We arrived in Colombia late last night so after locating an ATM at the airport we took a taxi to the hotel to get a good nights rest in preparation for a day of sight seeing.
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| Plaza de Bolivar |
In the morning we decided to take the bus to La Candelaria, home of most of the tourist attractions. We found our way thanks to the assistance of three friendly bogotanos. The first gentleman we met lives or lived in San Francisco and was very happy to tell us all about Bogota and what we should and how to stay safe. The second, Carlos, found us wandering the bus station and told us which bus to take and even went so far as to escort us to the end of the line. The third, we found on the street corner and he walked us two blocks to the Museo de Oro. June wasn't kidding when she said that Colombians were friendly. Before entering the museum we discovered that we were famished so we went in search of La Puerta Falsa near the Plaza de Bolivar. The Lonely Planet lists La Puerta Falsa among the highlights of Bogota. Lisa and I each decided to get chocolate competo. This is a meal that comes with hot chocolate and bread and butter. But there is a twist. In Colombia, you drop cheese into the hot chocolate and let it melt (it really just gets soft). Then you drink the hot chocoate and eat the cheese with a spoon. The hot chocoate was delicious, but I have mixed feelings about the cheese.
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| Catedral Primada |
After eating, we started exploring. First we wandered around Plaza de Bolivar which was converted into an outdoor ice skating rink. Poked our heads in to Catedral Primada where a priest was giving mass to those in the pews and the tourists we peeking around. Next we returned to Museo del Oro (again with a bit of assistance) and oohed and awed at all the gold nose rings and other relics. After a while, all the nose rings started to look alike and we were growing tired. However, before the let us leave a security guard instructed us (and the other tourists to wait) and then escorted us in to a round, dimly lit room and closed the door. There was some tribal music playing and every once in a while a section of the wall would light up showing us more gold nose rings. Then the floor in the middle of the room lit up, showing more gold nose rings (and a very large emerald). Just when we were wondering if a human sacrifice was next, the door finally reopened to let us out.
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| View from top of Cerro de Monserrate |
After leaving the museum, we decided to take a coffee break. We each ordered a cafe pintado (coffee with a little milk, as opposed to cafe con leche - coffee with more milk) and a bottle of water. Once the caffeine kicked in we stopped by a couple more churches then headed to Cerro de Monserrate. You have the choice of walking up 1500 steps to get to the top of Monserrate or taking a cable car. We opted for the latter. From the top you get a spectacular bird's eye view of all of Bogota. By the time we returned to the city we were exhausted and starving so we decided to grab dinner and call it a night.
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