A Weekend in Bogota

When Misha was provided the opportunity to go to Bogota for a four-day training on atrocity prevention, we jumped at the chance to bundle it with some tourist activity.  We flew down on a Friday in April, and I returned on Monday.  Misha stayed for her training, which included one big tourist attraction outside of the city that I missed out on.  Bogota is the third largest city in South America by population, home to over 8 million people.  It’s also very high up in the mountains of Colombia, with an altitude of over 8600 feet.  We tried to stay as hydrated as possible, but still felt the effects.  

We had no dearth of recommendations from coworkers who had spent time in the city, but most of them came to the same conclusions.  In no particular order, we HAD to see Montserrate, Andres Carne de Res, the Salt Cathedral, and the Botero Museum.  We certainly agree with all of the above, with the addition of the Usaquen Market.  There’s no shortage of great restaurants, and much more variety than what we’ve found in Guatemala City.  For instance, we had Asian cuisine twice in the weekend we were there, an itch we haven’t been able to scratch in Guatemala due to the utter lack of sushi rolls that aren’t overstuffed with cream cheese. 

I found it easy to feel comfortable in Bogota, but hard to look past the poverty.  Venezuelan migrants are so common, and the currency so devalued, that people sell origami made from the Venezuelan bills all over the place.  Many buildings are surrounded by high walls topped with barbed wire, something that is common in Guatemala as well, but uninviting in both cities.  While crime and gang violence are generally concentrated in certain areas, the friends we saw our first night told us that only a few weeks prior, one of the restaurants in the wealthy, typically safe neighborhood outside our hotel was robbed at gun point. 

On the flip side, one of my favorite parts of the city is most of the security dogs are goofy, smiling retrievers.  While you will see other large dogs on patrol as well, the happy faces of golden retrievers sitting outside of malls, along with all the other dogs out on walks, was enough to keep Misha and I happy. 

For tourist destinations, we spent Saturday visiting the Botero Museum, dedicated to Colombian artist Fernando Botero, who gained notoriety for his husky characters, pictured below.  We followed that up with a stop at the Gold Museum, which had a lot of cool artifacts but lacked signage to provide the historical context we were looking for.  For instance, you’d see an interesting head piece with symbols carved into it, and the signs would say, “head piece with symbols carved into it.”  I gathered that much by myself, thanks.  That night, we had dinner at Andres Carne de Res, the most popular restaurant both inside and outside the city, based on what we were told.  While the food and cocktails were both delicious, it’s a weird, unique culinary experience.  There are acrobats and bands, a mock-tv crew, and multiple floors of entertainment.  It was very fun, but it also kept us up well past our typical bedtime since the performers didn’t start until 930pm. 

We spent Sunday at the Usaquen Flea Market, where Misha had her eyes set on getting a Mochila – a traditional, handwoven bag from the Wayuu people.  You can find them at just about every market in Bogota in vibrant colors.  She just could not make up her mind about which bags to buy…so she bought a bunch and figured out what to do with them later.  There were tons of beautifully made artisanal items, which would probably decorate half of our apartment if we lived in the city.  We bought a mini statue of one of Botero’s fat cats, as souvenirs of his artistic influence can be found everywhere in the city.  Lastly, we were able to see a percussion and dance performance while at the market.      

I left on Monday, but not before taking a funicular up to Montserrate.  At the top of this mountain, over 10,000 feet up, the stages of the cross guide you to a 17^th century church and a magnificent view of the city.  Despite the clouds and poor air quality, sheer size of Bogota was stunning.  We finished up my trip with an amazing brunch at Crepes and Waffles, a local chain that I’m also told has excellent ice cream.  During Misha’s training, she was able to visit the famed Salt Cathedral, a truly unique church built 200 meters underground out of the tunnels of an old salt mine.  It’s a massive space filled with huge carvings representing the Stations of the Cross.  While there, Misha couldn’t resist getting another husky Botero carving, this time made of salt from the salt mine. 

It was my first time visiting South America, but I sure hope it’s not my last.