When people heard that I was taking Bridgette to Bogota, Colombia, many were concerned for our safety. I know it’s a valid concern, but honestly, we have traveled to many countries deemed to be unsafe for us (Vietnam, Mexico, etc.) but it’s never stopped us from going outside our comfort zone. Maybe it’s our steadfast faith, knowing that if something bad is to happen to us, it could happen anywhere, at anytime.
As it turned out though, we really didn’t need to worry about our safety in Colombia because unbeknownst to us, my uncle Kenny, who is a prominent businessman AND a part of the police force in Bogota for years, had some solid plans in place to make sure our time there was going to be very safe!
I recently read Michelle Obama’s autobiography and was very intrigued by her description of what it was like to always move around in a caravan consisting of secret service agents. I never would’ve imagined that I would get to experience something similar, though ofcourse, on a smaller scale. My uncle had arranged 4 bullet proof SUVs for our group, plus a caravan of cops to open roads for us and to keep us safe at all times. 😅😅😅
It felt so foreign and surreal to travel around like that, almost as if we’re in some kind of movie. Bogota is recognized as the city that has the worst traffic in the entire world, but that didn’t really affect us because we had these cops opening up the way for us wherever we went. Red light? No problem, we went right through with cops stopping traffic on all sides. Traffic jam? No problem, we were directed to go on the bus lane. By the end of our trip in Bogota, I had no idea how I was going to go back to “real life” in the Bay Area traffic, lol!
Honestly, our drivers and the cops that protected us throughout the trip were the best. They never let us out of their sights from the minute we stepped out of our service apartments at 9am to the moment we retreated for the evening at 10pm. During the first day or two, I felt a little uncomfortable about the invasion of my privacy. I wanted to be able to walk around without bodyguards and policemen following my every step. I’m embarrassed to admit that at one point I actually tried to escape from them, when my cousins and I went across the street to the grocery store to pick up a few essentials. I kept dodging and sprinting between aisles, but they were too professional for me to escape, and I eventually gave up. 😂
In hindsight now, my favorite part of the trip was this experience of being so well protected at all times, and to see first hand how . While I couldn’t communicate with them directly (they spoke only Spanish), I hope I still adequately expressed my gratitude enough for all that they did for our group!
Next up I’ll share all the awesome things we did in Bogota, like visiting beautiful Monserrate, exploring the amazing Salt Cathedral, dining at the famous Andres restaurant, and more!
