Bogotá

Bogotá

Day 1:

I arrived in Bogotá half cut (thanks to KLMs free bar) and bloody shattered (thanks to the annoying man in front with the loud video games). Being British, I chose to suffer in silence before finally asking him to turn the volume down, by which time I couldn’t get back to sleep. Being Scottish, I decided to spend the remaining 4 hours of the flight drinking gin and getting my moneys worth. 

After checking into my hotel in Chapinero, I hit the streets to check out some of the local sights. Most of the time all you can smell is deep fried buñuelos (cheese fritters) or empanadas, which I don’t have a problem with. What I do have a problem with now though is clogged arteries. 

Dinner is at Mini Mal, a local Colombian restaurant. I opted for plantain and crab balls cooked in coconut milk followed by pork ribs with a beer and tamarind sauce. It’s now 8pm and at this point I’m regretting my decision to book a bar tour on the first night because I haven’t slept in 24 hours and i’m dead. But I solider on like the alcoholic I am and power through until 2am.

I’m glad I did as it was great fun and I ended up meeting some really cool people from all over, including Texas, Denmark, India, Estonia, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, Ecuador and California, so a pretty diverse group. First was a beer stop where I found myself next to Kerly from Ecuador, Carol from Puerto Rico and Erick, a Guatemalan who lived in the states. Then it was a cocktail at El Mono Bandido. Any bar where there is a slide into a ball pit is a winner in my book. Finally we hit a club and danced until I physically couldn’t take any more. 

Day 2:

Sunday started with a coffee and a media luna (a mini croissant) at Bizcocheria Les Amis. From here the plan was to walk to a neighbourhood called Usaquen where there is a Sunday market. En route, I stumble upon a little park with an awesome band playing salsa music and a pen full of dogs for adoption. I would have happily spent the whole afternoon here! Resisting the temptation to adopt a puppy, I headed to the markets where I wander aimlessly through the stalls of overpriced tat before stopping for brunch. 

From there I took an Uber to Parque 93, another district. Uber is technically illegal in Colombia, although everyone uses them. But it does mean that you have to sit in the front seat and make awkward small talk with the driver. On this occasion it’s Jose, who thinks my name is Russian (lord knows why). I quickly tell him I want no association. He laughs and agrees not to throw me out of the car. The 15 minute ride costs me £1.50. It’s actually more expensive to buy a coffee here!

Speaking of coffee, I stop for my third of the day, and an empanada snack (rude not to) before heading back to my hotel for a much needed siesta! 

That evening I met up with Kerly and Erick for dinner and drinks at Cantina La 15, a Mexican restaurant with a live mariachi band. We were all still suffering from the night before so we called it a night pretty early. 

Day 3:

My last day in Bogotá got off to a bit of a disaster. It had rained quite heavily overnight and it was drizzly the whole day which made for very slippery pavements! En route to La Candelaria, the historic neighbourhood of Bogotá, I went arse over tit and spilt my coffee all over my top. Not only was this highly embarrassing, but I was too far from the hotel to go back and change so I spent the remainder of the day looking like a right tink! 

My plan for the morning was to climb Monserrate, a 10,000 feet mountain with views over the city. But I arrived to find most of the mountain cloaked in mist, which meant zero visibility, which was disappointing. Scrapping that plan I wander the streets, killing time before my afternoon food tour. I’m not a fan of the area and it’s not the quaint historic centre that I’m expecting. It also feels rather sketchy, there’s police on every corner. It’s not recommended to stay here at night and it’s easy to see why.

At 12 I feel it’s reasonable to start drinking, since I’m bored and it’s pissing with rain.  My food tour starts at 2 and I’m starving. It’s a free food tour, so at each location you pay for what you have and give a tip at the end. Makes sense in theory, but there were 20 of us so it meant for a lot of hanging around waiting on people paying! Not the best food tour I’ve experienced. I didn’t leave hungry though with stops including empanadas, arepas, grilled meats, obleas (sweet wafer sandwich), ajiaco (a chicken soup with potatoes and corn) and hot chocolate with cheese which is as weird as it sounds. You break off chunks of cheese and let it melt in your hot chocolate. I’m still not sure how I feel about it.

4 hours later (the tour is supposed to be 2.5) and I’m ready to lie down. My Uber home is a shed on wheels driven by a 12 year old boy who spends the entire journey texting. I’m surprised to make it home alive. 

Overall I enjoyed my time in Bogotá. Not the most aesthetically pleasing city and not somewhere I’d rush back. But I had some great experiences with some lovely people! Next stop, Salento.