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Capital cities in Latin America are often thought of as dirty and dangerous, so many travellers never catch more than a snapshot of the airport as they board their bus to the beach. Add that to the altitude and weather in Bogota being less than ideal (being from England, I'm used to a little rain shower every afternoon, but it's not quite the backpacking experience many people have in mind), and it seems that Bogota is not getting the attention it deserves. Even in under-travelled Colombia, the coastal town of Cartagena and its beaches seem to get all the buzz. So here are five reasons why travellers should take the time to see Bogota, and maybe just bring an umbrella...
The Festivals! Bogota plays host to some of the biggest music festivals in South America, as well as possibly the widest variety I've ever seen in one city. We have Rock al Parque, Hip Hop in the Park, Jazz in the Park, Salsa in the Park (this weekend, look forward to a vivid post) and Festivo Centro, which is a celebration of all things eclectic. All of these are a whopping FREE to enter and attract crowds in the tens of thousands. There's more than just music though, the Bogota Carnival celebrates the city's founding every August with troupes of masqueraders, musicians and dancers parading through La Candelaria entertaining the crowd. Bogota also holds Colombia's biggest film festival every year, where Colombian and International films compete for the prestigious awards.
The Museums and Galleries! With 58 museums and more than 70 galleries, there's something to see for everyone. The breathtaking Museo del Oro contains 35 thousand pieces of tumbaga gold, displayed in well-conceived exhibitions showing the culture and history of pre-colonial Colombia, including an entire, darkly-lit floor devoted to astrological beliefs and sacrifices. The most famous gallery is the Botero Museum, free to enter and wander amongst the 123 Botero works and 87 others contained within a beautiful statehouse.Most museums and galleries are cheap to enter and nominate one day to be free, as well as an annual weekend in which all museums are free entry and open 24 hours. Museums may not have been top of your list when planning your trip around South America, but I promise you'll find something to see here that you'll never forget.
The Views! Suffer the altitude we may, but I'll be damned if it's not worth it for the views. Breathtaking and spectacular don't even begin to describe it. Ringed by mountains, there's nowhere in the city you can escape their imposing visage. And the simplest of taxi rides from the airport to La Candelaria will take you up on a ridge where views appear of the never ending city sprawling beneath you. The city is so incomprehensibly enormous, that even from the monastery atop one of the surrounding hills, you still can't see its end. At night the city pulses with light and energy, with the city's tallest building, the Colpatria Tower, shifting in an ever-changing glow of fluorescent lights, often with firework displays for no reason other than a love of beauty and light. Even if you're only here for one night, climb as high as you can and look out at the city, it'll be worth it.
The Food! The Caribbean coast may be famous for its endless selection of fruits, but the selection of foods in Bogota is nothing to be sniffed at. You can't walk ten feet without passing a fruit stall selling fresh, milky guanabana juice, a streetcook frying up some sort of sausage and arepa (cheesy little pancakes) concoction that I have yet to try, or small, open-front cafes selling buñuelos (completely round fritters stuffed with cheese) and baked Colombian empanadas. Absolutely everything comes with cheese, and speaking for myself, this can only be a selling point for the city... Not only is there a complete selection of all the streetfood and traditional dishes Colombia has to offer, but the international influence has created some amazing fusion restaurants with a wealth of flavours and styles on offer. Colombian style sushi anyone? Tradicional Galician restaurant? Peruvian-style cevecherías and Carribbean pescadarías are also plentiful amongst the more exotic Chinese restaurants, French chocolateries and Irish bakeries. I could eat four meals a day out of the house and never reach the end of it all, although I'm determined to try.
The Bizarre! Go abseiling off a bridge over the Carreterra, go rock climbing in the middle of the city, join the free, open air jazzercise session at Parque Nacional Herrera, buy a bamboo saxophone or take a ghost tour of La Candelaria, there is no end of bizarre and fascinating sights and activities in a city of this size.
So if you're planning a trip round South America and want a break from all the hammock swinging, save a couple of days for dear old Bogota and all it has to offer.
x Erin x
- comments
marie sounds very exciting and vibrant