BOGOTA

BOGOTA

After an overnight flight, where we luckily missed by a couple of hours a snow storm that wrecked JFK, we touched down in Bogota. We were whisked to our hotel, the Bogota Marriott, on El Dorado Ave in the Salitre district. It was top notch and the area is modern and squeaky clean. Every person entering the hotel is swept with a metal detector and sniffed by a dog. 

Bogota Marriott

Welcome to Bogota

Squeaky clean Salitre district

In Bogota we attempted to decipher their backbone transport system called the Trans Milenio which is a system of busses and stations that are separated from the roadways. They have three section articulated buses which, according to the placard, are rated for 294 persons. At rush hour this capacity was probably exceed by 50 or 100 people. 

Salitre green space

Plaza Bolivar

We wandered around the old historic center of town, La Candelaria, and had a bowl traditional soup, Santa Fe Ajiaco, which has vegies, three types of pureed potatoes, corn on the cob, chicken, and topped with fresh delicious avocado. A hearty bowl. 

Sheri and her Santa Fe Ajiaco

La Candelaria section of Bogota

Sculpture at Botero museum

We visited the main square, Plaza Bolivar, where some folks were camping out in protest against their situation. All sorts of police were staging around the square. At twilight a huge procession of people came down 7th Ave and there was a stage set up and people filled the square. There were speeches and music and the crowd was yelling about Petro. Apparently Gustav Petro was Mayor of Bogota and was tossed out under questionable circumstances and these folks wanted him back. The signs read We Are All Petro (Todos Somos Petro). It all came off peaceably and we had our own problems deciphering the bus back to the hotel. We did track down a brew pub in Salitre and had a fine craft IPA. 

Colombian version of Occupy

Riot police having a chit chat

Rally in Plaza Bolivar

Gustav Petro remains

Next day we went up a cable car to the top of Monserrate which is a high ridge at over 10,000 feet altitude. There’s a church up there and a fine views over Bogota. We had a meal at a little stall among many stalls. People were eating piles of potatoes and sausage and entrails. They offered up a section of intestine to Curtis and he had a bit of a time getting the taste out of his mouth. 

View over Bogota

Church at Monserrate

El Señor Caído de Monserrate -Fallen Jesus is an important sculpture in the sanctuary

Going down we walked through the busy University section and to the Gold Museum where there are four stories of pre-Columbian gold objects that escaped the grip of the Spanish. 

Golden conch shell

Gold objects that were dumped in a lake

Golden flying fish

Golden nose ornaments

Gold nose rings with fine filigree

Afterwards we had cappuccinos at Juan Valdez Café which is a chain. In the evening we scooted up to Zona Rosa and walked around Zona T which is several solid blocks of upscale restaurants, bars, and clubs. We had a fine dinner at the Italian restaurant Luna. 

Copatria Building - continuously changes color at night

Andino Mall in Zona T

Overall the place is fairly clean and organized and folks were friendly. We jogged around the lake at Bolivar Park which is the equivalent to Central Park. There were joggers and mountain bikers; strollers and folks paddling kayaks. It’s very green and pleasant with nice temperatures although a bit smoggy. Sheri was impressed with all the different pedestrian bridges over the roads.