Colombia

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Bogota

Well after spending some time in Mexico it was time to move onto Bogota , personly its just another big city which we had to be in to get our visas for Brazil. Its the capital Colombia has 7.5 million people and sits at an altidude of 2,600m above sea level. I think maybe i was not in the best frame of mind for this city 1 because i kept coparing it to Mexico which was a bit unfair and 2 had issues with the altitude i felt very light headed and out of energy most of the day.

The reputation of Bogota and the stories i had heard did not encourage me either. So my observations go as follows its smogy, rains a lot is cold and the people were a mix between curious, friendly and rude. Everyone seems to be in a hurry especially in a car with the exception of being served for anything then it when it gets there. Nobody stops for you cars will run you over if you don’t get a move on and well there isn’t a massive amount to do in the city.

The good thing about the city was the ability to get a taxi in a matter of a minute or more they took you where you needed to go even all the way across town and you could flag one down in no more than a minute. Bogota is a contrast between the rich and the poor on the northern side there are shops and areas such as Zona rosa that have Cartier and high end fashion labels to the south and poorer areas and people who beg on the streets and if your not careful will get mugged.

Colombia is on the Colombian peso which works out to be around 1700 pesos for every dollar making conversion a little hard in your head. Its relatively cheap rooms cost about 15000 a night and a meal will be between 5 and 10 thousand. Transport is a bit more 6 hr journey is aprox 40000 still pretty cheap in travel terms. I cant say that Bogota endeared me to it perhaps because i felt like i was time killing before obtaining visa for Brazil which was another drama in itself. They sure don’t make it easy, i mean why they need a copy of your credit card just in case you decide to live in Brazil i am sure its a nice country and all but i think i prefer my own country.

Anyway its the smog and well people of the city who overall don’t seem that friendly that didnt grab me. So we decided to head north about 6 hrs to a town of about 35,000 people called San Gil and after Bogota it was a much welcome change stayed in a Hostel run by an Aussie guy who had been in Colombia for 6 years. Great place to meet other travellers and swap stories, the town had a peacefulness but also a little bity of bussle about it. In the area there were a few other smaller towns easily reachable by local bus through the windy roads.

The towns themselves were pretty small with not much to see but fun to check out. San Gil is the capital of Adventure mainly due to Sean the Aussie guy who owns the hostel and some locals. You could go white water rafting, caving, rapelling down a water fall or paragliding. We chose paragliding i have been rafting a couple of times should have done the rapelling down the water fall but didnt. So Paragliding it was i am afraid of heights as people know and for the first time i wasn’t that nervous i feel on this journey i have conqured a little bit of fear of height. It was awesome and left me craving for something a bit more daring. The scenery was spectacular with the rolling hills and massive canyon in the distance. I was first up and my 20-30 min ride was great and really cheap also 50,000 which is about 25US.

We did a few spins and after the third that was enough for me i got too dizzy awesome day the next project is skydiving in Buenos Aires or Cape town maybe both we shall see. Met a nice couple from England and the Us who had the room opposite us and spent the Sunday with them at the local water hole literally not just a place to drink but with small rapids and pools of water where all the locals drink and hang out. We brought along a roast chicken and potatoes and had a beer in the afternoon so thanks for a great day Ian and Charlie. Jo hurt her back the day of the Parasailing and could not go which was a shame.

I have decided the people you meet travelling maybe even more than where you go to a degree influence how you feel about a place. So for me San Gil was great i met some good people who i had things in common with besides the obvious travel. Perhaps thats why my perception of Bogota is not the same, its hard not to make comparisons to other places you have been. So having since followed other peoples travels in Colombia i know there is more to explore but thats for another time perhaps.

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