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Why do some cabs have gas cylinders in the trunk?
Initially, I was disappointed to learn that they aren't due to some underground, Fast and Furious, nitrous-boosted taxi cab racing scene - where the stakes are high and the fares are even higher. The reality is much more pedestrian, but interesting nonetheless.
According to the numbers I've seen around the web, Colombia has between 200,000 and 250,000 vehicles that run on compressed natural gas (CNG). These vehicles are served by just over 300 CNG filling stations around the country.
Natural gas has several advantages over gasoline as a motor vehicle fuel. While still emitting the chief global warming culprit carbon dioxide, natural gas burns much cleaner than gasoline or diesel. This characteristic is particularly attractive in higher altitude cities like Bogotá where, as I've mentioned, particulate matter can be a real public health problem.
In addition to the environmental benefits, natural gas is also less expensive per unit of energy than gasoline. In Colombia, this is largely due to the four trillion cubic meters of natural gas reserves the country contains - a decent domestic supply. All of these benefits can be attained by a relatively low-cost conversion of a regular gas engine. Pretty cool.
A lot of other countries also have well developed systems to take advantage of their natural gas reserves. In South America, Argentina and Brazil have a few million CNG powered vehicles in their respective fleets - as do countries in other parts of the world, like Italy.
What I would like to know is this: if there is a cheaper, cleaner alternative to gasoline and diesel fuel, why all the dirty buses?
View Larger MapWhile I was away from Bogotá and the blog, I had the happy opportunity to hit the road and drive from Bucaramanga to Santa Marta on the Atlantic coast on Colombia's Highway 45.
Not unlike the ride from Bogotá, the going is slow, however, this time I was able to sit back and admire the scenic Colombian country side. Heading North out of Bucaramanga, I was struck at how quickly the urban landscape gave way to pure, cattle spotted countryside. The terrain immediately outside of the city is still mountainous, providing a roller-coaster like ride zipping from vista to vista of small farms nestled in the steep valleys.
After about an hour and a half, you come down out of the cordillera onto a seemingly endless plan. The altitude change is made inescapably clear by the big jump in the temperature from about 75 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
Initially, the land appeared to be mostly used for grazing cattle, however, as we proceeded further North into the department of Cesar, we entered a large oil palm plantation. I'm told there are tens of thousands of hectares of oil palm being grown in this region. Colombia is the fifth largest producer of palm oil in the world and the department of Cesar is the number two palm oil producing department in the country.
Indeed, oil palm is being touted by the government as a sustainable alternative to coca cultivation - one that could even be used to produce biofuels. However, several human rights organizations have said this economic lure has led paramilitary groups and businesses to displace and/or prevent the return of people living on potentially productive palm oil land in the Northwest section of the country (see BBC report on this issue.)
Shortly after passing through the palm plantation, I encountered another unfortunate obstacle to swift passage along the highway: el trancón or traffic jam. This particular traffic jam was caused by a group of motorcyclists who were holding up traffic as a means of protesting the recent traffic related deaths of two fellow cyclists (the police we spoke to said they were drunk at the time).
Trucks and vacationers headed to and from the coast were backed up for a dozen or more kilometers in each direction.
We were stopped for more than two hours, but luckily we had beer.
And others had hammocks.
In addition to agribusiness and moto-protests, we passed through a dozen or more small towns. Unlike the highways in the U.S. that bypass every town, Highway 45 in Colombia passes right through the middle of each town, forcing drivers to slow down with speed bumps. And at every speed bump, there is someone looking to sell you something - fried pork skin, bottled water, ice cream.
Indeed, in many of these towns the economic outlook is very bleak and the holiday traffic provides a much needed source of income. Cinder-block houses with dirt floors and thatched roofs were a common sight. A far cry from the modern shopping malls filled with luxury goods on the north side of Bogotá.
Here's the first installment of what I hope will be an ongoing collaboration with the English-speaking Colombia dweller's best friend: Colombia Reports.
Check it out.
