March 12, 2011 - Jack London Square, Oakland, CA

March 11, 2011 - Hiking in the Huckleberry Botanical Preserve

March 6, 2011 - Day 11 in Bogota, COLOMBIA

Day 11 in Bogota, COLOMBIA
My last day! I was tired but sad it was coming to an end. This day was simple since we didn't go anywhere exotic. It was in effect a wind down day.

Two more pics from the hotel.

Today's excitement was.... Luzelena's Amway meeting! Actually it was very interesting to be in the loop of actually life in the city. I am proud of her for doing so well with her business. I wish her much success with it.

Last photos of Bogota. I want to go back and see more!

March 5, 2011 - Day 10 in Bogota, COLOMBIA

Day 10 in Bogota, COLOMBIA
Another day, another beautiful site in Colombia.
Today's attraction was Lake Guatavita. It was a sacred place for the native Muiscas who inhabited these parts before the European invasion. A modern Muisca was our guide and we had to hike a ways to see this beautiful oversized pond.

A typical agriculture scene surrounding the site.

A Muisca hut used as a visitor's center.

Views from the trail as we ascend.

Finally a glimpse of the lake. Unfortunately it was too close to get the whole thing in one photo. You get the gist though.

The ecosystem here is unique. It is in between a desert and a grassland.

The scene as we waited for the bus back to the parking lot.

This is now in the city of Guatavita on the way back to Bogota. The city was lower but was flooded when a nearby dam was constructed. The government recreated a very charming replica of a Spanish colonial city. It was very beautiful.

On the way back we went through a couple of gorgeous towns that reminded me of the Alps. They were apparently affluent and clean and very, very green. We didn't stop and i was too tired to take photos. These photos are of the northern part of Bogota from the elevated road on the edge of the city as we got back into the city.

This was the day i started feeling tired! This vacation was more work than my daily routine! I am always up to the challenge of travel though and i managed to hang in there til the end of the trip.