Pilates Paradise, Bogota (May 27, 2026)
For more than 20 years, Adriana Montoya has been training students on how to effectively use the Pilates Reform machine. When I was offered a private lesson with the master trainer herself, I jumped at the chance, and am better for it. Wow, I had no idea all the things you can do with a spring-based reform machine. I love this!
Bill and Adriana capture our lesson in front of her brand 1880
What can I say, with the right instruction and a reform machine, Pilates combines deep stretching, core abs work, glutes, hips, arms, and whatever else I’ll most likely feel tomorrow when my muscles remind me of this really amazing workout.
What I loved was how Adriana adjusted her lesson to my level. If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend starting with a master like Adriana so that you get the full understanding of what’s possible and how to effectively balance stretching with muscle development.
Despite 30+ years of Soo Bahk Do, my split is “limited”, but healthy
Working with the reform machine, however, I was able to deepen my center split stretch further than I’ve gone in a while:
The Pilates Reform machine gently allows me to get a great stretch
Adriana was rightly cautious when I asked her if I could place my foot farther out than she was recommending. Then when she saw what I was doing, she took a video of my stretch. This was not something she was used to seeing from a beginner Pilates student. And yet, it’s all relative. 30+ years of Soo Bahk Do, Moo Duk Kwan has kept me balanced, strong and flexible. What a powerful combination!
Elena would have loved the bellydancing downstairs
Adriana showed me the downstairs floor where a bellydancing troop meets regularly. Elena would be in heaven. She has missed her bellydance troop since they shut down during COVID 6 years ago. This is her tribe. These are her people. And even the decorations have that amazing bellydance vibe.
Adriana confirmed that I didn’t have any plans after our Pilates lesson, and asked me if I wanted to join her for lunch. “You bet!” was my enthusiastic reply. So she took me to an Argentinian steak house about a block from her space.
That monster of a steak in front of us is a Tomahawk (bone-in ribeye)
What a fabulous “last lunch” in Colombia. Adriana and I managed to finish this monster stake together. We had a beautiful conversation about life, careers, and the lives of our adult children. I feel so fortunate to have met Adriana on this trip. I know if I lived in Bogota, she’d be my Pilates teacher and Elena would be bellydancing downstairs.
Next up, one final Colombian massage before heading to diner with more dear friends, Gina and John. It’s not that I need to eat this much, but meals in Colombia are such social affairs. And, besides, the food here is delicious.
Last meal together at an incredible tapas restaurant: Bill, Gina & John
Fabulous restaurant with fabulous friends — so engaging I failed to take pictures. Oh darn, I had to live in the moment again!
Time flew by as the three of us exchanged stories about our travel adventures, our marriages, the careers of our adult children and what it’s like being a grandparent. Or, as my father joked to me about being a grandpa, “Well, if I knew how much fun it was going to be as a grandparent, I would have skipped being a parent altogether!”
Here again, we were doing the thing I love most — spending time with friends and deepening our connection. The food was fabulous and only outweighed by the depth and sincerity of our discussions.
There’s no doubt about it, the people of Colombia are incredible and I feel so welcome here. Next time, I will convince at least Elena to join me and hopefully one or both of my kids. I’d love for more people to have the genuine heart-felt connections I’ve experienced these past two weeks. South America in general, and Colombia specifically, is really growing on me. I knew this was the right continent to wrap up my epic twelve-month world travel adventure.
