Stop Hating on Bogota – It’s Pretty Awesome

I didn’t have crazy high hopes for Bogotá.

It’s a big city. A big big city. Possibly dirty and ugly. High altitude. Crime. Right?

I was nervous about arriving after dark too. I even paid more not to take a random taxi from the airport into the city. (I went with an old man in a private care who I liked the looks of for about $5 extra.)

Combine all this with the fact that lots of people I’d met traveling through Colombia had said they didn’t really love Bogotá and that maybe it was even worth skipping, and I just wasn’t too excited. All I knew was that I was ready to get out of those hot as hell towns on the Caribbean coast and make my way down to a cooler region. Also, I didn’t want to skip the capital city of Colombia!

And yes, I (and everyone else) was definitely wrong about Bogotá. In fact, it changed my mind pretty quickly. But that probably had a lot to do with where I stayed and what I did while I was in the city. Sooo, why did I have such a good time?

I Stayed in Zona G

Yep, that “G” stands for “gourmet.” Of course I enjoyed myself. The hostel I stayed in was located in the heart of an upper class neighborhood filled with bars, coffee shops, and restaurants, not to mention lots of well-dressed folks walking their (sometimes also well-dressed) dogs. I even had a go-to breakfast spot, or should I say coffee and croissant spot. I’m so fancy now.

Most tourists (and yes, I’d venture to say most) stay in the central, historic part of the city known as La Candelaria. It’s beautiful, crowded, colorful, dirty, and packed with hostels. But it’s also not super safe, especially at night. As one Colombian friend told me, while walking around that area, you have to seas mosca or “be a fly,” as in you should constantly keep an eye out, be looking around, moving, and watching your stuff.

And don’t get me wrong, I visited La Candalaria three times… during the day. I had a great time and never felt unsafe, and I saw all of the sites, including Bolívar Square, the government buildings, the national park, and the gold museum. Plus, I took an incredible bike tour around the area into some of the less touristed neighborhoods like Las Nieves, La Macarena, and even the red light district. We saw a traditional fruit market, visited a coffee factory, learned the meaning of some important works of graffiti, and even played tejo.

The lady with the sour fruits

A restaurant inside of La Macarena market

Uchuva // Grenadilla

The lady with the sweet fruits

I was so pumped to actually play tejo.

Our guide here is explaining how the game of tejo works by placing the wedges of gunpowder around the metal ring. The goal is to throw the heavy stones at the boards, either landing one in the mud in the middle of the ring or hitting one of the wedges, causing a very loud explosion. It’s the national sport of Colombia! (And I doubt it’ll ever catch on in the U.S.)

The pros above // Amateurs below

Yeah, we weren’t that good.

A tiny coffee factory // We tried the beans themselves plain

A huge coffee menu // Coffee with condensed milk and cardamom – so good

An explanation of Colombia’s history through graffiti

While La Candelaria is where the majority of tourist attractions are, it was so nice to have a beautiful, clean, incredibly safe neighborhood to retreat to at the end of the day, not to mention the world’s best hostel bed. It was also a relief to not be nervous about heading out at night by myself to grab something to eat. Plus, taxis and the Transmilenio bus are cheap if you do need to get to the center. (Just make sure someone calls you that cab.)

If you only have a few days for the city, it might make sense to stay in La Candelaria, but I stayed in Bogotá nearly a week and felt like I could stay forever if only I could afford one of those apartments in the nice northern neighborhoods. (Oh, and if Bogotá’s weather wasn’t so damn crazy. It’s like permanently fall there with added random rainstorms.)

Plaza del Toros

I Did Normal Things

After a day (or even a half-day) of checking off tourist activities, I can get a little burnt out. So, since this is long-term travel and all, after I accomplish some of those must-do items, I like to relax and just do whatever I want for a bit to balance that out. And guess what? Since I’m alone, I can do whatever I want!

I had coffee and a croissant each morning at a nearby bakery. At the recommendation of the Colombian girl at the hostel’s front desk, I went out on one of my first mornings to Arbol de Pan, the cutest, most delicious coffee shop and bakery in Zona G, and ordered the almond croissant with a double cappuccino. Okay, one day I got a chocolate croissant, but it totally wasn’t the same. And the total was never more than $3.

I got my nails done. One day I felt like strolling, eating, and taking pictures of nothing in particular, so that’s what I did. I went to a nearby salon and had a manicure and pedicure (for under $10) and while no, it wasn’t THE highest quality manicure I’ve ever had, I really enjoyed chatting in Spanish with the girl who did my nails. All of the ladies in the salon were so curious about me, why I was traveling alone, and if I had a boyfriend, and then they eagerly threw out recommendations about where I should visit in Colombia.

And when a man on a motorbike stopped by to sell them an afternoon snack, they asked if I wanted to try it too. Um, yes! So we all ate our mazamorras – corn, hot milk, cheese, and brown sugar or panela – laughing while I comprehended only about 60% of the conversation. It was a really sweet gesture and just the kind of cultural experience I’d been looking forward to having on this trip.

