I’ve always loved visiting new places and it is even better when its a new country. So, when Prateek suggested a trip to Peru and Bolivia I was all in. Who knew, I was in for an even better surprise. When I booked my flights, as always, cheapest flights are the priority (Not to sound racist or anything, but Indians love cheap stuff). And guess what, the airline me a bargain and top it off with a 10 hour transit at Bogota, Columbia. First thing I checked was whether I had visa free access to Columbia, and guess what, I do. So, our 2 country trip suddenly expanded to 3, courtesy Avianca Airlines. For my travel partners, it was 4 instead of 2 as they had a much longer transit on return at El Salvador. So, this is the story of how I spent my 7 hours at Bogota before taking the flight to Cusco.
It all began at JFK airport on the 18th of November 2017, when Prateek, Jay and I boarded the 6.30 am Avianca flight to Cusco with a few layovers. Even though I slept at the couch in the Wingtips lounge at JFK, I dozed off the moment I boarded the flight. We reached El Dorado airport at Bogota at 12 noon (same time zone as Baltimore). Its a huge and impressive airport. First thing we did was to get Colombian Pesos, ($1 = ~3000 pesos). If you wanna feel rich, check your bank balance at Columbia and guess what, the symbol for Colombian pesos is also $. Try not to have a panic attack when you see that a decent meal would cost you $10,000 (Relax, its pesos ~ 3 USD). We cashed in USD 50 and got 135,000 pesos. After clearing the immigration, we left the airport at 2 pm. I left my backpack at the cloak room. First destination was Bolivar Plaza which is more like the town center.
First impression about Bogota, its just like India. Similar cars, motor cycles and terrible traffic. However, you drive on the right, unlike India. The roads are pretty good with special lanes for buses in center and metro like bus stations every kilometer or so with over bridges. And there are awesome graffiti all around. We went to an upscale restaurant near Plaza de Bolivar for lunch. The weather Gods didn’t seem to favor us much as it was quite a cloudy day. When we reached the Bolivar plaza, there was a prayer service at the Cathedral and they released a big rosary beads made of hydrogen balloons into the air. Around the Bolivar square, you have the Cathedral, the City hall, the National Capitol and the Court. Walking on the cobbled pavements towards the heart of the city, we found crowded streets with amazing street performers staging mimes, dances, songs, instruments, cosplay and even posing as statues. Quite a lively and beautiful place. Further down, the path is paved in red bricks with stepped fountains in the middle and lined with trees.
If you have very little time, the must visit place in Bogota is Monserrate. Its a hill near the city which offers breathtaking views of the entire city. It was indeed our main destination in Bogota. There are 2 options to go up; Cable car and a train. We decided to take the cable car up and train down. The cable car ride up is quite steep and if you have fear of heights, you might wanna stay away from the windows. As we moved up, the magnificence of Bogota revealed itself to us. On top of Monserrate is a church and a small park. However, the highlight is the stunning view of the city. Even though it was cloudy, the sight was majestic. Unfortunately, after a while it started to rain. We took shelter near a coffee shop. Another stroke of misfortune was that the train down to the city closed before we got there. So, we had no choice but to take the cable car back down again. The train goes through some really steep tracks and tunnels, so I’d urge you to take it if you get a chance. Another trivia, I thought restrooms in Iceland were expensive, but here, its $600-800 (Just kidding, its in pesos).
After spending about an hour at Monserrate we came down and went to a coffee shop. If you miss the American food, fret not. There are plenty of Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks etc. However, we went to a Colombian coffee house. Main objective was to get WiFi. After grabbing a coffee, I decided to head back to the airport as I had my next flight at 10.30 pm. My friends however had an early morning flight next day. I called an Uber using WiFi (and had a hard time finding the driver, because WiFi doesn’t work once you leave the coffee shop). I had a chat with him using google translate ( You hard me right; All hail Google). While I went back to airport, Prateek and Jay wandered around the city to try the authentic Colombian coffee.
I reached the airport at around 8:15 and wandered around till I boarded my flight to Lima. The only place I regret not being able to visit was the Gold Museum at Bogota. Before Colombia gained an infamous reputation with drug cartels, it was known for gold. With this, I conclude the day 1 of our South American Odyssey. If you have 10 hours, I think you can cover most of what Bogota has to offer.
Next stop: Cusco, Peru.
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