The coolest thing I saw in nature this week was an abundance of different rose species. One of my favorite places to visit is the Jardín Botánico de Bogotá Jose Celestino Mutis (Botanical Garden of Jose Celestino Mutis), where there is a gorgeous rose garden. I've been three times, once with each group of people from the U.S. who came to visit me here, and I love it more and more each time. The garden has several different ecosystems simulated within its tropicarium as well as native and foreign gardens outside. The areas include herb gardens; greenhouses; cactus gardens; tropical, alpine and exotic forests; and more. While the city has a lot of buildings and urban infrastructure, green spaces like the botanical garden are beautiful escapes and help Colombia offset its carbon emissions.
Bogotá is currently exercising racionamiento de agua (water rationing) because of the low reservoir levels caused by climate change. As a result, every seven days, a different sector of the city has to go 24 hours without water. This has been in place since I arrived, but luckily, my apartment has its own private water reserve tank, so I can still use my kitchen sink on días sin agua (days without water). But if I want to shower that day, I have to do so before 7:00 a.m. I also fill my washing machine with water so I have extra to be able to flush the toilet. When I first arrived, the rationing was only every two weeks, but now it is weekly and indefinite.
