-Bogota (Jan 3-5, 2016).
We truly didn't know what to expect to upon our arrival. When the taxi drove us to our hotel, on our way, we noticed lots of graffiti on the stores' closed doors and walls. It made us feel unsafe at first, as our hotel was within the graffiti neighbourhood. We quickly checked in, and started to explore Bogota.
Surprisingly, our first check point was at the luxury area of Bogota. Completely, different scenario of what we expected. It made us feel, like we were in Yorkville area, but South American style. The security there was definitely visible. Every block or parking lot entrance, there was either a police/security officer with a guard dog. Somewhat, it made you feel very safe, but, on the other hand, it reminded you not to get too comfortable, despite the given area.
In our next day, we took the gondola and reached the top mountain spot of Bogota. The view was terrific. After that, we went to check out the old city of Bogota. The structure of the buildings blew us away. As we didn't have much time, we started exploring numerous neighbourhoods in Bogota. One of them, was Park 93. The park was surrounded by cafes, bars and restaurants. The whole city is structured by neighbourhoods, and each sections, provides a different taste. Definitely, worth checking most of them out.
One thing that you will notice all around Bogota is the hustlers. They sell anything you may or may not think of. In busy areas, other than touristy gifts, they sell minutes for your phone call which you have to use their own mobile. In case of theft, the mobiles are chained to a pole. Over all, we felt safe in Bogota, except of one time, when we reached their flea market area, which was congested of locals, and aggressive hustlers. This is when, I made sure that my camera was hidden. No one touched or talked to us, but the high volume of locals, made us feel uncomfortable. As we had only 2 full days in Bogota, on this adventured day, we walked around 20kms, which allowed us to see and experience most of the city.
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Part 2 will be about Cartagena, Colombia.
