Cúcuta is located in the northern part of Colombia, just a few kilometers from the Venezuela border. Like Valledupar, it has a normally hot climate, therefore I was in no way prepared when I left Bogotá. As you might be able to gather, it rains a lot here in the capital, and it never really gets warm, so any exposure to heat is pretty rough to start out for me. I arrived at the airport around 3:30, a little behind schedule due to the epic rainstorm we got in Bogotá as the flight was trying to leave. Looking at the back of the seat in front of me, included with a map and local weather conditions, I found that Cúcuta's afternoon temperature was around 35 degrees Celsius, or about 95 Fahrenheit. Let the sweat fest commence...
My friend Emily couldn't come to get me at the airport because she works on Fridays, but her sister Rocío found me after I picked up my bags. Walking outside, I felt a similar situation to how the Pitt CLAS Seminar group felt landing in São Luís do Maranhão for the first time in 2012. The best way I can describe it is that it's a "wall of heat." When I say wall, I mean that you actually slow down for a moment, because you feel like you've walked into something solid. Regardless, I pushed on, and we drove to the city.
Emily's family, between her sister, mom and dad, run a few small cafés throughout the city. Therefore, I spent part of the afternoon at her mom's café, sipping on an orange juice, and then made my way to her dad's bakery, where I had a bottle of water and a croissant. Immediately I knew that there was going to be a lot of food involved in this weekend trip, as Emily's mom (Doña Amparo) quizzed me on what Colombian foods I had tried since my arrival. As you can probably imagine, the more "no's" she received, the more things she told me that she and her employees would make for me before I left. I would try sancocho, hallaca, and many other goodies before the trip home.
A few observations about Cúcuta:
1. As a border town, it has a lot of influence from Venezuela. Therefore, over half the cars in the area are from Venezuela, made clear by their license plates.
2. It is common practice in Cúcuta for Venezuelans to bring cheap, contraband Venezuelan gasoline across the border to sell in Colombia for a fraction of the Colombian price. As Venezuela subsidizes its oil and gasoline heavily for domestic consumption, people have found a way to make a business of it as the Venezuelan economy deteriorates, as in recent years.
3. For the size of the city (around 600,000 according to Wikipedia), it doesn't seem all that big. I guess it's similar to Bogotá in this regard, which feels like a bunch of medium-sized cities smushed together. Cúcuta was like a lot of neighborhoods put together without an easily discernible center. You have shopping centers in different parts of the city, which are usually located near nightclubs and bars. Nonetheless, you could tell that a lot of business happens there, as it is not far from Colombia's fifth-largest city, Bucaramanga, and close to the Venezuelan border. Lots of business, lots of people...
Emily and her friends took me out both nights I was in the city, and I must admit, it was a LOT of fun. I'm always nervous about going out with Colombians, as I'm not a great dancer and can bore people really quickly. However, the girls tried (and succeeded) to keep me up on my feet dancing, and it was a great time. The second night we went to a nightclub and sipped on rum while dancing to all kinds of Colombian music, like salsa, bachata, and even a little bit of cumbia!
On Sunday I went with Emily and her friend Ruth to have lunch with some of Ruth's family, and we took a little trip up to a small town about half an hour away, called Chinácota. There we walked around a very small city, enjoyed some desserts, took a look at a ranch house that Ruth's family wanted to buy, and then headed back out. It was nice to make a stop there, especially considering that the town was nestled in the mountains, meaning the temperature was easily 15 degrees Fahrenheit less than the big city. I can never pass up a cool breeze...
Finally, after returning to Emily's, it was time to pack up and head home. I had some pizza with Emily, Ruth, Eliana and Arnold before getting to the airport, and then it was time to say goodbye. Interesting thing about Cúcuta: at the airport, you are required to get a $5 exit stamp on your plane ticket, purchased directly after checking in for a flight. Fortunately, the guy who did my check-in spoke a little bit of English and was able to explain it to me clearly. This is one thing, however, that I know I'm going to have to be aware of if I go to cities outside of Colombia. Anyways, I had a wonderful time in Cúcuta, and I apologize for having waited so long to write this entry. It's just that I've been so busy this beginning of the week (not to mention just a little lazy). I'll post something else at the end of this week. Happy Wednesday!
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