Power of Capital

Chapter 8Twenty‐First Century Investing: Transforming Economies and Livelihoods from Bogotá to Brasilia

On landing in Bogotá to attend my friend's wedding, I encountered a militarized airport with soldiers in fatigues and tanks lining the passenger loading zones. I worked my way to a taxi, and once we hit the road, my driver careened down the streets into the dark night. I could see over the seat that he had one hand on the wheel and the other on a gun.

As we sped through the dark streets, I noted that he raced through a red light and then another. After holding my breath through the first two, I asked him, “Por qué? Qué pasa?” trying to limit the anxiety in my voice.

His looked at me in his rearview mirror, and he quietly but sternly replied, in a thick accent, “No. We don't stop when it's red.”

I understood at once. I'd heard the stories of travelers being stopped, robbed, kidnapped, and worse. With a big gulp, I realized that this time it could be me.

Kidnappings were endemic in the country at the time. People were held for months or years while their families tried to raise the money to pay for their release. A stop at a red light gave kidnappers enough time to descend, pull you from a car, and spirit you away.

The wedding events were held at my hotel, and I was pleased to spend the bulk of the trip within its beautiful and heavily guarded confines. We had a blast.

Two days later, my friend and I ventured out to visit the luxurious Termales los Volcanes hot springs in nearby ...