Cali - Random Obversations

· Taxis are really tiny, most are either Hyundai Atos or Chevrolet Spark, neither of which is sold in the US. Think BMW Mini without the trunk. Four adult passengers can fit in a taxi, but there is no room to spare.

· Taxis fares are really cheap. A 15 km drive across town costs 10,000 Pesos or about $4

· Most taxis, a few private cars and the Mio city buses run on natural gas. The natural gas filling stations are called Gazel and a non-scientific survey indicates about 1 in 10 gas stations also have a Gazel forecourt. Gazel pumps are mostly next to Terpel gasoline stations, but sometimes next to others.

· There are Mobil, Esso, Texaco, Petrobras, Terpel and other gas stations but no Shell.

· Motor cycles are everywhere, many are inexpensive Chinese imports. All motorcyclists are required to wear a crash helmet and a red canvas wrap. Both have luminous letters on the back matching the motor cycle’s plate. In the city virtually all comply with the law and only have one or two riders, all wearing the vests. In the country it is not unusual to see families of three (and sometimes four) riding on a motor cycle, and the luminous vests are rarely seen.

· Horse drawn carts are still common in the suburbs, occasionally you see a motorcycle pulling a trailer loaded with steel or wood parts or garden equipment and plants.

· There are multiple levels of public transport.
o The newest is the Mio, with air conditioned articulated buses that travel on dedicated routes that run into and across downtown. The suburban Mio has non-articulated air conditioned buses feeding passengers onto the dedicated routes. These buses run to a timetable and are clean and well maintained. Fares are 1,200 pesos ($0.50) per trip.

o It seems like every fourth vehicle in the city is an 18-26-seater mini-bus that is not air conditioned. The buses are colored for the route they take through the city and they are cheaper to ride than the Mio. More often than not every seat is occupied and the aisle is full of standing passengers.

o Less common but still seen in the suburbs are 6-seater micro buses converted from Jeeps or regular vans. These are usually carrying at least 10 people.

· A standard tip in a restaurant is 8% of the bill. Many restaurants include service on their final bill so always ask if service is included before leaving a tip.

· Cali people (Calinoans) are gracious, polite and friendly and always ready to help with directions, suggestions or friendly advice. Few know any English, all tolerate bad Spanish.

· Private cars follow the European model in that most are small, with the occasional SUV and a very few small pick-ups. The largest car I saw on the street was one (and only one) Mercedes 350. There are no convertibles and no two-seater sports cars.

· A flash of green, or yellow or red in the suburbs is usually a bird stopping to rest on the grass or a wire. Colombia is one of the most diverse ecological areas in the world. Birds and butterflies are numerous and colorful.

· The land is bountiful. Fresh fruits are available everywhere. Pineapple, banana, papaya and mangoes have wonderful, full flavors, chontaduros, revered by many Calinoans and available at roadside stalls everywhere, tastes like lard unless it is served with honey, then it tastes like lard coated with honey.

· Living 3 degrees north of the equator is perfectly acceptable if you are 1,000 meters above sea level and the mountains provide a downdraft of air that result in warm days and cool nights year round. Few places are air conditioned; those that are, advertise the fact.

· Public toilets are few and far between, except in malls and grocery stores and facilities in restaurants tend to be rudimentary. Men are apparently not expected to have a bowel movement outside the home; none of the public restrooms I encountered had toilet seats in the cubicles.

· Temperatures are measured in degrees Celsius, distances are measured in kilometers, weights are measured in grams and kilos, natural gas is sold in cubic meters – but gasoline is sold in imperial gallons. Prices for unleaded are 7,790 pesos or about $3.12 per gallon.

· Exito is the Cali equivalent to Wal-Mart. Performance and Appearance Chemicals in Exito are Simonize or CRC; seat covers, steering wheel covers and sunshades are all from the PRC with trilingual packaging. Shell Helix had a very small shelf presence.

· The city and suburbs have a very logical road numbering system. All north-south streets are called Carrera XX and all east-west streets are called Calle XX, with XX being a number. Street intersections are signs listing both the Carrera number and the Calle number at the intersection, so it is easy to correct ones direction after getting lost.

· There are Panaderias (bakeries) everywhere. Empanadas, Arepas, fruit and roast corn are sold at many roadside stalls. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day; dinner/supper is usually a snack later in the evening.

There are seven Colombian beers brands sold in Cali. All are lager style. Aguilla has the most body and fullness, though Aguilla Light tastes like flavored water, Poker contains too much fizz and Redd's - a high powered malt liquor at almost 8% alcohol - is too sweet, Costena, Club Columbia and Pandera are all easy to drink, neither of them have a lot of body. Peroni, an Italian beer brewed in Panama City is the biggest imported brand. Heineken and Corona are also available.