The Wrong Way "hits" of 2022

@wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog, together with the videos mentioned below, here.]

As an online content creator — no sniggering — seeing what kind of material attracts more clicks than others is both interesting and puzzling.

Room for growth: The numbers don't lie. 

And no, after over eleven years of blogging, I haven't discerned any real trend — not that I've been looking intently, I just like to write and record. An addiction, of sorts.

Faecal force

Nonetheless, what becomes (relatively) hot never ceases to perplex me. For example, a rather nondescript YouTube Shorts video — a shit show, quite literally — has garnered the most views (watch it at https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IaWB8pbrTNo) on my channel in 2022.

I started experimenting with YouTube Shorts this year — one has to react to the market and people's declining attention spans. I am, though, refusing to, um, kowtow to the Chinese by getting involved in TikTok.

As for my bread and butter of blogging, it could be said that this format reached its peak over a decade ago. My conservative/stubborn nature ensures I persevere with it, probably for worse, all things considered.

'The Bavaria beer employee deserves a bigger stage to showcase his silky skills.'

What's more, commenting on and writing about current affairs is even more of a challenge. People tend to prefer and trust — go figure — the established media on such matters. A relatively unknown blogger is usually dismissed: 'Who are you to make such a statement?'

Yet, and I would say this, this blog has most likely been closer to the truth on many contentious issues than some of the mainstream media groups.

Reach for the sewer

On that front, my most-read — or most-viewed, in any case — Google Blogger story published in 2022 is Lest we forget. On El Tiempo, Gachetá if you can tops the list for this year.

In terms of YouTube audio blog videos uploaded this year, the most viewed is Making ends meet in Colombia.

On The Corrigan Cast podcast, Covid-19, anti-vaxxers & immunity: My chat with Noel D. Walsh on Shannonside Northern Sound has had the most engagement.

Coming back to YouTube Shorts, while the faecal video has got the most views, there are two others that I think deserve even more exposure.

There's Police parking par excellence in Bogotá, (the police officers are actually sitting in the jeep in this video), while my favourite is Colombia's Got Talent (and some people dismiss this as "unskilled" labour!), which you can watch at https://www.youtube.com/shorts/cGmyECU4jK4. Give that man a bigger stage to showcase such silky skills!

Indeed, isn't that what many of us are looking for, a way to get greater reach and greater returns? The (shit) show goes on! Here's to a wonderful 2023!
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Listen to Wrong Way's Colombia Cast podcast here.

Facebook: Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog & IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz".

Lending Migración Colombia a helping hand

@wwaycorrigan
[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]

Having more efficient, simpler processes is something the majority of us no doubt desire.

Migración Colombia's Bogotá office: The employees are generally friendly and efficient, once you get into the building, that is.

In the ten years plus I've been using the services of Migración Colombia, its processes have become more streamlined. When online application systems work well, they certainly can be great timesavers. When they work well, that is.

Smooth operators

For the most part, in my experience, the online systems at both La Cancillería (for visa applications) and Migración Colombia (for registering visas and getting a cédula extranjería [foreign ID card]) are straightforward and largely hassle-free. (Meeting the actual requirements is another matter, and there have been numerous changes in this regard over the last couple of years.)

Lest I be accused of suffering from the 'curse of knowledge' following years of practice with these application processes, novice applicants might initially come undone with the maximum megabyte limit for the various PDF documents required. Making use of the website I Love PDF or the like is essential.

For the visa application with La Cancillería, making sure your photo meets the right specifications can be another snag. Again, however, there are plenty of online "fixes" for this.

I have heard of people having problems with uploading documents, even when they meet all the parameters, or being unable to pass a certain online stage because the system becomes stuck. These things have never happened to me, thankfully, but I have had unfathomable, enraging experiences on other websites.

Such inexplicable occurrences convert the digital utopia into a dystopia of sorts. Spending time in Orwell's Room 101 would be more enjoyable than trying to make contact with an actual human being when facing an online conundrum.

Email omission

It wasn't quite a technological problem, however, that had me rather miffed with Migración Colombia in my latest visa registration. It was more to do with a communications blind spot.

A rather detailed email that leaves out the most important detail i.e. the next step!

After being granted a two-year M visa as an independent worker — a small bit of palanca (preferential treatment) from La Cancillería may have helped me in this (I deserved a break, it was my turn!) — the next step was to register this at Migración, a prerequisite in order to get an updated Colombian ID reflecting my new status. One has 15 working days from the issuance of the visa to do this.

The initial registration is made, unsurprisingly, online via Migración's Formula Único de Trámites (FUT), effectively a digital form for all procedures, you just select the appropriate one at the top of the page.

Once done successfully, a confirmation email is sent to the applicant containing the Código Único de Trámites (a registration number, basically) and a password to enter the system to check the progress of the application.

I emphasise the word check here because this is the case with the visa application, one which is fully online. With that, when you submit your documents and pay the study fee, it's a case of playing the waiting game for La Cancillería to reply. You can easily check your application's progress by entering the system; it tells you if it's been reviewed or not.

'I did try to explain to him that it would be quite helpful if this information was included in the confirmation email; my telepathy skills aren't what they once were.'

Thus, this can frame the mind when dealing with Migración, especially so when in the confirmation email for the online registration no other useful information is given other than the registration number and password. 

That is, it doesn't say that the applicant has to make the next move. (I showed the email to native Spanish speakers just in case I'd missed something, but no, I hadn't.)

