COLOMBIA, South America: Bogota.
Day 1

Didn't sleep at all last night cause I was trying to pack but not to over pack. Yeah, of course I ended up overpacking. I ordered a cab to the blue line train for 7:30 am and as luck would have it I ended up with a more than punctual African cab driver--he gets there at 7:15. Hasn't he heard of CP time or African time? Well he just has to wait cause I wont be ready and down until 7:30. He's Somolian and has lots to say about religion, politriks, colonization and corrupt African leadership, glad Im only going to the Blue line.

After I drag my luggage down the stairs I meet a Ghanain woman who is very friendly and talkative. She tells me about the most talented actors/actresses in Ghana. She is very interesting and pretty animated.  
Get to the airport with time to spare, I have priority access and don't have to wait in the long line. My gate is H11B and quite a walk but in the time it took me to walk down the from the terminal, they have changed the flight to the other end of the world in L8. But I just came from that way...

Get to Miami where I have a layover. I swear I was in that airport for 45 minutes before I heard English spoken. Great preparation for my trip.


I arrive to flowers and happy faces.

Emil and Jessica greet me at airport

Go to the hotel and change and then go to a dinner party where I meet my lovely hostess,  Jenny De La Torre.  Jenny is the beautiful mother of my friend Susy Guevara. Susy and I met in Burkina Faso at FESPACO film fest.  She told me she was Afro-Colombian, which I thought was unusual but how many could there really be? Surprise, surprise!

Jenny looks like Marpessa Dawn, the female star of the movie 'Black Orpheus.'

Antonio, the Renaissance Man

Jenny De La Torre

The dinner is great. Our chef is Jenny's husband Antonio, a real renaissance man. Not only is he a chef but also a painter, sculptor and musician. He played and taught trumpet for 38 years--so naturally I gave him a copy of the DuSable to Obama soundtrack by trumpet master Orbert Davis. He was delighted.

Antonio's painting

Black Historian

Mi familia - the Dinner party

These people are wonderful. There is someone there from the American Embassy, a female Black historian, a singer and others. What a lovely group.