After a week in Medellín, we went to Bogotá for 3 nights. Instead of staying in a hostel, we stayed in a pretty nice hotel, on the cheaper side, in the Chapinero neighborhood. It was a trendy neighborhood with a ton of restaurants and a nice park and plaza in the middle.
One problem with the neighborhood was the lack of fun and warm Latin America vibes . It almost felt like America. Also, the restaurants were good but expensive. And speaking of food, one of Bogotá’s signature dishes, which I didn’t get in Chapinero, as it is a more westernized neighborhood, was Ajiaco. Ajiaco is a chicken, potato and corn soup. It was delicious and perfect for the colder weather of Bogotá. Bogotá has an elevation of 8 660 ft., as it is in the Andes mountains, so the temperature is different than Medellín, Cartagena and many other tourist hot spots in Colombia. It is colder (it was around 18-19°C when we were there) and can be rainy. That was one of the things that I didn’t like about Bogotá.
The Chapinero neighborhood didn’t feel very Latin, but one of our days in Bogotá, we strolled through the historic and charming streets of La Candelaria which was a different feel. The vibrant neighborhood has narrow streets, historical Spanish architecture and colourful buildings; and depending on where you are, the views of the surrounding mountains in the background can make for some spectacular views. They say it can be a dangerous neighborhood, although we were only there in the daytime, we never felt unsafe, asides from a few annoying panhandlers. Near here we went to the gold museum, which was okay, and took a graffiti tour. The graffiti tour was my favorite part of Bogotá. The tour guide was great and we got to see tons of cool street art, learn some history and learn about the politically charged murals. Some of the pieces had some amazing stories behind them.
Another tourist attraction we did was visit the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá. The cathedral is a Roman Catholic Church built 200 m underground within an old rock salt mine. The cathedral and temples were built by the miners and the site was declared as the first wonder of Colombia. We hired a private driver who took us for a delicious lunch in the town of Zipaquirá and then took us to the mine. It is an amazing structure and definitely worth going to.
And finally, we had to spend at least one night partying in Bogotá. We did that in Zona Rosa, a vibrant neighborhood full of cafes, bars and clubs. It was Tuesday, so we went out for Gringo Tuesdays. Gringo Tuesdays is an event in Bogota which is supposed to be a time where foreigners and locals can go and exchange/practice each other’s languages. And in Colombia, this turned into a wild party night where the streets of Zona Rosa were packed and the bars bustling out of the seams.
It was a nice night, and we wanted to explore, so early in the evening we decided to walk from Chapinero to Zona Rosa, which took us about 30 minutes. We found a packed bar and went in. It was a lively experience with a combination of western music and Latin music like reggaeton. The bar was split, about 50% tourists and 50% locals. It was a great time but the drinks were on the pricier side. We met some local girls, chatted, danced and I even ran into the actor who played Navegante, one of the main sicarios in Narcos. I asked him for a photo and he told me only for 20 000 pesos (only about $8 CAD), I was pissed and called him an asshole. Looking back, I should have just paid, because it would have been a cool picture, but my pride got in the way. After calling him an asshole, he gave me a dirty look, spawning fear in my mind, hoping that he wasn’t as crazy in real life as he was in Narcos. I forgot about Navegante for the rest of the night and continued to dance. Only did he come back into my mind, when I noticed my jacket was missing. Did he steal my jacket as revenge? I kept going on about this and couldn’t find him anywhere in the bar. My buddies thought I was insane. “Navegante didn’t steal your jacket,” they exclaimed. It was my favorite jacket, and there’s more to the story below.
Well, it was getting late and we decided to leave. It was chilly outside, and I continued on about my missing jacket. Even though it was cold, I wanted to walk home, we walked here, so what was the big deal? My Mexican friends said no way, it was too dangerous. So, I went up to a cop and asked if It would be safe to walk back to our hotel. He responded to my friend Ruben in Spanish, and I couldn’t understand what he said, but by the look on his eyes and the shaking of his head, I knew my idea was stupid. We got a cab and went home.
Only the next day, when one of the girls from the bar texted me, did I realize that Navegante didn’t steal my jacket. She took it by mistake. I took an uber to a residential neighborhood in Bogotá and got my favorite jacket back.
It was a fun three days but overall, asides from Santa Marta, Bogotá was my least favorite place in Colombia. It was more expensive and didn’t feel like a Latin American city. The vibes weren't the same as many of Colombia's other cities, and the people weren't as warm and fun. Also, the weather sucked. But the food was good and there was plenty to do. If you’re ever in Colombia and have lots of time, check it out for a few days, but if your time is limited, Bogotá is one of the cities you could skip.
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