You see, I had been expecting an additional email saying that my online application was reviewed or something to that effect.

After a couple of weeks of hearing nothing, I started to get a little anxious, bearing in mind the 15-working-day time limit.

As luck, of sorts, has it, I happen to have the email for a relatively high-up employee at Migración Colombia. So I messaged her about my concerns. She told me that I had to go to the Bogotá Migración office in person to complete the process.

While that wasn't/isn't a major inconvenience in its own right, previous experience since the pandemic has taught me that just rolling up to Migración without a prior appointment is a no-no.

And so it was. I went there and in the queue outside — there's always a queue outside — an official told me bluntly that I had to book an appointment online first.

I did try to explain to the man that it would be quite helpful if this information was included in the confirmation email; my telepathy skills aren't what they once were. He was having none of it. It would appear he suffers from the curse of knowledge — in this regard only. It's unlikely he's knowledgeable in much else.

Overcoming the oversight

Back home after that rather tetchy encounter with the official, I went to Migración's homepage. I couldn't make out where exactly I was meant to make the appointment, I just kept on being brought to the FUT page.

So, I did a Google search for 'agendar una cita Migración Colombia' ('book a Migración Colombia appointment') and the appropriate page came up.

Wrong Way's helpful suggestion has been officially registered. Will it be acted upon?

From there, booking was pretty easy. I got an appointment for the following morning. Do note, the confirmation email for this never arrived — and yes, I checked my spam folder. Luckily, I'd taken a screenshot of the appointment number. Had I failed to do so, I'm not sure how I would have got around that.

By my calculations, that morning I got into Migración to physically complete the registration was the 15th working day since my visa was issued, right on the deadline.

I informed the Migración official who registered my visa of this blind spot in their communications (she had asked why it had taken me so long to do it!).

To avoid unnecessary angst and potential heated exchanges with the Migración officials "guarding" the office entrance, all that's required is a simple line in that confirmation email: 'You now must book an appointment online via the following link in order to complete the process in person at a Migración office.' Something like that.

The Migración woman told me, amicably, to put such an observation in writing for the suggestion box. I did.

And just to give it further airing, I'm putting it here.

It might be a small thing, but it can lead to a far smoother process with fewer misunderstandings. We could all do with that in our lives.
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Listen to Wrong Way's Colombia Cast podcast here.

Facebook: Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog & IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz".

Unattended bags on buses? Not a problem in Colombia

@wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]

A bus makes a ten-minute stop at a station. Passengers are allowed to alight to stretch their legs and get a refreshment if they so wish. One of those who does get off leaves his bag on his seat. He doesn't return. Cue security chaos.

Expreso Gómez Villa: All aboard the anything-goes bus! (Photo from horariodebuses.)

Well, in most countries, especially those with a history of terrorist attacks, a security incident would indeed be declared. Bomb disposal experts would most likely be called in and a controlled explosion carried out. Or at least something to that effect. It wouldn't be a case of 'carry on regardless'.

A costly coffee

Now, I know the Colombian state signed a peace agreement with one of its biggest internal threats, the Farc, back in 2016, but it would be stretching it somewhat to say the country today is a land of tranquillity.

So, that a bus could set off or resume its journey with an unclaimed bag on it seems rather lax.

This is what happened, at my expense, on a recent trip back to Bogotá from La Palma, Cundinamarca. The operator in question, the only one that runs this route from the capital, is Expreso Gómez Villa (aka Flota Rionegro). The temporary stop was in the town of Pacho.

The exact details are as follows:

The bus driver told me that we would be stopping for at least ten minutes. As Pacho was the final destination for some passengers on board and others were just getting on there, I left my bag on my seat to show it was taken. (This was a ticket-less journey for me, I'd simply paid the driver's assistant in cash when I got on in La Palma, a normal practice for such pick-up places. With that, there were no assigned seats as you tend to get on longer journeys.)

Knowing Pacho, right outside the terminal there's a panadería that actually makes — wait for it — fairly decent coffee! So I headed there, relaxed in the knowledge that ten minutes was more than enough time to get my brew (and also guesstimating, based on previous experiences at this very place, that it would most likely be a longer stop.)

'I didn't exactly blend in with the other, largely ruana-wearing, wrinkly-faced, dark-haired passengers.'

Returning to the terminal about eight minutes later — certainly no more than ten in any case — I got back on my bus. Only, as I quickly realised due to the lack of passengers and a puzzled-looking driver, it wasn't my bus. No. The one I'd arrived on had already left, so Conductor Gordo (think The Fat Controller from Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends), the driver of the bus I was now standing on in shock, informed me.

'What?! But I was gone for no more than ten minutes! My bag's on the other bus!'

Nonchalantly, Conductor Gordo reached for his mobile phone, called the driver of my bus and told him that he'd left a passenger behind.

He then whistled to a taxi driver and asked him to bring me to the now waiting bus a few kilometres outside Pacho, no more than a five-minute drive.

A blast of a time

Being left behind was one thing, but what added to my ire was that I had to pay the taxi driver 6,000 pesos — he was actually looking for 10,000 but we settled on six. That 6,000 pesos was one-fifth of the La Palma-Bogotá fare in total. I was less than pleased, to say the least.

Moreover, when I got on my bus, the driver and his assistant were like, 'Oh yeah, that's the guy.' So it seemed that they at least had an inkling that they'd left somebody behind.

