Michael and Graciela

Husband and wife writing team covering Bogotá, Colombia and the world

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Did Covid-19 and Government Crash the Healthcare in Bogota, Colombia?

Did Covid-19 and Government Crash the Healthcare in Bogota, Colombia?

Did Covid-19 and Government Crash the Healthcare in Bogota, Colombia?

by Michael July 26, 2020

The news announced on July 16, 2020 that the healthcare system in Bogota, Colombia collapsed and I had a front row seat. Will not tell you what stupid thing I did to end up in the hospital emergency room with about 30 other people in three different rooms. A nurse told us they were filled. Later our…

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Day 100 of Quarantine in Colombia

Day 100 of Quarantine in Colombia

by Michael June 28, 2020

As I write this we hit day 100 of confinement. Things have changed some from the beginning. More people are ignoring safety standards. Seems like most citizens and politicians are getting crazy in one way or another.

The government reports 88,591 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the country with new cases reported going up significantly on a daily basis. Bogota, with…

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We are Surviving the Corona Virus Lockdown in Bogotá

How we are Surviving the Corona Virus Lockdown in Bogotá

May 6, 2020 By Michael

One month and half into lockdown and it appears to be working in Bogotá. My home state of Michigan in the USA is currently at over 44,000 cases with the virus. Bogotá has approximately the same population as all of Michigan and is at under 4,000 cases.

There are rules. Like other countries citizens are to be on the street only for medical purposes or shopping for food.…

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Armero, the Colombian Town That Disappeared one Night

Armero, the Colombian Town That Disappeared one Night

By Michael April 2019

Our guide to the town of Armero lost both sets of his grandparents that tragic night of November 13, 1985. Now in his 40’s he recalled the events of the evening from his perspective. “My parents and I lived in Bogota. I remember them on the phone with my grandparents in the night. My grandfather asked if there was any news in the capital about Armero. The ground had been…

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Photo of the Week - Learning English in Bogotá

March 2014 By Michael A local Bogotá newspaper caught my eye. The publication written in Spanish had above the fold the big letters of the title written in English. Now I wonder how many of my fellow urban dwellers in this city of over eight million people understood what it said. Well, if all goes to plan then soon more students in Bogotá schools will. While the ADN papers are given away on the…

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Our House Hunting Experience in Bogotá, Colombia

Our Experience House Hunting in Bogotá

By Michael February 2017 My wife decided it was again time to look at homes in Bogotá. Such is not always an easy task. There aren’t that many of them. The city has the 9th worst population density in the world. When comparing the quantity of apartments to houses the latter is a definite minority. My better half believes people in houses represent less than 20% of the population. We found no new…

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Christmas Starting in October - Photo of the Week

Christmas Starting in October - Photo of the Week - Give us your opinion

Michael: It is too early for Christmas. The above photo is a collage of photos taken at a Colombian store in early October 2016 Colombia, obviously, does not have Thanksgiving. They have no holiday that could mark the beginning of the Christmas season. Interesting though is that last year several stores advertised Black Friday. Yes, Colombians do celebrate Halloween, but not really in the manner…

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Chayote - Healthy or Will it Mummify You?

September 2016 By Michael For years I passed by the green wrinkled and furrowed looking plant at our local fruit and vegetable market. That is not unusual as there are many plants in Colombia I am still trying to learn. The sign in front of this particular one said, guativa. It was only because of a mention by my sister-in-law that I finally stopped and took closer notice. First question was to…

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There is just something cute about little girls playing with large dogs. The animals seem to know the gentleness of the child and respond in kind. This is Valentina, the 5 year-old daughter of our housekeeper, playing with our dog, Corzo. Despite the dog’s well-earned reputation of aggressive protection of the property Valentina can do anything she wants to Corzo and he seems to enjoy the attention. But I can also tell you that the girl is protected when the dog is around. Any stranger wishing to do her harm will find 50 pounds of angry dog in their face.

Photo of the Week - Little Girl / Big Dog There is just something cute about little girls playing with large dogs. The animals seem to know the gentleness of the child and respond in kind.

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[dropcap]With[/dropcap] bunches of bright yellow bell type flowers the chicalá trees are easily spotted around Bogotá. Visitors find them in town squares, lining the medians of streets, surrounding parking lots and bringing color to the surrounding hills. Considered a shrub the trees can grow to about 7 meters (20 feet) or more.

