Friday, November 11, 2011

Getting to know the signs of Bogotá

It's important when you are getting to know a new place to become acquainted with the meaning of street signs. Some are pretty obvious; it's red, it's octagonal, it's at an intersection...
This one probably means...
OK, you're getting the hang of it! This one apparently means that there are people walking in the trees, so look out for falling Colombians, I think. If you look closely, there's a little skateboard pencilled in under the figure, so I guess they skateboard in the trees, too, which is a little more disturbing.
No translation needed here. You're in danger of being hit by 30 careening Bogotá delivery trucks going about 60 down the hill!
And again, from El Departamento del Obvio (the Obvious Department), this one tells you that it's an area where people walk their dogs.
Now you're getting it! At some point, everyone is supposed to meet at the green dot! Duh!
This Pedestrian Crossing sign seems to imply significantly more urgency in the manner that the mother and her child should accomplish their passage than those in the U.S., which is appropriate for Bogotá!
OK, there are also places that deserve a sign, but don't have one. Like this open manhole in the smack-dab middle of the busiest pedestrian crossing (see above) that's been that way since we arrived three weeks ago. Apparently, if you turn in a manhole cover for scrap, you can be a millionaire in Colombian pesos (see online currency converters).
This next one worried us a little. There is something that is not obvious going on here, but clearly dangerous from the plethora of yellow warning tape. I dunno, maybe they've lost a little Colombian to a carnivorous plant in the park or something. As per the previous post, stuff really grows here.
OK, this one really confused me. Does this commemorate a famous crash, like maybe Simon Bolivar hit someone during the Great Conquest of 1821? No, there would have been horses involved. Well, maybe it's advertising the Bogotá Demolition Derby! No, they do soccer here. So, not knowing better, I would fasten my seat belt at this point and keep my eye out for some more signs.
Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, keep an eye out for the important signs, and we'll continue to try and figure them out down here.

Dave & Paula

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Love your commentary! Keep it coming!

Jane Haynes