And why shouldn't they have?! I was the only foreigner — gringo, if you dare — on the bus. What's more, I was wearing a luminous green Irish cricket top. Thus, I didn't exactly blend in with the other, largely ruana-wearing, wrinkly-faced, dark-haired passengers.

Of course, as is my wont, I did file a complaint with the company. With no actual ticket, I took a sneaky photo of the bus driver's assistant as well as the number plate. Unsurprisingly, I've got nowhere with that, "even" after elevating it to the government body responsible for transport regulation, Supertransporte.

It's true, I wasn't expecting to get any sort of positive result from my formal complaint. I did it out of principle more than anything else. And considering the convoluted process — I've seen this flick before — it didn't help to put my mind at ease.

My own frustrations aside, this episode doesn't fill one with much confidence in Colombia's ability to have the most basic of counter-terrorism measures in place, on buses in any case.

In mitigation, I am but an unthreatening foreigner. The Gómez Villa employees obviously knew that.
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Listen to Wrong Way's Colombia Cast podcast here.

Facebook: Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog & IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz".

The Hypocrite World Cup: Everyone's a winner

@wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]

'Before you criticise somebody, walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you do criticise them, you'll be a mile away and you'll have their shoes.'

'We're all part of the same hypocrisy, but let's keep up the charade.' (Image from Behaviorist.)

Faultfinders

Yeah, it's an old one but many of today's holier-than-thou types could do with hearing it. Not that it would lead to any self-reflection, never mind a change in their ways. Such people, mostly found in the comfortable, influential classes of high-income nations, are quite convinced of their righteousness.

Rather than 'walk in one's shoes', what they often do is irately pursue — at a safe distance — those they criticise, making their targets' lives as difficult as possible whilst enjoying pleasures they wish to deny others.

Philanthropy is, however, at the heart of all this. Others simply don't know and are incapable of knowing what's good for them. So it's these superhumans to the rescue. We are forever in their debt.

Most of these say-rather-than-do-gooders are, as you may have guessed, nothing more than hypocrites. They publicly proclaim to be virtuous yet their private actions and way of life generally betray this. What they do have on their side, though, as a buffer to the many contradictions, are influence and power.

'Chinese suppression of protesters: an outrage. Canadian quashing of protesters: it's for the good of national security.'

When they defend freedom and liberty, it's on their terms only. Should they call for greater social control — vide pandemic lockdowns — it's for everyone else, not them.

They are experts at seeing the faults and flaws in foreign lands but are generally blind to them closer to home. See, for example, the likes of Jacinda Ardern and Justin Trudeau. 'Chinese suppression of protesters: an outrage. Canadian quashing of protesters: it's for the good of national security.'

Corrigible

So while Fifa President Gianni Infantino came in for much criticism and ridicule when he spoke about the double standards of many in the "democratic" West on the eve of the Qatar World Cup, he wasn't far wrong.

Getting lectures from Fifa on morals may seem a bit of a wild shot, so to put it, but the association is well-steeped in immorality, so it does have, in a way, detailed knowledge of the subject area.

Now, this isn't to say that we should all just ignore evil acts and immoral practices. No. It's a case of at least acknowledging our own knowledge gaps and shortcomings in the first instance. Finding the right tone is also important when speaking out.

It's very difficult to listen to, let alone actually act on, the words of those who try to come across as incorruptible, know-it-alls. The only incorruptible, faultless humans are those yet to be born.

So whether it be action on climate change, tackling a global pandemic, the Brexit fallout, Petro versus Uribe, left versus right — what have you — be wary of those pontificating that their way is the right way.

Popular support for somebody or something doesn't automatically confer infallibility. Safety in numbers and the madness — and badness — of crowds are but two sides of the same coin. Today's unquestionable truth is tomorrow's big lie.

Thus, we should all aim to be a little more corrigible (cautiously and questioningly, that is) and less incorrigible, if I do say so myself. In doing so, we might just find the other's shoes are a nice fit.
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Listen to Wrong Way's Colombia Cast podcast here.

Facebook: Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog & IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz".

IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz", edition LIX: Give it a go!

@wwaycorrigan

Our latest IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz", edition LIX (59, in case Roman numerals aren't your thing!) is now available to play at your own leisure on YouTube. Check it out at https://youtu.be/ik53imrAocg. 

IQuiz LIX.

The live event took place on 01 December, important to note for the on-this-day questions. By the way, the winning team on the night, the appropriately named We Drink, Therefore We Are, got an impressive 43 points out of the 50 available. Well done, guys!

Give it a go and let us know how you get on!

__________________________________________________________
Listen to Wrong Way's Colombia Cast podcast here.

Facebook: Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog & IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz".

The digital dystopia

@wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]

For some people, the move to a totally digital, online world is a delightful development. 

Procedures that once required us to physically go somewhere can now be done via the swipe of a screen or the touch of a button with next to no exertion needed.

Opting out of the digital world is next to impossible.

Such advancements are presented to us as timesavers that allow for greater efficiency with what were heretofore tedious tasks.

A con-venience

In the world of banking and bill-paying, this is certainly the case. Many transactions can now be done via a computer or smartphone, so no more hours are lost waiting in a queue. And I'm all on for reducing the number of queues I have to stand in.

The same goes for shopping, although I do prefer to go out and make in-person purchases, especially for clothing and groceries.

There are, though, downsides to such digital delights.

