Bogota: ni chicha ni limoná

Two days in Bogota can offer more than you might imagine.

[bctt tweet=»a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step»]

Well, yes, my 25,000-mile journey begins in Bogota...it's not one of my favorite destinations in South America, but it's worth spending 2-3 days here.

ARRIVING AT THE AIRPORT… HOW DO I GET TO THE CITY CENTER?

The best thing to do when you arrive is to take an official taxi: https://eldorado.aero/servicios/taxis

From the airport to Plaza Bolivar, it costs around COP$20,000 and takes about 25 minutes to get there. As you leave the airport, an official will bring you an official taxi. Don't listen to the siren songs of the “private” taxi drivers who approach you, or you may end up with a nasty surprise in the form of a more expensive fare or... something worse 🙁

As I have been told repeatedly, people here only take official taxis and, if possible, don't hail them from the street but ask the hotel or restaurant where you are to call one for you... The nephew of one of my friends here was taken to a vacant lot and literally had everything stolen from him, even his shoes!

2 DAYS IN BOGOTÁ: WHAT TO SEE

The heart of the city is the neighborhood of La Candelaria with a bohemian atmosphere during the day—lots of hostels and restaurants—and at night—with some fantastic bars

Going out partying around here is quite an experience: you suffer relentless harassment from the city's homeless people—in about two hours, we were approached by about 10 of them, and I'm not exaggerating—and a guy from the hostel had his wallet stolen, but we still go back because the truth is that the area has a special charm and there is private security, so nothing really bad is going to happen to you....

La Candelaria is the heart of Bogotá, where the city was founded in 1538. The conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada founded the city here by building 12 thatched huts in honor of the 12 apostles and a small church. The heart of the neighborhood is the plaza known as Chorro de Quevedo, with plenty of bars, a small church dedicated to Saint Michael, and what is believed to have been the home of the city’s founder, Jiménez de Quesada—though it’s been slightly remodeled… Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

The early days were not easy. In the 1800s, there was no electric street lighting. La Candelaria became so dark and dangerous at night that people would lock themselves in their homes at 7 p.m. out of fear of thieves… and ghosts. So, thieves would disguise themselves in white sheets, place lit candles on their heads, and walk along the cobblestone streets dragging heavy chains. When neighbors heard the chains and saw the lights through their windows, they would hide under their blankets, praying in fear. Meanwhile, the “ghosts” took advantage of the absolute silence to rob the colonial houses…

But these days, it's a pleasure to walk around here. The neighbors agreed to put up a bunch of figures like this one to liven up the area, and you can wander from statue to statue and from graffiti to graffiti while stopping for a drink at one of the countless bars.

Here's a short itinerary for exploring the neighborhood

During these two days in Bogotá, we can also visit the modern part of the cityhas little charm.

La Carrera 7 entre las calles 8-19 es peatonal y tiene ATM, tiendas, puestos de alquiler de bicis y de artesanía. Está atestada hasta las 20:00 mas o menos cuando cierran todo. A partir de aquí quien quiera vivir algo de aventura que salga a la calle. No te va a pasar nada pero el ambiente vacio de las calles y los sujetos poco recomendables que pululan a partir de esas horas hacen que ir a por la cena sea más emocionante que de costumbre…..

Another activity to do in Bogota is to visit its museums : The Gold Museum (3,000 COP) is highly recommended; if you want a little more information:

https://www.banrepcultural.org/bogota/museo-del-oro

Just like the Botero Museum

The official website of the Botero Museum: https://www.banrepcultural.org/bogota/museo-botero

And you can also do things for free in Bogota: the free walking tour by Beyond Colombia: https://beyondcolombia.wordpress.com/tours/  It lasts 2½ hours and takes you on a nice walk through La Candelaria, where you'll get to sample the local specialty: !! chicha !!

La chicha es la bebida ancestral de Bogotá y está hecha a base de maíz fermentado, agua y panela (azúcar de caña sin refinar) que se guarda en vasijas de barro llamadas muiscuras; in pre-Columbian times, indigenous women would chew corn kernels and spit them into a bowl because saliva helps the corn ferment… Fortunately, no one follows this peculiar custom anymore, and you can order it at any bar in the La Candelaria neighborhood (each place adds its own personal touch—some with cinnamon, others with fruit, etc.)

Here's another bar crawl for you to try the different varieties of chicha

And finally, you have the climb up Monserrate Hill a 3100 metros de altitud y con una vista tremenda de toda Bogota.

You can ask a neighbor to give you a ride in their car…

…or you can take the cable car—it costs $18,000—but don’t go up if it’s cloudy because the view isn’t nearly as good… The church at the summit isn’t anything special, though there’s a Way of the Cross with some very beautiful statues along the way.

EXCURSION DE UN DIA: ZIPAQUIRÁ

An hour's drive away and for 25,000 COP$, you can visit what has been voted Colombia's greatest wonder: the salt mine and cathedral of Zipaquirá. If your guide happens to be a guy sentenced to seven years for drug trafficking, the visit becomes much more interesting...

Antiguamente esta zona al norte de Colombia estaba cubierta por el mar; al retirarse éste quedaron toneladas de sal que primero los antiguos nativos y luego los buscadores de esmeraldas se afanaron por excavar.

The result is the construction of an underground cathedral with three gigantic naves that can hold more than 8,000 people. The tour is complemented by a very boring Way of the Cross to the cathedral and an interesting explanation about the extraction and trade of emeralds in Colombia.

A mayores es buena idea bajar hasta el pueblo, que está muy bien conservado y tiene unos restaurantes especializados en carne buenísimos.

Well, that's all I got out of my two days in Bogotá!

If you found this post useful (or think it's useless), let me know in the comments!

And if you want to know more about Colombia: https://999millas.net/category/paises/colombia/

Foto y texto : Mike !