Following a whirlwind, activity-crammed few days in the stunning coffee-region of Salento, we weren’t sure what to expect from our next stop – Colombia’s capital Bogota.
Following the nausea-inducing shuttle ride from Medellin to Salento, there was no way, I repeat NO way, that Dave and I were going to willingly commit ourselves to another half day trip winding up, down and around the Colombian mountains… we’ll take advantage of the local airlines, and fly thanks!
We flew into Bogota’s airport, jumped in a cab and made our way to our cosy little airbnb right on the edge of the bustling, historical end of the city centre. After dropping our backpacks off, we wandered around the streets of Bogota checking the precinct out and grabbed a bite to eat.
Historical Bogota
Before too long, it became clear there was a tingle of anticipation in the air, and everyone was in an excited mood – it didn’t take us long to realise that the yellow and white soccer (football, for those non-Australians!) kits that were out on display on every corner, were in preparation for the Copa America, or, the America’s Cup.
This much-anticipated North and South America tournament just happened to have its opening game the night we arrived in Bogota, and it also just happened to Colombia playing! Talk about a great time to hang with the locals. So, what do two Aussies do to make the most of a unique travel opportunity?
Obviously, we buy yellow Colombian jerseys from a market stall, find a pub crammed with locals amping up for the game, order a beer for Dave, and a bottle of rum for me (yes thats right, a bottle of rum – I thought I was ordering a glass!), and then take your seat in front of one of the many big screens in the pub to watch the big game…
The game kicked off and played out with traditional South American passion and excitement, and the next few hours were a bit of a blur as we partied and celebrated with some new-found Colombian friends. We met a couple of hilarious Aussie/European couples who were living and working in Bogota, and after the pub closed at midnight, we went back to their apartment and continued drinking and chatting with them well into the wee hours of the morning.
Lucky they lived only just around the corner from where we were staying, so walking through the streets of Bogota at four in the morning wasn’t quite as dangerous as it sounded, or seemed at the time!
That’s one of the things I love about travelling – the random people you meet and connect with, spend time with and get to know, and whilst some become friends for life, others you say goodbye to without needing to exchange contact details – knowing you are never going to see them again.
Waking up the next day – on our one full day in Bogota (not enough, but hey, you gotta work with what you got!) – we had a couple of must-do’s on our list, but were generally keen to just take the day pretty slowly – a boozy, late night will do that to you 
Bolivar Square
We started off by wandering down to Bolivar Square, the main pedestrian square in the historical part of the city, that celebrates good old Simon Bolivar – like most of the Central and South American cities we had been to.
Surrounding the Square are a number of important buildings including the National Capitol, the Palace of Justice where the Supreme Court is housed, the Primary Cathedral of Bogotá, built between 1807 and 1823, and the Holy Chapel, built at the end of the 17th century.
Our next stop was Monserrate, a pilgrim destination in the form of a towering mountain overlooking the city centre of Bogota from more than 10,000 feet above sea level. At the top of the mountain is a church, built in the 17th century, with a shrine, devoted to “El Señor Caído” (Fallen Lord).
There are three ways to get to the peak of the mountain – by funicular, by cable car or by walking / climbing up. We were not keen on the walking option, and decided on the cable car – after a wait at the bottom of the mountain, it wasn’t too long before we were coasting up the side of the mountain, in awe of the amazing view that was folding out below us. You can see the Church right at the top of the mountain in one of the photos below – look how small it looks! Until you get up there, that is…
The view over Bogota was pretty phenomenal – we could see for miles! And the mountains surrounding the city were clearly visible and provided the most stunning backdrop for this cosmopolitan and bustling city.
The Church and the view from the Top
We then spent about an hour or so wandering around the top of Monseratte exploring and admiring the gardens and the many views from up on high. We also ventured into the Church although it was fairly quiet so we didn’t stay long as it felt disrespectful.
Also at the top, near the Church, was a market with loads of trashy and gimmicky tourist-trap-kinds of toys and paraphernalia, including the multitudes of ‘coca’ related souvenirs!
There were also plenty of food stalls selling local produce and meals – I must admit that the cleanliness made me slightly nervous and we weren’t too keen on eating any of the food…. sure, it LOOKED nice, but the way they kept the meat out in the open (and it was a hot day!) turned my stomach. It did make for some colourful photos however!
By this point, we were both feeling pretty tired and ready for a cruise night before we fly out for Lima the next day. So we made the descent down the mountain in the cable car and wandered past some of Bogota’s famous street art on our way back to our AirBnB.
Bogota Street Art
The street art scene in Bogota is actually really well done, and there are even street art tours! We didn’t have time to do one, but the few examples we saw were very impressive and I actually think the graffiti tour would be worth doing. Oh well, next time I suppose. For now, it was time for an early night and then off to Lima tomorrow.
We will miss the colourful streetscapes of Colombia though, that’s for sure!