For starters, there's troubleshooting. When there's a problem, getting to communicate with an actual human being can be quite the task.

Indeed, with some businesses and institutions, it's almost as if they don't want you to be able to make contact with a living person. This is — surprise, surprise — particularly so when it comes to making a complaint: A policy of, 'frustrate the complainant to the point where he/she will just give up'.

The social media giants are masters at this. Perhaps this is because many employees in Silicon Valley — and its offshoots — aren't really social beings and thus are unable to properly engage with people.

'A person can be logged out of the system just as easily as he/she logged in. From social credit to socially discredited.'

In any case, we're not usually talking about life-or-death concerns when it comes to social media. In other areas, such as healthcare and security, the ability to talk to a living person in real time is usually more critical when problems arise.

Controlled

There's also the rather important matter of simply being able to function in today's society. Those who fully embrace the digital drive often portray it as a way 'to be in greater control of our lives'. This might be so for the likes of Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg — the elite who have access to the controls — but for us mere plebs, not quite.

So while smartphone apps and electronic payments may have made regular banking a breeze and resulted in fewer fees, there are other prices to pay. 

Just how in control can one be of one's finances when somebody else is virtually holding the purse strings?

There have been a number of alarming instances in the not-very-free free world where citizens have had access to their accounts frozen for the crime of dissenting against the government of the day (see, for example, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/22/world/americas/canada-protest-finances.html, as well as the case of English journalist Graham Phillips, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-62308528 & https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-11065067/PETER-HITCHENS-Freedom-means-freedom-nasty-people.html). 

How wonderfully democratic and liberal, eh?

Fair enough, denying people access to their bank accounts predates today's digital age. 

However, in the past, payment in cash for pretty much anything was still an option. In contrast, in most high-income nations today, it has become extremely difficult to pay with notes and coins (this isn't quite the case yet in Colombia, thankfully).

In such an environment, a person can be logged out of the system just as easily as he/she logged in. From social credit to socially discredited.

There are those who see little wrong with this. The argument is that law-abiding citizens have nothing to worry about. The "democratic" West's checks and balances are a bulwark against injustices.

That's great in theory. Yet, as mentioned above regarding the freezing of bank accounts of people who have not been convicted of a crime and as seen with the actions taken against those who refused, with solid arguments, to take covid-19 vaccines, the empirical evidence is far from reassuring.

Yes, there are few things in this world over which we have complete control. However, the digitalisation of many aspects of our daily lives is moving us to a position where we'll have no real control over hardly anything.

With each new technological convenience managed by largely invisible, unaccountable actors, we have a further dissolution of what's left of an individual's independence. 

Welcome to the digital dystopia.
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Listen to Wrong Way's Colombia Cast podcast here.

Facebook: Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog & IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz".

A somewhat pleasant surprise ...

@wwaycorrigan

Well, this visa approval (see photos below) was somewhat unexpected considering I couldn't get a similar type two years ago, i.e. an M visa as an independent professional (see https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2020/09/colombias-independent-work-visa-vale-la.html), and had to make do with a "weaker" V visa up to now. 

Following changes by La Cancillería this year, that V visa I was granted 12 months ago no longer exists. So I had no real other option but to apply for this M one.

Clearly, President Petro's administration is a progressive one — progressive in a positive way that is, of course!

The ability to maintain as much individual independence as possible is important in a world that tends to work against such types.

And it comes exactly 11 years after my return to Colombia. At the time, it was no more than a case of 'let's give Colombia a lash', in terms of living there for a while. Here I still am!

Approved.

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Listen to Wrong Way's Colombia Cast podcast here.

Facebook: Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog & IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz".

My blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance in La Reina del Sur III!

@wwaycorrigan

Goodness! For all the effort and, um, thespian talent I brought to these scenes from La Reina del Sur series three (episode two), surely I deserved a little more screen time!

For the record (in case you missed it in the video above), in the only lines I have, I'm the DEA agent who hands the instruction manual for the inflatable boat to my superior (the actor Ed Trucco) at the end of the clip.

Clearly, I need a bigger platform! Dark forces are trying to hold me back!

*I did get a bit more exposure in the following, from a few years back, https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2021/09/blast-from-past-making-scene-in-sin.html.

**For more on La Reina del Sur, see https://www.telemundo.com/shows/la-reina-del-sur.

Wrong Way Corrigan to the rescue!

My one line, cooly delivered!

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Listen to Wrong Way's Colombia Cast podcast here.

Facebook: Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog & IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz".

The just-how-it-is society

@wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]

'I'm sorry, but we can't accept that photocopy of your ID.'
'Eh, why not? It's legible, isn't it?'
'Oh, it is, it's just it has to be enlarged to 150 per cent of its actual size.'
'But why?'
'Those are the rules, Sir. It's just the way it is.'

'Don't ask questions, just follow the "rules".'

Anyone who has ever had to do official business in Colombia over the years will relate to the above. There's this fastidiousness, or at least there had been, about having photocopies of documents set to a specific size.

No doubt there was some valid reason for this when it was first introduced but few — if anybody — appear to know what that reason is now. Yet, I believe, it's still a requirement in some places.

A price for pay

Such occurrences are far from unique to these parts. Across the world, there are procedures that must be followed yet when one asks why this or that is the case, hardly anyone knows the reason. Basically, they've become customary and nobody bothers to question them.

