Bogota, Colombia

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We took a bus from Quito to Bogota, Colombia, which was an excruciating 23 hours. Upon arrival, we went to the hotel that Lonely Planet had reccomended, but it sucked, was noisy, and had no hot water. After some exploring the next morning, Justin found a new place around the corner, still in the rustic district called Candelaria.

Our new hostel, Casu, has incredibly friendly and helpful staff, and through their reccomendations we discovered much about Bogota.

We had heard about a salt cathedral in a nearby town, but were unsure of how great we would find it, after the spectacular Salar de Uyuni and the salt hotels there. One of the hotel workers persuaded us otherwise, which I am very happy about.

The "cathedral" was amazing! It was originally a giant salt mine, and now that mining operations have shifted to another area, it was opened and religiousized. The caverns were spectacular, and the colored lighting and carvings there made it awe-inspiring.

The next day we went to the Museo del Oro, the best gold museum in the world. We learned about all different ways that ancient people molded, cast, and worked the gold, silver and copper that are so abundant here. There were some amazing pieces, and we learned quite a bit about what these pieces signified to the native people.

Today we rented bicycles and rode quite far through the city of Bogota. On Sundays, they shut down the major streets and even highways, and they are only open to pedestrians and bicyclists. It was so amazingly fun riding down the center of the freeway on our bicycles!

We rode to a science museum that is quite like the Exploratorium in SF. Called Maloka, it had all kinds of interactive activities. In one, I placed my hand on a giant generator, and did all kinds of experiments with the charges it created on my body. The guide put confetti in my hand, and after getting a charge from me, I opened my hand it it FLEW out. My hair was standing up so tall! Justin couldn´t participate because the crazy man has metal plates in his face.

We also went to the Botanic Gardens of Bogota today, and explored the plants and park there, finding a hummingbird breeding ground, and sitting on a shady bench. Afterward we rode back through a park in the middle of the city that is supposedly bigger than Central Park of NYC.

The people here in Bogota are so friendly and helpful, it´s really remarkable. Yet I am still jazzed to leave tomorrow and head to the Carribean!

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