Some human rights groups are not too happy about Bush awarding Colombian President Alvaro Uribe the United States highest civilian honor, the Medal of Freedom. Bush thinks Uribe's doin' a heckuva job fighting terrorists, that freedom hater Hugo Chavez, and those mean guys who made Bush do all that cocaine back at Yale (gratuitous Bush-bashing yes...but only eight days to go!)
Of course, to keen oberservers the integrity of the Medal of Freedom was long ago trounced upon by this administration. Look no further than fellow recipient George 'Slam Dunk' Tenet - former CIA director and key Iraq War intelligence fucker-upper.
Apologies for the slight deviation from the stated purpose of this blog...back to business.
Here's a good look at how Colombia's decentralized health care system impacts the provision of HIV/AIDS related care and treatment (thanks to Adriaan from Colombia Reports for sending this my way). Like many other places in the world, men who have sex with men and sex workers are among those at the highest risk for acquiring HIV in Colombia, however, the armed conflict shows its face in this arena too, with an increased prevalence among those who are displaced by violence.
The L.A. Times sits down with the Colombian Minister of Defense, Juan Manuel Santos, to talk about the future of Plan Colombia under an Obama administration facing a trillion dollar budget deficit.
But really, I doubt Plan Colombia is going anywhere. What's a few hundred mil awash in a trillion dollar ocean? Cynical interpretation: its a small price to pay for one of the only Latin American-related talking points the Mesopotamian-minded U.S. foreign-policy universe can churn out these days. I think a lot of U.S. pols are less worried about the dubious merits of the program than having something to talk about other than Cuba or Hugo Chavez.
Here's hoping the Obama administration will become more engaged and shake things up a bit. We'll see.
View Larger MapLike many other cities, Bogotá almost completely shuts down and empties out near the end of the calendar year. Business comes to a stand still and many people travel to spend the holidays with their families in other parts of the country. Not wanting to miss out on this experience, I was thrilled to be invited to spend a few weeks with my girlfriend's family in Bucaramanga, capital of the department of Santander, about 200 miles north of Bogotá.
Now getting from Bogotá to Bucaramanga isn't exactly like driving from Chicago to Indianapolis. Those accustomed to the high-speed effiency of the Eisnehower Interstate System of the U.S. may find the road system here a bit, shall we say, challenging. All told, it takes about 8 hours of winding your way down through the Andes to reach Bucaramanga from Bogotá. I took an overnight bus, which means trying to sleep while the hyper-aggressive operators try to take the corners like an Indycar driver. It was a surreal experience and I felt like someone who was sleep deprvied after hours of interrogation, ready to confess to anything. However, for $30 you really can't beat it.
The insanity started to melt away as the sun began to rise and I got my first look at Chicamocha Canyon, a spectacular natural wonder that must be traversed in order to reach Bucaramanga from the South. Arriving at the bottom of the canyon, you slowly start to wind your way back up towards the city - about an hour further down the road. Here is where I first noticed the big change in altitude from Bogotá as evidenced by the more lush, tropical flora. Bucaramanga is about a 1700 meter drop from the capital city - resting just below 1000 meters (about 3,100 feet in gringo reckoning).
La Ciudad Bonita (the Pretty City), Bucaramanga is home to about 600,000 people, with four adjoining municipalities bringing the total metro population to around one million residents. This makes it the seventh largest metro area in the country but about the fifth most important economically. Despite dramatic growth in the second half of the 20th century, the city maintains the laid back atmosphere of a small town with people stopping to chat with friends on the quiet streets. It was a real breath of fresh air from the chaotic Bogotáno lifestyle.
And indeed, the air is fresher. The lower alititude makes particulate matter from desiel enginges much less of an issue. What is more, the weather is simply stunning. An average temperature of 23 degrees Celsius (73 Farhenheit) with moderate humidity and plenty of sunshine in December made my visit extremely plesant. Also known as the 'City of Parks,' Bucaramanga is very walkable with a bustling commercial center full of shops and restaurants.
Just super.