Known by other names including tecoma stans, ginger-thomas, yellow trumpet bush, yellow trumpet flower, yellow bells and yellow-elder the plant grows mostly in Central and South America. In fact the tecoma stans is the official flower of the U.S. Virgin Islands. However the plants are also found in Africa and Australia. Basically it cannot survive in sustained cold temperatures.

How the flowers grow is fun to watch. They start out as stems with green nubs. Then a yellow protrusion forms It looks like a star shape from the front view. Soon there are many more and they burst into trumpet shaped yellow flowers with red lines.

Bees, hummingbirds and butterflies love the flowers. It is not unusual to watch a bee disappear inside one of the flowers then back out.

There are medicinal uses associated with the chicalá. Herbpathy.com lists the plant as a highly effective diuretic. Pharmatutor.org has an abstract showing tecoma stans effective in treating cancer.

Some reports state that the flowering shrub is just now starting to get the recognition it deserves. Others have stated the plant to “serve no economic purpose and possess characteristics that are harmful to humans”.

Propagation is by mostly by seed. Long green beans grow in bunches. These turn brown then split open. Inside is a center piece sporting seeds on both sides. With papery wings they stick close. But soon, when the wind blows they spread everywhere. Rooting is also possible but you have to use the young stems. Neither the old brown branches nor the young green ones will sprout roots.

We have several of the trees around our house and enjoy them all year round. It is enjoyable to sit outside with a coffee to watch the hummingbirds and butterflies drawn to the chicalá trees. Yellow flowers against dark green leaves provides not only beauty but also an excellent barrier to neighboring yards. Visitors to Bogotá are often seen taking photos of the plant as it grows around the city.

Chicalá in our yard

Chicalá dried seed beans

Chicalá near mall in Bogotá

Chicalá Brightens the Landscape around Bogotá With bunches of bright yellow bell type flowers the chicalá trees are easily spotted around Bogotá. Visitors find them in town squares, lining the medians of streets, surrounding parking lots and bringing color to the surrounding hills.

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Mangostino is Another of Colombia's over 150 Fruits

Twice a year the mangostino shows up in Bogotá. While some stores carry the hard skinned purple fruit we see more of it being sold by vendors on the street. Like many other of Colombia’s produce it has medicinal properties. The mangostino acts as an anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant. In addition it is good for blood circulation to the point that medical advice is to not eat it if you are taking…

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Visitor's Guide to Getting Around Bogotá, Colombia

Michael: Colombia’s capital is unlike any other city in the world which my wife and I visited. There are many transportation options but not a single one blatantly sticks out as the best for everyone. Each has pros and cons. And many residents state that government officials are really not thinking of what best serves the people. Several years back a person on a Colombia forum board asked the…

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The Dahlia Imperialis is Colombia's 20 Foot Flower July 2016 We believe the best way to present this unique and interesting flower is in a video.

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El Pórtico Restaurant Near Bogotá is a Must for Visitors

El Pórtico Restaurant Near Bogotá is a Must for Visitors to the Area #Colombia #ElPortico #Bogota #Chia #travel

July 2016 Michael: El Pórtico has it all, ambiance, great Colombian style food, a playground for the kids, a coffee shop and a church. All these features contributes to a dual personality. Depending upon the time of day it can be a restaurant for the family or a romantic dinner. But this Bogotá area establishment goes well beyond being just a restaurant. There are many buildings on the property…

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Moksha Coffee Shop Owner Found on Other Side of World

Moksha Coffee Shop Owner Found on Other Side of World

July 2016 She disappeared seemingly without a trace. Moksha Coffee Shop made our list for the top ten places to have coffee in Bogotá. In fact the shop held the number one spot. In our initial interview with owner, Thana Carvajal, she bubbled with enthusiasm over creating quality food and coffee. The former actress also expressed visions of helping other Colombians through the expansion of her…

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Moksha Coffee Shop Owner Found on Other Side of World

Moksha Coffee Shop Owner Found on Other Side of World

June 2016 She disappeared seemingly without a trace. Moksha Coffee Shop made our list for the top ten places to have coffee in Bogotá. In fact the shop held the number one spot. In our initial interview with owner, Thana Carvajal, she bubbled with enthusiasm over creating quality food and coffee. The former actress also expressed visions of helping other Colombians through the expansion of her…

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The Life of a Colombian Curuba is from Flower to Healthy Drink

Colombia is home to the largest variety of curuba. Also know as the banana passion fruit it is loaded with antioxidants especially proanthocyanidins and catechin. It contains vitamin A and vitamin C as well as high amounts of phosphorous, niacin, calcium and iron. When the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the Bogotá area they found the yellow to red fruit growing wild. Though today it is grown…

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