Government bodies tend to be the worst culprits (the following satirical video gives a good idea of this, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYcZc62Gf6w) but it happens elsewhere, too.

The one that always bemuses me is the need to supply paymasters with a certificate issued by my bank stating that the account exists and is genuine. Why on earth would I not give details of an active, "real" account when I want to receive money owed to me for services rendered?

I've heard it said that this is to prove that I am the account holder. OK, but what business is it of those paying me where the money goes, particularly when we're talking about private individuals? Maybe, on the odd occasion, I'd like the money sent to one of my barrio buddies (at least that way there'd be a paper record of these frequent loans I give).

'Whatever we're doing or following may indeed be broken or causing harm and we don't realise it.'

I've also been told that this payment protocol is done to cut out money laundering. I'm not sure how it manages to do that exactly.

Mentioning payments, there is a tendency in the largely toxic TV and film industry here to pay contractors a minimum of 90 days after work has been done. Again, when you ask why this is, you get the standard retort: 'It's just how it is.'

What would happen if I took the same line with paying my bills? Well, I've actually a very good idea of what the consequences are — see my previous post, Grupo Vanti's vanity: 'The customer is rarely right', for more on that.

We are, though, creatures of habit and routine. And if everything seems to be just fine, we'll stick to it: The if-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it approach. The problem is, whatever we're doing or following may indeed be broken or causing harm and we don't realise it.

Fishy feeling

Take people's approach to eating. We've been conditioned, particularly since the Industrial Revolution, into believing that we must eat at least three substantial meals in a 12-hour period or so. With the sedentary lifestyles many lead these days, they'd most likely get by on just one decent dish a day, if that's even needed.

We do, of course, face many challenges in rethinking our consumption habits. There's a whole industry with lots of money, power and influence that wants us to eat, drink and be merry all the time. Then there's an associated industry ready to ease the pain on our overfed bodies with even more addictive goodies.

What all this should lead to is plenty of food for thought. Alas, when it comes to critically thinking about what we're doing, what we're being asked to do and why we're doing it, many, literally, don't give these considerations a second's thought.

I'm reminded of a story of a family who used to cut raw, whole fish in a very particular, time-consuming way before frying it in the pan. Eventually, somebody questioned the practice. It was found that it started simply because a great-grandmother only had one very small pan to cook with, so she had to cut the fish the way she did.

This made perfect sense at the time and in the circumstances — in fact, it was necessary — but the reason for its continuance had long since passed.

So it can often pay off to rediscover that unceasing child inquisitiveness, to regularly ask 'Why?'. With that, we might find that there's little substance or sense behind much of what we're being asked to do.
__________________________________________________________
Listen to Wrong Way's Colombia Cast podcast here.

Facebook: Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog & IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz".

The calm of La Palma (when music's not blaring, that is!)

@wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]

It's not exactly a case of hit-and-miss for me when it comes to visiting random Colombian pueblos. 

When an escape from Bogotá's badness and madness is needed, pretty much any town will suffice. It is the getting away that matters more so; the destination is largely of secondary importance.

Pretty La Palma: An impressive setting but it has lots of competition in this regard.

Some towns, though, naturally enough, have more going for them than others. Of course, that 'going for them' is subjective. My likes are another's dislikes (and it seems, shockingly enough, that my likes are far from universally shared).

The long and winding road

Regardless of a visitor's preferences, however, La Palma, in the north-west of Colombia's Cundinamarca department, is unlikely to get top marks in any category.

Yes, its setting is impressive. But the same can be said for pretty much any Andean town. Ditto for its friendly-but-not-overbearingly-so locals.

That it's not quite a popular tourist spot is, as far as I'm concerned, more a positive than a negative. Yet, with that, there's the what's-there-to-do question. OK, I like wandering around hilly terrain, but La Palma has plenty of better-organised competition in this regard.

The journey getting there does see one pass through some rather spectacular Andean scenery as the way winds alongside the fast-flowing Río Negro at various intervals.

However, after Pacho, large tracts of the road resemble conditions akin to what the Spanish must have had to deal with when on their initial rampage in these parts. 

In contrast, for example, on the equally aesthetically pleasing and winding route to San Luis de Gaceno, 26 kilometres further away from Bogotá than La Palma (in another direction that is), the road is more 20th century than 15th century.

The result is that having safely arrived in La Palma, one really needs at least 48 hours there before facing into the return journey. Perhaps the locals want it that way.

'Years ago, it probably was a no-go area for visitors but, like many places in Colombia, today it seems safe.'

Tucked away at an altitude of just under 1,500 metres above sea level and surrounded by many forested hills, the town's mid-20s (degrees Celsius) temperature average is more than agreeable. It makes the thunderous downpours of this time of year more tolerable compared to a chillier, duller Bogotá.

As is the case with many similar-sized towns in Colombia, there are various hotel options. I threw in my lot with Hotel Ruby, just off the main square. 

While there are "fancier" options, when one just needs a comfortable bed with toilet facilities in a relatively clean environment and, of course, steady Wi-Fi, Ruby does the job. At 20,000 pesos per night, it's also far from extortionate.

A day rambling the usually quiet roads around La Palma.

However, what is a little — just a little — more expensive in La Palma compared to my basic Bogotá barrio is socialising. This is because this side of Cundinamarca — it's the same in nearby El Peñón — is averse to 750 ml/litre bottles of beer.

