The Law is Blind - and Tasteless

An environmental menace? The San Isidro Restaurante,
in a 60-year-old building on Monserrate.

For almost four decades, the Restaurante San Isidro has served food and drinks on the summit of Monserrate, an area of asphalt where thousands of tourists wander around some days, eating, drinking and taking pictures. Before it, another restaurant functioned for two decades. The area, which used to be a quarry, is also the scene of a church and occasional fireworks displays, as well as a cable car station.

But the summit of Monserrate, one of Bogotá's most popular tourist destinations, is pristine forest, a court just ruled, and the San Isidro, as well as other restaurants and handicraft shops located there, will have to close.

The businesses' closing will throw hundreds of people out of work, and deprive visitors of a meal

Dining with a view.
(Photo from Trip Advisor)

with Bogotá's best view.

The San Isidro, which is fighting this absurd ruling, is ranked 11th among Bogotá restaurants on Trip Advisor and says it employs almost 50 people, who would lose their jobs if the ruling is carried out. More importantly, one  of Bogotá's most important icons will lose part of its attraction.

This French dish Chateaubriand Portobelo - whatever it is -
will disappear from Monserrate's summit
if the restaurants close.

This is all despite the fact that the San Isidro, at least, says it respects environmental regulations and disposes correctly of its wastewater.

Pristine natural territory? The summit of Monserrate, with the church. 

However, the law being blind, it has a remarkable ability to ignore the reality that, even tho these businesses are surrounded by forest, they are actually located on cement, in an area that has been cement for decades.

The Externado University cut down forest to
build these towers, which block residents' view
of the hills. That apparently does not count
as environmental damage.

Meanwhile, the city turns a blind eye while the powerful Universidad Externado has deforested a large area to build two huge towers which block the view of the hills from the La Candelaria neighborhood.

While they're worrying about Monserrate, the city might also consider reopening the hiking trail to the summit. The trail was closed for a long time for reconstruction, then reopened briefly, only to be closed again early this year because of supposed damage from forest fires. The trail provided exercise, good family recreation - and free access to the summit for many Bogotanos.

Prohibited! The popular hiking trail has been closed most of this year, and shows no sign of reopening.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

Monserrate's Footpath Reopens (for Bipeds)

On their way: A couple starts up Monserrate.

After more than two years under repair, the footpath up to Monserrate reopened yesterday, restoring access to the church for many Colombians.

Their goal: The church, which overlooks Bogotá.

The footpath was closed in late 2009 after landslides damaged it. The city took years to repair the path's lower section, and the church took even longer to fix up the several hundred yards it owns near the top.

The three-kilometer hike, from Bogota at 2,600 meters above sea level, to the church at 3,150 meters, is challenging and dramatic, with tremendous views of the city and Bogotá's Eastern Hills. The path snakes up the hill's face, giving you the impression that you're close, when several zigs and zags remain.

The trail was popular with many Colombians, particularly on Sundays. Some wanted to get exercise and fresh air; believers who could not afford the cable car ticket hiked up to the church, getting exercise as well as blessings. I even saw people doing penance by climbing the trail on their knees.

Runners start up. Just watching makes me tired. 

I always felt cheered seeing families hiking up together, often with their dogs - but more on that later.

A few very fit souls get up early and actually run up the trail. I've heard of people doing it in 20 minutes; I generally took an hour and a half.

Unfortunately, the climb is not the trail's only challenge. It's also notorious for muggings, which is why it's generally best to hike on Sundays, when there are many hikers and police.

When I visited today, a park employee warned me not to climb higher, because 'they'll take your camera.' A pair of junior police at the entrance gate checked people's bags - a pointless practice, since muggers just sneak across the hillside.

Stay on the path, don't pick flowers, no dogs,
minors must be accompanied...enough rules already?

On Thursday, 1,268 people hiked the trail, according to press reports. Along with many other new rules, officials say they'll limit the number of hikers to 7,200 per day - one of many unenforceable rules.

I hope the trail recaptures its old spirit, but the officials appear to be doing their best to strangle it by regulation. A new sign at the entrance limits the early morning hours to 'sportspeople.' From 8 a.m. to noon, people can only climb up with tour operators. After noon, it's open to the public. Fortunately, these rules likely won't last. After all, who can say who's a 'sportsperson,' and restricting the trail to those accompanied by 'tour operators' will exclude common Colombians from morning hikes. And, in a city where it often rains a bit after noon, you've got to hike in the morning.

Police search hikers. Do you think
the muggers take this route?

Officialdom has also sanitized the trail. The park employee told me they'd eliminated the informal food and drink kiosks that used to line the way. Sure, those places probably didn't practice top hygiene, but they did offer refreshing stops along the way, as well as bathroom breaks. If the kiosks generated trash, they also provided trash cans. Now, the snacks and bathrooms are gone. Those bathrooms probably weren't septic, but now expect to see hikers slipping into the bushes to do their business. Undoubtedly, the kiosk owners also discouraged robbery, which scared away their customers.

Sorry guys. Man's best friend is forbidden. 

But perhaps the new rule which bothers me most is the prohibition against dogs, which will take away the hike's charm for many families, not to mention the poor dogs left at home. And dogs also have a safety role on a trail roamed by muggers.

The park employee also told me that the IDRD - which administers Bogotá's parks - intends to ban pets from all the parks, "because not all owners clean up after them." How about this: I propose that they also ban kids from the parks, since they tend to run around and make noise.

The house at the base, where you can
get aboard the cable car and funicular. 

A helpful map. 

Parchita, in forbidden territory. 

Make sure you come at the correct time period. 

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

Bogotá's Perpetual Public Works

Ave. 26 , the gorge which swallowed the mayor. 

The way-behind and over-budget Transmilenium expansion project has made lots of headlines recently. It's also landed a senator and several corporate leaders in jail and gotten Mayor Samuel Moreno suspended from office over corruption allegations.

The TM project is the largest, but far from the only, apparently endless public work in this city.

In Teusaquillo: A retirement fund?

Several years ago, they started tearing up a quiet street in Teusaquillo, a few blocks east of the National University. The project's only a few blocks long, altho they are also replacing the water pipes - a project you'd expect would take a couple of months. More than two years later, they're still at work - and far from finishing.

I've heard that corrupt officials sometimes try to squeeze money out of works projects by draaaaaging them out. If that's true, then I expect that a few people will retire comfortably thanks to Bogotá's streets.

Worshippers will have to wait. 

In April 2009 rockslides happened on the face of Monserrate, the mountain which almost symbolizes the Colombian capital, closing its footpath. The 3,125-meter peak, with its almost-four-century-old church, is an important religious and tourist destination and its footpath is used for training by hikers and runners. Despite several switchbacks, the hike was always a challenge for me, and I was amazed to hear that some people bounded up it in 20 minutes. I usually needed an hour and a half.

No hiking here. 

A cable car and a single-car train can also get you to the peak. But many Colombians can't afford the fares,  making the trail their only option for worshipping at the church. On a sunny Sunday many families would do the hike, getting good exercise, seeing the views and enjoying fresh air and time together. I even saw penitents making their way up on their knees.

City officials promised that the trail would be rebuilt - and they've finally done it two years later. However, the church, which owns the trail's final 300 meters, hasn't done its part. Now, church officials promise that their trail will be rebuilt in four months.

Let's hope for a small miracle from el Señor del Monserrate.


By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours