I always get the date wrong, but well, only by one year; the market is from 1934, its named Mercado de la Concordia just like the neighborhood where we are starting this walking tour candelaria bogota. This is what our guide Nicolas told us at the same time he opened the door inviting us to come in. My name is Phil, I am from the United States; I had planned this trip to Colombia since last year; I bought the tickets and ventured out; then I searched online for the best things to do in Bogotá Colombia and here I am today, a Wednesday morning on this sightseeing tour; which according to the comments I read before booking, was an essential way to connect with the local culture; this is what I was looking for on my first day of traveling through Colombia. Nick, as the guide had told us to call him; led us down the hallway between several businesses, in the middle he explained the importance of the place and pointing out a specific place among many, he said:

—Today your lives are going to change; did you know that in Colombia you can eat a different fruit for every day of the year?

—No! —I said surprised.

—That place is called Oh Gloria —said Nick—; today we are going to try some fruits there.

We approached the shop. The owner greeted us and welcomed us. There were all kinds of fruits, although the local people seemed to come more for the smoothies; they were their specialty; they also had very original names, Nick told us, since none of us could understand. One of the young women who worked there approached the group with a tray full of various fruits ready to taste; the guide began to pass us the fruits one by one, starting with the feijoa and then the soursop; very unique flavors. The feijoa was related to the guava, he told us, and the soursop was very sweet and chewy. This is the mango, he continued, this is from Hilacha, since we have at least 10 varieties of mango, I immediately reacted saying:

—Yes, I know it, we have mango in the United States.

—Do you want to try it? —said Nicholas— handing me a small mango that was somewhere between yellow and orange in color.

I took it, took a bite without thinking; a direct click woke up my brain; the sweetest, creamiest thing I ever ate; it was a sensation between the texture of caramel sauce; and a glass of frozen yogurt; but with many fibers that made it even fun to eat. This fruit certainly touched my heart. I thought I knew the taste of a simple mango; but now I had a touch of reality, I understood in that instant that I had finally tried a real mango and that all these years in my supermarket I was only buying a cheap copy that now reminded me the taste of cardboard more than a fruit. This experience had already paid for my trip, I had to come to Colombia to know what a real mango was. I still had my eyes closed, immersed in my thoughts and my passion in each bite; until I heard Nick’s voice asking me if I was okay, I nodded up and down.

—Come on guys, let’s move on to the next stop —Nick told us—.

By Fredy Calderon