Thus, one gets less pop for one's peso, so to put it i.e. 2,500 pesos for 330 ml of Poker in La Palma versus 4,000 pesos for a litre in my Bogotá local. It does encourage one to drink less all the same, so it has its plus side.

Also lacking, considering the town's size — easily twice as big as San Luis de Gaceno and a good bit bigger than El Peñón — are a few standard, traditional tiendas. 

By traditional, I refer to what some may consider tacky. This is "tacky" in terms of tables and chairs anyway — those Aguila- or Poker-labelled plastic ones supplied by Colombia's beer beast, Bavaria.

Something in the air

Balancing out this beer bleakness, it has the odd establishment that actually offers decent coffee. This is quite the positive in light of the fact that in many non-touristy Colombian towns getting an unsweetened, strong brew is practically impossible.

One, somewhat strange commonality La Palma has with other places at a similar altitude is that it occasionally has a certain whiff in the air. It reminds me of a globally popular Colombian product, beginning with the letter 'c'. No, not coffee, the other one.

I must add, I did not see it nor did I get any hint that the locals consume it. I'm solely referring to that distinct, petrol-like smell of the substance in its refined form. And I don't think it was simply petrol that I smelt.

Now, my Bogotá friends did tell me that La Palma was 'caliente', 'hot'. They weren't, though, referring to the weather. By this 'caliente' they meant it was a conflict zone. I got no real hint of that. 

Years ago, it probably was a no-go area for visitors but, like many places in the country, today it seems safe. One is unlikely to find trouble unless one looks for it.

My biggest bugbear was the loud music blaring out of a couple of bars on the main square well into the early hours on my first night there, a Friday. The thin walls and open-court layout of Hotel Ruby offer scant sound insulation.

This particular racket might have been for a special occasion, as it wasn't as much of an issue on the subsequent nights. And going by the overall vibe, I'm sure things are rather tranquil midweek.

I won't, however, be in any mad rush back to see if that is actually the case. This isn't to say that I didn't like my stay there. On the contrary, I enjoyed it.

It's just that, from Bogotá, there are easier country towns to get to. It's far from a rule that the more taxing the journey is in inverse proportion to the quality of the destination.
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Letter to the editor: China in our hands

@wwaycorrigan

Below is a screenshot of a letter I sent to the Irish Examiner, published in the paper edition of 28 October 2022. You can find it online at https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/yourview/arid-40993280.html.

The Chinese way. 

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Everlasting love?

@wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]

'What is love?' Those of a certain vintage may instantly think of the 1993 pop hit from Haddaway on hearing that question. It does, though, go back a little further. It has troubled the minds of our greatest thinkers through the ages.

Does true, long-lasting love really exist?

Lovemaking and breaking

Some believe in soulmates, that there is a matching partner "out there" for each one of us, and in finding that match we'll discover true love. 

The more scientifically-minded amongst us are somewhat sceptical of such a view. If we all do have a soulmate, going by the number of broken or very troubled relationships, it would appear most have failed to find the one.

Fair enough, it's not the case that a soulmate relationship must be free from conflict and hardship. Now that would be truly delving into the realms of fantasy.

No, the thinking is more along the lines of 'love conquers all'. That is to say, when problems arise, genuine soulmates have a deep desire to sort them out. If this is clearly lacking, it's probably best to move on.

When it comes to sexual relationships, discovering — or at least believing — that a mistake has been made after children have been brought into being complicates things quite a bit. Moving on isn't that straightforward. Or at least it shouldn't be if the welfare of the innocent children is sufficiently considered. This welfare is particularly important when we're talking about pre-adolescent children.

'The concept of true love and soulmates seems far-fetched.'

There's no simple solution to such a situation. It could be that one is in a bad place mentally, has been pushed to the limit by the "other half" and simply can't stand being in her company. Yet, just walking away from it all is one of the last options for the caring parent.

In most cases, but not all, it's the man — assuming he has been and wants to remain a reliable father — who more acutely faces the leave dilemma. This is in the sense that the care of the children will largely be left to the mother. The man risks becoming something of an enforced-by-law fleeting father.

Whatever the circumstances and fallout, there is a school of thought that blames today's more promiscuous society and an associated toxic individualism for the "destruction" of the traditional family unit.

At the first sign of relationship difficulties, many look for the exit door rather than search for a fix. This is made easier in places where separation and divorce are not the taboos they once were. 

That we're more interconnected than ever before could also be seen as a factor. Attractive alternatives, if only superficially, are never far away.

In such an environment, the concept of true love and soulmates seems far-fetched.

Easy come, easy go

This brings us to the idea that love, of the everlasting kind that is, isn't something that comes naturally. It's a changeable of-the-moment emotion. We can fall out of love in the same way as we fall in love — granted the former is often harder to do, with jealousy and self-pity playing significant parts.

This isn't just in the romantic sphere. It can be seen in both family and platonic relationships. (I write as someone who has never really experienced deep love in the romantic sense. Most affairs of the past have been merely lustful, with little desire to build them into anything more meaningful.)

Thus, any kind of relationship requires regular maintenance. There'll inevitably be some give and take. 

At its heart, though, are honesty and trust. Without those, it's either doomed to fail or will be beset with continuous problems. Indeed, it would be better for all concerned if it were the former.

So, what is love? When it comes to romantic relationships specifically, I'm not exactly an authority on the matter.

