Blogs from Bogota, Colombia, South America - page 6

We didn't really know what to expect going to Bogota, other than it being colder than where we arrived from. We came to find a sprawling city in the highlands of Colombia with larger than life street art and a dark intriguing history. Sometimes the 2 were even intertwined. We decided to stay in the area called 'La Candelaria' a small section of the humongous sprawling city. One of the hippest places to stay due to it being on the university district with the area covered in mesmerising graffiti. One thing you couldn't miss however was a police presence here with their huge muzzled Rottweilers on a leash. Many people we had met either loved or hated Bogota either put off by the police presence or opting to stay here for months to study. We didn't ... read more

Bogota had been at the top of my travel list for the past few years. As peace started to take hold in the country over the past 10-15 years (check out this url=http://www.economist.com/news/americas/21688936-juan-manuel-santos-seeks-support-peace-washington-new-plan-colombiaEconomist articlefor more details), I continued to hear more and more wonderful stories from travellers about their experience to this once “no go” zone. I wouldn’t be disappointed for three main reasons. One, the city has an extensive and diverse culinary scene. I was finally introduced to the Peruvian cuisine here! After such a wonderful introduction, I now have Lima at the top of my travel list. Two, while the weather forecasts called for considerable precipitation, we saw literally none. When I combined that with daytime highs around 20c, the weather was perfect. I am always astonished at how much of a ... read more

My final day in Bogota was spent at the Museo de Oro. A very large museum dedicated to gold artifacts found throughout Colombia dating back thousands of years that were made by the indigenous peoples of the region up until the Spanish came and ruined everything. The museum was realy well presented and I enjoyed it a lot. Best of all, the exhibitions and explanations were in both Spanish and English and being Sunday the entrance fee was free. Yay! After the museum it was time to say goodbye to Erique and collect my bag for the overnight bus trip to Armenia. Figuring out how to get to the bus terminal and getting a ticket was easy. My plan was to get the nicest bus in the fleet for Boliviariano ($18). This was scheduled to depart ... read more

Another great day here in Colombia. I'm still trying to get used to the whole not working thing, but this is starting to fade a little. I've read a lot about the Salt Cathedral outside of Bogota on various travel sites. There is a large working salt mine in the mountains outside of the city. Apparently when the huge yields of salt left giant voids in the earth underground the miners decided to build a cathedral and create ornate sculptures in the soft rock walls leftover. A very religious group indeed. I again hopped onto the Transmilenio bus to Portal Norte at the end of the line in the North of the city. Then it was an easy jump onto a mini bus for the ride into Zipaquira ($2). We did have a guide for the ... read more

I couldn't wait to get out of San Agustin. I was so bored there. But of course, I would have to endure one more struggle in order to do so. In this case, it was a contender for worst bus ride of the trip. My thirteenth (!) overnight bus ride of the trip so far (and hopefully my last), I was just about over them. When I had a bus that stopped for just about every man and his dog along the road, with a girl seated behind me constantly kicking the back of my seat, a girl with a squealing puppy in the seat in front of me (normally cute yes, but not when you trying to get to sleep) and a woman with a screaming baby next to me, that was IT. To put ... read more

When I told people in Cartagena that I was headed to Bogota for New Year's they all shuddered, telling me that it was too cold in Bogota. I wasn't too worried since I knew they were comparing it to the 90F weather in Cartagena. Compared to Seattle I was sure it would still be warm. It's so close to the equator, how cold can it get? While it's true that in the sun, during the day, it is nice and warm, the nights are cold. When I arrived the air felt thinner, drier, than on the coast. So, I looked up the elevation: 8,675 feet, although where I'm staying I have such a great view out over the city that I'm sure it must be at least 8,700 up here. The apartment I rented off Airbnb ... read more