I'm staying in an area of Bogotá called La Calanderia. It reminds me of Valparaiso, Chile mixed with Cusco, Peru. It's an old area full of colonial buildings, cobblestone alleyways, graffiti and street art, and of course it's extremely hilly. My hostel is called Musicology, and while it's old as well, and the showers don't always have hot water, the vibe is good, and it's right in the center of La Calanderia, right near the action! It also includes breakfast and a traditional Colombian dinner (first hostel I've ever stayed at that includes dinner!).
The whole city seems to be spread out along the base of the mountain range hemming it in. It's quite a sight from the cerros (hills). I spent 6 hours walking around the area, and boy is there lots to see! I swear there are 8 cathedrals in this barrio (suburb or neighbourhood) alone! Not churches...big ass cathedrals! The Spanish certainly were an ambitious bunch.
When in a foreign country, best to try the local cuisine. So I allowed myself to be ushered into a restaurant by a waiter trying to push tourists into his eatery. I ordered stuff I'd never heard of. One was a drink containing a fruit similar to the chirimoya (or custard apple) but it tasted better. It was called la guanábana. It was mixed with milk, and it was awesome.
The actual food however, was a bit of a shock. I ordered a chicken dish without knowing what it was. I was not disappointed in the taste, but South America really needs to wise up on portion sizes. They gave me a plate with half a chicken on it! Not joking! In addition to the chicken and bowl of rice, there was a boiled egg chucked haphazardly on top of the mountain of chicken, with bits of corned beef, two WHOLE potatoes and veggies swimming in sauce. Needless to say, I ate about a third before I gave up.
I actually saw people selling lottery tickets like this on the street! Crazy!
I've been told time and time again about the thieves in Bogotá, so I walked around with most of my money in a secret pouch under my shirt, and a small wad of cash in my wallet. Apparently if you are robbed, it's bad to be caught with nothing because the thieves get antsy and bad things can happen. Also, unlike Argentina, American dollars aren't really accepted in shops (Argentinians prefer American dollars because they think they are more stable and worth more....probably true). I also had my camera pouch under my jacket, so I looked like I had a huge lump growing on my right hip...but no one stole anything! Yay! Speaking Spanish helps to make me look like less of a clueless tourist.
I also visited the Museo de Oro (Gold Museum). Those people were seriously talented! As one who's done pottery as a hobby, I can tell you that this pot would have taken a very, VERY long time to make. And in perfect proportion too!
And this disk of gold is ridiculously intricate for the tools they had to work with back then! This was pre-Spanish.
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