I closed my eyes for a moment, letting the noise of Bogotá fade like a distant echo. Christmas had passed, with its frantic shopping that left me exhausted, the traffic that choked the streets like a river of metal and horns, the incessant rain that beat against the roofs like eternal tears, and the stress of work at the airline that tied me to unpredictable schedules. I craved an escape, a place where the sun kissed my s...