way to help and anxious to make your stay in their country a positively unforgettable one. They are rightfully proud of their country and are trying their best to improve Colombia´s image in the world. The slogan used in Colombia´s campaign to promote international tourism is "The only risk is wanting to stay". Well, I´ve never seen a slogan so true. I´m already thinking about going back - there is still so much left to see, so many nice people to be met!
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