Our First Stop is in Bogota, Part II

I spent the better half of the morning drinking Club Colombia beer and wondering if we would have been better off rubbing elbows with Mickey and Goofy instead of eluding kidnappers. While I was plotting our next move, my wife did the best she could do to clean up the place to make it suitable for living. While the idea of fleeing to a more appropriate living space was discussed, my stinginess had us staying put. The good news was that we did have an outdoor patio and my daughter seemed to enjoy petting the neighbor's chickens that shared the outdoor living space with us.  After a morning beer, I decided it was time to hit the streets and test our luck. With a guide book in hand, we headed out for our first day of touring Bogota. I was a bit hesitant to not get caught up in the infamous million dollar cab ride, so I opted to call a genuine taxi company. The million dollar cab ride is a popular phrase used in Colombia that refers to the million dollars needed to secure freedom after being kidnapped by a "cabbie" and his team of banditos.

We started our day heading up to Bogota's number one tourist attraction: Monserrate.   Monserrate is a hilltop church located at 10,000 feet that was built in the 17th century to honor El Señor Caido" (Fallen Lord) and commands a mind-blowing view of Bogota.  We had been warned by the cabbie and the guide book to take the tram up because walking up would end with a knife to the throat and an empty wallet. Truth or fiction, I did not know, but just to be on the safe side we took the tram.  Once on top we were one of the few people up there, including the ever present duo of machine gun wielding soldiers patrolling the area. The church was just another church, but it was the view of the city that made it worth the trip. Along with the view, you have to love a church with a café right outside its doors selling beer.  Another beer and I was beginning to feel that Bogota was not such a bad place. After taking in the view and relaxing for a few hours, we decided to head down the mountain and check out a Goya exhibit in the neighborhood of La Candelaria.

La Candelaria used to be a violent area, but the even with the relatively small influx of tourism, the neighborhood is transforming into in area favored by poets, musicians and artists-and thank God for them and their love of drink because there are countless classic old bars to drink in. It is a great place to waste away a long day.  The sidewalk seats and cold beverages were a great relief from checking out the barbaric works of Goya (man, that guy was dark!).  We spent the day walking the cobblestone streets viewing the sites of Plaza Bolivar and a handful of old buildings and churches.  Walking and day beers makes one tired, so we all loaded up in another possible kidnapping and headed back to the dump.

Besides the nonstop music of our neighbors, the apartment was not that bad. It was relatively bug and rodent free, had one channel on the tv that served up Colombian novellas, but most importantly, a running fridge that kept the Club Columbia cold and ready to go.  We fell into the easy routine of traveling-- coffee, see some sites, eat, beer, some more sites, eat, beer, eat and more beer.  All the fear inside had subsided by the time we were to head to or next destination. Bogota ended up being a great place with helpful locals, great food and drinks and free from the annoying hordes of overweight camera wielding North American tourists.   If you get down there, check out Parque 93, Zona Rosa, eat at Crepes and Waffles and stock up on Club Colombia.  As we flew out towards Peru, I was a bit disappointed that we did not have more time to explore the rest of Colombia - next time.

*Read Part I of this segment on Colombia here

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