Ah, our last day in Bogota.

Yesterday German and I completed our three day golf tournament at La Pradera Golf Club. I had a wonderful time. The different golfers we played with each day were so nice to the “Gringo”. One, who spoke wonderful English, told me he had spent his senior year in high school in Seattle in 1989, another spent four years in Toronto and likewise spoke perfect English.

We finished the tournament with German playing wonderful golf and me merely going along for the ride (actually along for the walk). German played well enough for us to each win, in bets, significantly more than the entry fee for the tournament. That is a nice bonus for our trip – a free tournament. The highlight of the golf was the second day. I was treated to the South American intestinal bug that seemed to be going around. Each swing was a challenge – keeping my butt cheeks FIRMLY together to prevent disaster and then avoiding eruption from the other end due to nausea from the twisting motion of the swing. To add to this the walking made me dizzy and disoriented in the heat and sun. The one good thing was the alternate shot format that day, meaning I would take a shot then German would hit the next shot. In reality, though, German would make a good shot then I would screw it up then German would recover with his shot. You get the idea.

Last night we went out to dinner. We stopped first at a patio bar at Parque 93, a block of city park surrounded by restaurants. It’s a happenin’ hip area of the city. We were there early, at 7:30 pm, before any real happening happened. Ann learned that a girlie lemonchello martini consists of alcohol mixed with alcohol then chilled to make it not taste that way AND then gives a Mike Tyson like punch at 8000 feet elevation.

We ate dinner in another area of town at the Peruvian restaurant, Nazca, with an upscale modern decor. Wow, that is some different food. The signature dish of Peru is ceviche, or cebiche in Espanol. You have never eaten ceviche unless you have eaten true Peruvian ceviche. There are many different kinds. We had two for appetizers - one with langoustine and yucca and the other with corvina (Black Sea Bass) and yucca. Before ordering, the owner of the restaurant came over to help us with the entrees. He spoke perfect English and described the different dishes to us in detail, obviously more for Ann and me than for Mary and German. He changed the entrée that Mary and I ordered to make it more authentically Peruvian. Pieces of beef tenderloin of beef flavored with cumin were accompanied by croquettes of rice, beans, and more cumin. Ann had a Japanese style Peruvian fish dish. The Oriental influence in Peru is odd but goes far back. German had lamb chops with Peruvian beans. The Chilean wine complimented the meal perfectly. Everything was delicious, visually appealing and expertly prepared. Nazca was a perfect choice for what has become a tradition for the four of us: a farewell dinner at an unusual, chic restaurant.

Today is Super Bowl Sunday. Our breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs, papaya, fresh-squeezed orange juice and freshly-made arepas, a typical Colombian thick, grilled corn meal cake with cheese disc that I have come to adore. Mary demonstrated the technique and we both made some of the cakes, so we can try to duplicate them at home. After a quick trip to the Sunday artisans market here in Usaquen, we will go to Bernie and Blanca’s for a late lunch and then afterwards watch the Game there. All of the brothers, wives, and a few of the kids will be there along with Lenore, their mother.

Tomorrow our flight is at 8:55 am (What was I thinking?). We have to get up at least an hour before morning to make the flight. One night in Weston then back to Seattle on Tuesday.