Nonetheless, what I can proffer — and like most things in life — is that it is something that requires care and attention. It might appear to come rather easily but it's sure to go even more easily without giving it the devotion it deserves.

Alas, on this front, we are often more aware of the shortcomings of others than our own.
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The bellicose side to biking in Bogotá, worsened by the snooty "e-scooterers"

@wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]

Having gone from a very casual cyclist in Bogotá to a more regular one over the last few months, I've become acquainted with the rush-hour hustle, in a part-time capacity in any case.

Bogotá's cycle paths, like many things in Colombia, are something of a free-for-all.

The various infrastructural issues with stretches of the capital's ever-expanding cycle lanes notwithstanding — something I elaborated on in Bogotá's biking blues — it can be assumed that cycling in the city today is safer than it was a decade or so ago.

One reason for this is the very fact that there are more push-bike exclusive-ish paths, thus reducing interactions with the murderous motorised machines. That's the idea/hope anyway.

A vicious cycle

Yet, the aggressive, devil-may-care driving displayed by those who get behind the wheel of a car has its biking equivalent. This is to be expected in a country where the thinking of many seems to be along the lines of, 'Whatever rules may apply, these are for others to obey, not me.'

A substantial number of cyclists — and e-scooter users (can we call them e-scooterers?! I do have other terms for these particular menaces that I shan't repeat here) — must believe that traffic lights are nothing more than luminous displays. If they notice their existence at all, that is.

It may indeed be the latter because they certainly don't seem to notice the existence of other cycle-lane users. 

Heaven forbid one might have to wait behind a long line of bikes at a busy junction. 'I'm in a rush to get to work, another place where I get to demonstrate my lack of care and attention.' Quite.

Now, I must say, I'm not totally against proceeding at a red light when it's clearly safe to do so and one is at the top of the queue. It's those who barge their way forward from way back who truly annoy me. 

To add insult to injury, I've often found myself having to overtake such barging bikers shortly after their junction jumping. I'd be less angry if they were speedsters. But many aren't.

With such selfish behaviour commonplace, one is often compelled to follow suit. The road is long and uncaring for the rule-obeying cyclist, just as it is for the law-abiding citizen in general in many parts of the world. 

Thus, what should be a healthy, refreshing morning commute turns into a stress-filled battle of wits.

'Many e-scooterers use their high-speed, not-as-green-as-they-think-they-are contraptions as if they're auditioning to be the next James Bond.'

For the record, when one cycles at off-peak times — which I do on the return from my Parque 93 classes — it is usually a more relaxed affair. 

Having said that, my spin to work, which takes me southwards from Calle 170 along Avenida Novena, is seen as one of the more "civilised" routes. Deeper south, things are said to be even more chaotic (I have experienced this side on the odd occasion but I can't comment with any authority).

This careless conduct isn't going to change overnight. Indeed, it won't change at all if there's no genuine attempt to do so.

It's not a hopeless situation, though. The Sunday/public holiday ciclovía, an initiative where many of Bogotá's main thoroughfares are closed off to vehicular traffic from 7 am to 2 pm for the exclusive use of pedestrians and cyclists, offers some clues to a better way.

On such days, city authorities deploy personnel to "police" busy junctions. When traffic lights are red, they'll often pull a rope across the road to hold pedestrians, cyclists, rollerbladers and what have you in place. 

From my limited observations of the practice, it seems to work. (I'm not a major fan of travelling on ciclovía routes. As a mild misanthrope, I find the many bodies about quite irritating.)

OK, having such personnel in place at weekday rush hours, when commuters are generally less jovial, is another matter. But hey, there is a police force here for such tasks. 

Then again, there are many things here that police should be policing but not only do they not police them, they often commit the offences themselves.

Another positive of ciclovía is its one-way system. Granted space is at a premium in the city, but introducing more one-way cycle lanes where possible could help to reduce commuter tensions.

Upsetting the Bond market

While the previous suggestion has merit in its own right, I think it carries even more weight in light of the recent invasion of the cycle ways by those aforementioned menaces, the e-scooterers.

Not all e-scooter users are evil, but ...

Seeing as how many of these types appear to use their high-speed, not-as-green-as-they-think-they-are contraptions as if they're auditioning to be the next James Bond, my preference is to ban them altogether. (There are similar calls across the world.)

With such an outright ban unlikely, they should at least be prohibited on cycle lanes and footpaths. Basically, battle it out with other battery-containing/powered modes of transport, wannabe 007s.

Cycle lanes and footpaths, separately (or as close to separately as possible), should be reserved exclusively for those burning their own energy to get around, save for people with genuine mobility problems. So yes, motorised-bike or electric-moped users should also stay off the cycle lanes.

As pointed out, we old-fashioned pedallers have enough with which to concern ourselves without having to compete with these lazy new-age commuters.

So while I'll be happy to return to my preferred walking ways when my teaching work finishes shortly, I'd still like to give the snooty e-scooterers the boot.
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Grupo Vanti's vanity: 'The customer is rarely right'

@wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]

For some business people, the customer-is-always-right mantra is seen as a golden rule.

It makes sense on numerous levels. For many if not most businesses, the goal is not only to keep current customers onside but there's also the interminable task of trying to get more. So showing care and understanding towards clients can, quite literally, pay off.

Who needs thieves when you've got Vanti? (Vanti image from Twitter.)

Cool customer

Of course, in business as in life, nobody is right all of the time. In fact, in many scenarios, it's often the case that it's not one particular player that carries all the blame while others are fully correct or wholly innocent.

