There is a man who calls me Macarena

So, my favourite neighbourhood in Bogota - La Macarena - has been tapped by the NY Times. Now it's only a matter of time...

http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/07/26/travel/26surfacing.html?th&emc=th

In my words: this is the neighbourhood I lived over for 3 weeks in the most beautiful apartment of my life with John New York Charming and Samuel Linguistic Genius. La Macarena grabbed my heart from my first visit, alone, scared and lost only two days in to Colombia. I stumbled out of my cab - every building is a different colour, every second one is a cafe, the people are young and hot and experimentally dressed and the food is cheap. There are green grocers markets, pricey brunch cafes which are irresistable when hungover, art galleries, a weird concoction of classic Spanish and modern early 80s architecture, homeless dogs, prostitutes, and beggars who offer to find you a cab for a buck. There is the best Argentinean steak house in Bogota. There is the best sushi in Bogota. There is a bar with 40s jazz played by two old Afro-Caribbean men who wear white pressed trousers, bright white shoes and dazzling smiles. There are almost all of my friends, within streets of each other. There is a corner store which sells my favourite Chilean wine for the cheapest price I've found in Bogota.

Half the taxi drivers in Bogota don't know where it is, there is no hostel and my Bogotano friends say sigh wistfully when I say: "I live in La Macarena".

xo.