First Stop Bogotá

I began my journey in Colombia in the capital city of Bogotá. Like I mentioned in my first post about Colombia, the people there are super friendly, so I actually met Luisa and Juan within my first five minutes at my hostel. As I was settling in and unpacking my bag, Luisa and Juan came into my room and invited me to lunch. We ended up spending the whole weekend together, and I also met up with Luisa again later in Medellin (she was there for a business trip the same time that I was)! Luisa and Juan were childhood friends who had lived together growing up, and were keen to show me what Bogotá had to offer.

We spent our first night in Bogotá's Zona Rosa with a crew from the hostel. After dinner of empanadas we headed out to La Villa for happy hour drinks and later Colombian Pub for drinks and dancing. Colombians definitely know how to celebrate. Being Christmas season, the streets were brightly adorned in lights, and a Colombian night out involves simply buying a bottle of booze for the table at prices that aren't much higher than normal liquor store prices. We had a great introductory night to Colombia!

Zona Rosa with decor

Christmas tree in the square

Juan, Luisa and Lars

Bottle service

The next night we also went out, to the funky Andres Carne de Res. The restaurant/bar was enormous, with (I think) 8 floors of dancing, food, and enormous drinks. The decor was extremely strange, and part of the fun of the atmosphere is that the staff walks around in very weird costumes. Imagine if you are just enjoying yourself at dinner, and this scary pregnant man clown slowly walks by your table, with a zombie-like pace and demeanor? Needless to say, the night was certainly entertaining!

Pregnant zombie clown at Andres

The next morning I woke up and did the Bogota Bike Tours which is an amazing way to see a lot of the city in one day. Bogotá is the capital of Colombia, and also home to many of the countries most famed museums and architecture. Highlights of this tour include an informative and knowledgeable guide, the bullfighting stadium, the interesting graffiti, the red light district (would have never seen this area without the tour), and all the beautiful city parks.

My bike on the tour

The Bullfighting Plaza

Bogota is known for its political graffiti artists

Nacional Museum that details Bogota's turbulent history

Plaza Bolivar

The next week was spent taking Spanish classes at Nueva Lengua, which is an impressive Spanish school only blocks away from the hostel I was staying at (La Pinta), in the friendly and comfortable Chapinero neighborhood. The classes were really incredible and highly recommended if you are looking for a Spanish class in Bogotá. Class days run from 8-12pm on Mondays through Fridays and are broken up into grammar, reading and listening, and speaking sections with three different teachers a day. I liked this approach because then you could learn from teachers who were teaching the subjects that they enjoyed most, and you also had an opportunity to experience three different teaching styles.

In the afternoons I did some exploring around Bogotá in nearby towns. Keep posted for a blog update about my day trips to Monserrate and Zipaquira as well as my tips for the museums and food in La Candelaria!

Colombia. Que Chévere!

What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of the country of Colombia? For most, Colombia is thought of as the land of cocaine and kidnappings -- certainly not a place that a young, independent female traveler like myself would be signing up to visit. While the country is certainly plagued with a violent history, in fact there has been quite an amazing turnaround in the years since Pablo Escobar was assassinated, and the drug cartels and danger has mostly left the country. I had heard wonderful things about the country from fellow backpackers and travelers, so when I came across a RT ticket for under $500 from the US to Bogota, I decided that I better see Colombia for myself!

Zipaquira, Colombia town square and Christmas tree

Ajiaco, a tasty, traditional Colombian soup

The lovely beaches at Tayrona National Park

Let's just say that I'm happy that I have been to Colombia before the crowds have discovered it. Throughout my time there, I realized that it despite its ugly stereotypes, it is actually a safe and beautiful place to visit-- and a place that I predict will have an influx of tourism in upcoming decades. In addition to the country's extensive natural beauty, Colombians are an extremely hospitable bunch. I have run into many friendly people throughout my travels, but it's fair to say that the Colombians I met and spent time with were over the top-- they introduced me to their families and best friends, and welcomed me into their world with an open embrace, in a way that I have never seen before in another country. At first, I suspected that this desire to please tourists and foreigners stems from the fact that so many tourists are still scared to visit, and the Colombians have an ulterior motive of tourism promotion through their kindness. Throughout my travels however, I realized that most Colombian's generosity is far from insincere. As some of my new Colombian friends told me, "This is just our culture. This is how we are."

My trip to Colombia began in Bogota, where I took Spanish lessons from an awesome language school called Nueva Lengua. Next, I traveled to the sunny Caribbean coastal cities of Cartagena and Santa Marta, where I took an amazing mud bath at the Totumo Volcano and visited the Tayrona National Park. Finally I visited Medellin, a city known for its impeccable climate and one of the most amazing turnarounds-- going from one of the most dangerous cities in the world to one of the cleanest in just a few decades.

Stay posted, as I will update this blog with highlights and photos from each city in the next few weeks. As the Colombians say, Colombia is "muy chévere!"