The danger with the customer-is-always-right approach is that it can leave the door open for uncalled-for, unfair, misplaced abuse. The aggrieved party should be aware that his/her ire may be directed at the wrong target. Thus, when dealing with a perceived injustice, it's best to try to keep one's emotions in check. Play it as cool as possible.

There is, though, a delicate balance to be struck. 

Whatever a person's role in a problem — the offender, the offended or somewhere in between — if one allows others to dominate completely, there's a risk that the more submissive actor will come to be seen as a soft touch. And some characters are particularly skilled at manipulating soft touches.

'During that time I had an angry exchange with the Vanti employee. Talk about misdirecting one's rage.'

All the previous were at play in a recent incident I got caught up in with Bogotá's network gas provider, Grupo Vanti.

Gaslighting

In my current room rental, I pay an all-inclusive rent. The largely absentee landlady takes care of all the service bills.

Since taking the room in February, I had never once been asked by the landlady to check if an invoice had arrived (all mail is received and held by the security staff at the apartment complex reception i.e. it's not delivered to individual apartments).

I hadn't been asked, that is. A few weeks back the landlady did ask me to check for the gas bill. That very day, which was a Monday, I inquired about it at reception. The security guards told me there was no correspondence whatsoever for my apartment. I asked them to let me know if and when anything arrives. I also informed the landlady of this.

Fast forward to the Thursday morning of that week when I get a call from security telling me that a workman from the gas company is on site to disconnect the gas. 'Eh, what?'

I was rather livid. As I frantically contacted the landlady and communicated with the security guards at reception it was "discovered" the gas bill had indeed arrived a few days earlier.

Within minutes the landlady paid the bill plus a reconnection fee, effectively a late-payment penalty. During that time — very much not in control of my emotions — I had an angry exchange with the Vanti employee. Talk about misdirecting one's rage.

So while subsequently discovering that this employee should have reconnected the gas that day, he had taken the hump due to my reaction and refused to carry out company orders.

The next day, Friday, I contacted Vanti and after a long-winded WhatsApp and Twitter exchange, I was told the gas would be reconnected by close of business. It wasn't.

'I did as I had threatened. I turned the gas back on.'

So on the Saturday morning, I went through all the same long-winded message procedures, repeating myself umpteen times, to be again told that the problem would be resolved that day. 

This time, however, I warned Vanti that if the gas wasn't reconnected I would do it myself (it wasn't an overly complicated procedure).

Surprise, surprise, it wasn't reconnected that Saturday. So I did as I said I would. I turned it back on.

The very next Monday I got a call from Vanti asking me about the current situation. I told the caller that I now had gas again but this was no thanks to them.

With the case still open after I'd formally expressed my dissatisfaction at the company's response via a form from the relevant state regulator, later that week I received another call from Vanti. I was told that my complaint and claim had been 'elevated' to another area — I was, for the record, looking for compensation for the days without gas and for having to actually reconnect it myself.

A few days later I got an email from Vanti which effectively said the company had no case to answer: 'Be about your business and stop pestering us, please.'

Like all the previous responses, information was given on how the complainant could continue with the case.

Yet, with the feeling that it was becoming more hassle than it was worth — no doubt this is the aim of all companies that use such a strategy — coupled with the headache-inducing legal Spanish, I decided not to pursue it further. Well, this blog story aside.

The Que Pena Republic

Viewing this whole episode in light of the delicate balances at play in such conflicts, it's good practice to try to see, impartially, where the greatest blame lies.

Obviously, being directly involved, it's difficult for me to be impartial. But I shall try.

First of all, the landlady is responsible for paying the gas bill. It was her failure to do so that started the whole problem. 

Not unsurprisingly in these parts, she has refused to accept responsibility, saying that Vanti didn't send the bill in time and thus she wasn't to know.

'It was a Colombian solution to a problem. After a host of wrongs, a right of sorts was stumbled upon.'

However, her asking me about the bill's whereabouts shows at the very least that she knew it had to be paid around that time. And she would have known the consequences of late payment. She surely could have taken preventative action. In theory, anyway. The practice in Colombia is often quite different from what one might expect.

The landlady's culpability accepted, my verbally aggressive behaviour towards the Vanti workman certainly didn't help matters. Had I not got angry at him, the gas may have been reconnected that same day it was cut off. We'll never know.

So now we come to Vanti's culpability and responsibility. The company simply failed to do what it said it would do i.e. reconnect the gas by close of business the same day it received notification of the problem. It failed on this two days in succession.

What's more, the fact that Vanti didn't seem to be too alarmed that it was me who turned the gas back on and not one of its qualified employees seems irresponsible to say the least. This is particularly so considering the highly dangerous nature of the service in question.

In many ways, it was a Colombian solution to a problem. After a host of wrongs, a right of sorts was stumbled upon.

What still bugs me, though, is that the greatest losses in all this were on my side. I was the one who was left without gas, unable to cook food for 48 hours. I also had the headache of directly dealing with the issue, the time and energy spent in contacting the company, having to repeat the case details various times.

OK, the landlady had to pay the reconnection fee but that's the price for her failures mentioned above.

As for Vanti. Well, the rich just get richer. It's at a net benefit in this whole affair.

In Colombia, not taking responsibility is a trait to be condoned, not condemned. It does seem to pay off.
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