On that note, I tried to eat all the local foods. Well, this is a given, but Bogotá, being the huge city that it is, has all the types of food you could ever imagine. While I was here though, I tried to get my hands on at least a few more of the traditional Colombian dishes I’d yet to try. Specifically hot chocolate and cheese and the thick hearty soup called ajiaco. I loved them both. And yes, you do melt the cheese in the chocolate and then scoop it out to eat it. Strangely delicious.

I took lots of coffee breaks. So yeah, I’m really trying to become one of those people who likes good coffee. Too bad it’ll be more expensive once I return to the US. But if you can’t find a really cute shop in Bogotá, you can always head into that Juan Valdez Café that you’ll most likely find on the corner. It’s like the Colombian Starbucks, complete with good wifi, students on their MacBooks, and local coffee at better prices. If I was feeling a little tired or peckish during any afternoon, I’d just pop into one of these joints with my Kindle and drink an espresso… or a double… usually with a delicious treat on the side. Like, I don’t know, maybe a brownie with chocolate mousse and arequipe.

I made friends, went to happy hour, and hung out in local parks. As is the case with most things, meeting good people always makes a destination better. Plus, having someone to walk around with in a big foreign city makes me feel a little more comfortable and secure. Bogotá has no shortage of parks to hang out in, but I especially loved Parque 93 in the north of Bogotá. It’s clean, grassy, and surrounded by artwork, restaurants, and bars; I even got a healthy little smoothie of mango, orange, and kale to take with me. Hey, when in Rome!

Follow that relaxation time up with a happy hour where liters of Club Colombia beer are “2 for 1” and I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’ve had a great day.

I Climbed Up Monserrate

At the encouragement of one of the aforementioned new “friends,” I walked up this prominent mountain for some glorious views of sprawling Bogotá, despite there being a perfectly functioning funicular. I’m joking – it was totally worth it, though I did have to stop for lots of water breaks to rest and breathe and curse my partner. Bogotá is already at an altitude of 8,675 feet (or 2,644 meters), so who cares about climbing all the way up to like 10,500 feet (or 3,200 meters)? No big deal.

Yes, it was tough, but I’m not sure I would have fully appreciated the views if I hadn’t struggled to get there. My struggle with the metric system, however, is another matter completely…

Don’t worry, if you decide to do it on foot like us, there are little shops and stands along the way to sell you beverages, snacks, or access to a bathroom. And at the top you can chill with a coca tea and cerveza. There are also two restaurants located up there that were quite out of my price range. (I imagine the folks that eat there aren’t walking up.)

I Saw How Active the City Is

Aside from all the health food stores and tons of smoothie and juice shops, it’s easy to see that Bogotá is really progressive when it comes to health and staying active.

On Sundays, they shut down many major roads for Ciclovía, a time when people on bikes, skateboards, or yes, even rollerblades can take over the streets. There are tons of folks running and walking in their fashionable athletic clothes too. And lots of locals go climb Monserrate on Sundays. Also, the parks are loaded with people playing sports or using the free exercise equipment provided by the city.

And even when it’s not Sunday, there are permanent bike lanes in many of the neighborhoods. I had to avoid getting run over many times when I’d stray from the sidewalk into the portion marked off for cyclists. And I even used these lanes myself (and thanked God for them) when I took that bike tour. I love not getting hit by taxis!

I really enjoyed my time in Bogotá, extended my stay more than once, and got rather comfortable with the city, despite having to layer my raincoat over my sweater during the rather chilly nights. I’d love to go back, and I’m sure I will eventually. Bogotá has every amenity you could possibly want, and it’s easy to picture myself living there. It’s a big city, but it’s also a very nice big city if you know where to look.

So let’s all stop talking shit about Bogotá and give it a chance. If you’re having trouble deciding whether you should go, just do it. Maybe get out of the hippie, grungy, hostel-filled zones in La Candelaria where everybody’s just trying to smoke weed and party, and then you’ll see how cool the city is. Trust me, it’s lovely.

Where I Stayed: 12:12 Hostels in Zona G is incredible. It has the best beds ever and curtains for privacy! The ladies at the front desk practically serve as a concierge – just tell them what you’re looking for and they’ll circle the place on a special map they’ve created with all of the local restaurants.

Where I Ate/Drank: Arbol de Pan is a must-visit for baked goods and coffee if you’re in the area. They serve breakfast and lunch and it’s fantastic quality stuff. El Corral is a local chain restaurant, almost like a Colombian Applebee’s (which I abhor), but you can join the crowds for a solid happy hour of 2×1 liters of Club Colombia at El Corral. They are everywhere but there’s one by Parque 93 and in Zona G. I also stumbled into Juan Valdez and Crepes & Waffles (both popular Colombian chains as well). We also stumbled into El Butcher for apps of empanadas, choripan, and burgers. I went for a solo lunch at Gordo which was delicious for burgers, sandwiches, and bar food (they were playing old school country music). Masa also has solid (maybe a bit overpriced) trendy sandwiches, baked goods, salads, and smoothies. Patacones was recommended to me and will serve you literally anything on top of a fried plantain.