My bicycle was stolen in downtown Bogota today.
I went to People Training gym at Calle 19 with Septima. I locked my bicycle to the same bicycle parking station I always use. I used the cable lock that I’ve had since starting to ride bikes in Bogota in mid 2009.
I went upstairs and did my training. Just before finishing it started raining. I decided to order a protein shake at the juice bar and wait for the rain to stop. I’d never had a protein shake at this place.
Before becoming my protein shake, these ingredients were put in the blender:
- 1 generous cup of cold pasta
- 3 heaping tablespoons of white sugar
- 1 banana
- 1 modest scoop of vanilla protein powder
- 6 oz water
It tasted like sugar with a hint of banana.
(Read Weightlifting in Latin America.)
It stopped raining soon after my protein shake. I went outside and saw my bicycle was gone. I looked east up 19, then ran to the corner looking in each direction, as if the thief had just left. Nothing.
I took the bus home.
19 and Septima is a busy intersection. There are usually other bikes locked at the same station I use. But sometimes you get bad luck. Your bike was there the moment the little thief bastard was passing with his hedge clippers or whatever he used. Nobody would’ve noticed if he did it quickly and discretely.
I take solace in having gone as long as I have without getting a bike stolen until now. It’s common in Bogota. I’ll buy another tomorrow.
Expat Chronicles 
When I lived in NYC, you saw something similar. The first bike someone bought looked awesome. The second bike they got was as close to a piece of shit as you could bare being seen on.
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The bike bs is a shame – but no surprise. SA is filled with scumbag thieves, and much, much worse. No news there. The protein shake was, however, horrific. I can deal with petty theft and street crime – call it the price of living in the dumpster that most of SA is – but that excuse for a “protein shake” is an abomination. Sadly, its fits perfectly with the dismal, obscenely priced gym culture that is the norm. The gyms in Buenos Aires were filled with pussies wearing gloves and chatting with their pals while others wait to use the stations. Body Tech and the like in Colombia are no better. Brazil has a better gym culture, but you better have cash to burn for membership.
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When I was a kid my bike got stolen. Not sure what to do I went and told the kingpin of the neighborhood. He told me to hop in his ride and drove me right to the guy who stole my bike. Chucky, the kingpin, had a few choice words and next thing you know my bike was in the back of his ride and I was on my way home.
Needless to say I had to avoid the guy who stole my bike for many years to come. He wanted to get me. And the last time I saw Chucky he was violently drunk and wanted to kick my ass for no apparent reason. Stupid fuckin’ bike.
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Ug. Can’t imagine who even came up with that recipe/concoction. Disgusting. Sorry about the bike.
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What kind of lock was it? Will the u-lock suffice out there, albeit anything is succeptible to theft but the U is some heavy duty thick metal?
WHAT ever happend with Caliente Huevos?
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No U-lock, just a cable thing. Next one I bought was a heavy duty cable lock.
U-locks aren’t available in Bogota. Mike Ceaser from Bogota Bike Tours is always trying to bring them in from the States.
NO MAS CALIENTAHUEVOS
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I see I am a bit late to the thread. I just went through this earlier today. Locked my bicycle to the rack provided by the Adidas store on 140 in Cedritos. Went in for 10 minutes and bought 3 workout shirts, came out and my bicycle was gone. All of 8 feet from the security guard, who became very self conscious and relieved himself from his post upon my taking pictures of him. Subsequently, I returned the shirts. Oh well… I am off to Crete for two months on Sunday and relocating back to the states in the not too distant future. I only hope the prick that stole it gets hit by Transmillenio.
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