I have liked Bogotá so far!
Downtown is a very interesting place to visit. If you ever decide to visit Bogota, you should go to the Candelaria and the Plaza de Bolívar (the main square). However, with someone who knows what they're doing.
This is me in Plaza de Bolívar. Named after the liberator Simón Bolívar (actually Venezuelan..technically, he was born in Caracas, but under Spanish rule. Venezuela didn't really exist as a country yet). He is more or less to Panamá, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia what George Washington is to us. And he was basically a bad @$$, too. After defeating the Spanish over and over again all over South America, he became the 2nd and 3rd President of Venezuela, then he became the President of Gran Colombia (an independent state comprised of the current countries of Colombia, Panamá, Ecuador, Venezuela, the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, parts of Perú and Brasil, and Guyana. Bogotá was named the capital). Then after that he became the dictator of Guayaquil (now the state of Guayas, Ecuador and the largest city in Ecuador), then he was dictator of Perú, and then the 1st President of Bolivia. Watch out Chuck Norris...
Bogotá has been very overcast and rainy so far. But the cloudy, overcast, fast moving clouds that circulate over head make the mountains and the city feel mystical and magical. A fairly large chunk of the city still has a very gritty, sleazy and not-so-easy-on-the-eye appearance. But the vast majority is gorgeous (if it stops raining). For what aesthetic beauty Bogota is lacking in many parts of the city, the awe inspiring mountains, the Colombians themselves, and the amazing, exotic food more than make up for its flaws.
Parque de los Periodistas (Journalist's Park) - Built in 1884 by Italian architect Pietro Cantini.
Parque de los Periodistas - The statue is of...of course...you guessed it.... Simón Bolívar.
2 pictures of the Candelaria. Built in the 1500s. The top picture was taken from the roof of the Gabriel García Márquez Cultural Center.
The Botero Museum. Amazing and free. I will post more about this later.
The Transmilenio Bus System. Really neat, innovative mode of transportation. And cheap. Like $0.94 USD for a trip. Works like a subway system with it's own private lanes on the highway.
Ajiaco. The traditional dish of Bogota! It's basically the most delicious thing I have ever had in my entire life. It has chicken, capers, cream, avocado, corn on the cob (that's what the stick is for), and some weird but delicious herb called la guasca. Rico!!!
That's all for now! Hope to write more soon! Saludos desde Bogotá!
