Bogota Part 1

Saturday 29th January 2011
Walking out of Bogota airport was a lot like being in Trivandrum. Hoards of people waiting for loved ones. No-one waiting for us though so we quickly made our way through the crowds and taxi'd to the Cranky Croc, our home for 5 nights.


Patio in the Cranky Croc.

A beautifully converted colonial house, it's now run by an Aussie chap.
We're based in La Candeleria, the old part of town. It's recommended not to walk about at night as muggings and robberies can be quite common. Obviously we're being very sensible.

Sunday 30th January 2011
Our first full day here and it's fair to say we did far more than we planned to. Sunday in Bogota is full of life. The streets are closed to traffic and the locals all make use of this by coming out in numbers on their bikes.

Our guide Kevin and a torture hat so heavy it breaks your neck.

Our first stop was the police museum. We were guided by Kevin, serving his 1 year military service in the police. As free attractions go, this is well worth a visit with tales of Pablo Escobar aplenty, the most notorious criminal of his generation. An amazing view of the city from the roof, Kevin helpfully pointed out the area to buy drugs and meet an early death. Not planning to head there.
We visited the cathedral and two other churches. We witnessed a rather shambolic changing of the guard at the presidential palace. The queen would not be amused. Cyclists were heading through the middle and the guards didn't know which way to turn.

A hazy view from Montserrate.

The day was rounded off with a trip to Monserrate, 600m above the city. The green hills dominate this city, providing a permanent reference point. We took the cable car up and the funicular down. Emma was scared but managed to get through it. Despite being a little hazy, the views were spectacular. Along with a church and some restaurants, there was also the obligatory 'tat' market, selling hundreds of items that had no use whatsoever.

Monday 31st January 2011
Monday was more relaxing, starting the day with Granadilla for breakfast. This is a like a passion fruit, recommended by our scouts (Stella and Paul). After discovering that most museums are closed on Monday, we headed to the Botero museum which was open. We spent a decent couple of hours there which included a guided tour in Spanish. This tested our language skills. Botero's version of the Mona Lisa was particularly good.

James excited by the prospect of beer.

The remainder of the day was spent in 'La Zona Rosa', a modern and trendy part of Bogota.  A 30 minute taxi costs about £3 here, so getting up to the north of the city is fairly inexpensive. We tried the range of beers brewed by the Bogota Beer Company. Very nice, all of English influence and somewhat nearer English prices. Lovely area, but there's something appealing to us about the edgier old town.
Two more days ahead in Bogota, lots more to do and see.

Points for further investigation:
Pablo Escobar
Fernando Botero
Interesting facts:
You can get your yellow fever jab done here at over half the price of the UK. Wish we'd known earlier...
Bogota is the 3rd highest city in the world, standing at over 2600m above sea level.  You can find yourself getting really breathless.