I had planned this move for over a year, and finally did a few weeks ago.

I had been living in Medellin for about 3 years in a pretty nice, but hilly, neighborhood (Castropol). So every day I had to climb down a bit to a not so pretty, but flat, neighborhood (Colombia). And then I had to do this before 5:30 am to avoid the traffic and the stray savage dogs, one of whom had bit me already, obliging me to carry mace gas and a knife on every run from that day on. Fortunately I didn’t had to use them.

A triathlete friend living in Bogotá talked to me about the Simon Bolivar park, and its 2.2 miles (3.5 km) sand track. Bogotá is your typical 3rd world chaotic unplanned city, specially offensive towards the poorer, which is the vast majority (in fact I’ve just describe the whole country). But things have been changing a little over the past few years thanks to a couple of great mayors (Mockus and Peñalosa), and public free facilities like this park are a sign of it.

So I visited the park and decided to go live next to it. Well, a 5 minutes warming-up-run away from it.

It’s a gathering place for runners and all kind of athletes (just the other day I saw a professional football team training there), it’s generally uncrowded (except on Sundays), cool weather (ranging from 59F (15C) to  77F (25C)), clean air, high altitude (8660 ft (2640 m)), flat, and my knees are already thankful for the softer surface. What else can I ask for?