Eric and Kip are practicing what to do in case a FARC bandit somes into the restaurant wielding a machete.
The news about Colombia is always bad. I don't know why that is - in Europe they present a more balanced view of Colombian news and I always see whole Swiss families walking around the Candelaria where our house is, as well as German, Italian and French tourists. But never tourists from the USA!
Rather than rely on US news, we relied on locals for consulting on the safety on this or that activity. The violence and rebel activity in Colombia is way out in the jungle and mountain regions while Bogotá is about as safe as any other large international city (which is to say not so safe if you are in certain wrong places at the wrong time!) We live in the center of town four blocks from the Presidential palace and the Congress - a zone of good police coverage. That same proximity to government resulted in my meeting several Senators as well as Colonel Alvaro Cepeda, head of the National Police. After showing me around the Congress building for two hours one day, he gave me his personal cell phone number (which felt good to have on me!) and despite being busy getting ready for Clinton's visit Col. Cepeda came to a party given by my German friend, Tomas Grunding a gem trader from Munich. Linda and I had a babysitter on duty and went out to Tomas' party till 11:30!!! Telling jokes with grownups and everything. What a vacation!