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Published: August 27th 2010
Hi Everybody!
We arrived in Bogota yesterday on Spirit Airlines (similar to Ryan Air.) If you are not familar with this no frills airline, you might want to check it out. It was sunny when we got off of the plane but it quickly changed to a wet, dreary, cool day. The average temperature in Bogota is in the 60s during the day and low 50s at night. Most days are springlike weather requiring a light jacket. Bogota is trying to recover from a bad reputation as a tourist destination. It once was a hot bed of drugs and street crime. The citizens and the government are trying to make it a safer city. The police are present in all public areas--many of them with machine guns. We are staying in an area called La Candelaria. It is a historic area with cobblestoned streets, beautiful old churches, plazas, museums, national government buildings, etc. The streets are very steep with our hostel sitting high on a hill. The hostel is in a 300 year old house. The walls are adobe and the framing is small logs. Our ceiling is vaulted and at least 20 feet high with 2 skylights. We were not
happy this morning when the sun woke us up very early. We have met several interesting people at the hostel - 2 from England and Germany are here helping to set up a Peace Mission, another lady from Italy is here with a group interviewing individuals about Civil Rights, and a third lady is taking a year off from teaching to travel. This hostel caters to an older crowd. They do not allow drugs or alcohol. It is very much like a B & B. Last night, they gave us hot water bottles in knitted cozies for our bed. They were still warm this morning. There is no heat or AC. They cook over a wood stove, but also have 4 gas burners.
The city sits in a large fertile valley at an elevation of 9000 feet. The foothills of the Andes Mountains are located East of the city and are visible from almost every street in the city. The mountains are very green and are covered with lush plants, flowers, and mostly eucalyptus trees. A beautiful white church sits atop Mt. Monserrat and can be seen from our street. Many pilgrims visit this church because it has an altar
statue of the fallen Christ. We hope to ride the cablecar there. The pilgrims walk up the 1500 steps on their knees.
The Spanish arrived in Colombia shortly before the 1500s. Colombia became the Spain´s chief source of gold. The Spanish ruled Colombians until 1819 when Simon Bolivar and his armies defeated them. Bolivar is still their hero with parks, plazas, etc. named for him.
The people of Colombia are very friendly and helpful. 90% of the people are Catholic and many children attend parochial schools. We meet the children in the street as they walk to and from school. Today, near the capitol buildings, we saw a number of classes on field trips. The children all shout, ¨Hola!¨ to us. Last night as we were walking near our hostel, I met a donkey loaded down with two packs. In a few minutes, I met two more donkeys walking on the sidewalk toward me. No owner was to be seen. When I reached the corner, I saw two young teens wrestling in the street. The older boy definitely had the advantage. When the younger boy (probably the brother) started crying, they jumped up and chased the donkeys.
It is a
little difficult using the Colombian money. 1800 of their pesos equal a U.S. dollar. Shops selling the same type items are clustered together. One street might only have jewelry stores, religious items, shoes, fabric, etc. Some stores have loudspeakers announcing their sales. There are many vendors on the sidewalks and in some streets, but they are mostly selling manufactured goods.
We are glad that we came but feel that a week here will be long enough. It is not safe for us to take buses to outlying areas or for us to rent a driver. On Sundays, there is one tourist train that runs to two neighboring towns. We hope to buy tickets for that trip tomorrow. I have not felt threatened. The beggars are usually men 40 plus in age, dressed in raggedy clothes, and possibly drug users. I have seen 3 or 4 homeless guys sleeping on the street during the day. I have seen a couple of people with wild eyes that looked like they were strung out on drugs. None of these people have bothered us. We are not going out at all at night. Even though we have had no problems, we are taking no
chances.
I hope things are going well for all of you. If these blog notices are irritating, please unsubscribe and your name will be removed. I promise that I will just do a couple on this trip.
Take care,
Everette
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Rocio Gonzalez
non-member comment
Will be in Bogota this weekend also!
Hello Everette- I grew up in Bogota and will be arriving with my boyfriend tomorrow Friday. I thoroughly enjoyed your blog and how descriptive you are. I also saw that your last entry was from Africa! How cool! Please remember that you are staying in the very colonial area of Bogota and what you see is the "old" city, La Candelaria. Please see if you can go to "el parque de la 93", la "zona rosa" or to the northern side of the city. Bogota is very metropolitan and has new areas you may enjoy seeing. Usaquen is another town in the north side of the city, now part of Bogota where you can see the colonial and new construction blending in. Taxis are very safe if you call the company. They will ask you for a code and it is typically the phone number from where you are calling. Andres Carne de Rez is a very famous steak restaurant very much visited by American and European travelers. They have a website so you can see the style and menu, quite interesting and alive. I myself, have planned on taking the whole Thursday to bring Brent to see la Candelaria, plaza de Bolivar, gold museum, Botero's art gallery, Monserrate, etc. The other days are to hang out in the north side. Take care and I hope you allow yourself to get away from la Candelaria and explore the north. I will be doing a blog..but mine will be in spanish. Bogota-Brent will be in english. Buena Suerte!