Orlando's Victory Moment

Orlando, Bogotá's best-known pro-Cuba activist, who can be seen every Sunday on La Ciclovia riding his bike bedecked with pro-Cuba, anti-United States placards.

Today, Orlando was celebrating the agreement reestablishing diplomatic relations between the two countries, which was widely seen as a Cuban victory over the planet's sole superpower. By withstanding decades of poverty and deprivation, Cuba outlasted the will of Washington, which finally concluded that the feud was futile and counterproductive for both countries.

"Cuba got its way!" Orlando yelled.

The sudden warming between the two nations also removes a source of irritation for the region. Colombia, for example, will no longer have to apologize for its alliance with the U.S. - at least as far as Cuban politics go.

Orlando and friend on La Ciclovia today.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours