Bogotá April 2017

So a few months ago I decided that 2017 was going to be be South America Year. With that in mind late last year I did some research on South American countries, prices, flights, what there was to see and do and decided to travel to Colombia and Costa Rica over the Easter Bank Holiday. 


I flew Avianca from London direct to Bogota. They are a Colombian airline and the only airline that flies direct from London to Bogota. The airline was clean and modern and the flight was fine albeit long at 11.5 hours somehow reduced to 10.5 hours in the end. 


After landing I headed to my hostel, Masaya Hostel located in the Candelaria area of Bogota. I stayed in a private room which worked out to be £12 a night, shared rooms will be cheaper. I had a few hours sleep then headed over to my walking tour meeting point outside the Museo De Oro (Gold Museum) at 10am. The walking tour was 3 hours long, unfortunately the weather was not on our side and it was raining for the whole of the tour. Our tour guide was very enthusiastic and took us around different parts of the city with lots of information on Colombia and its former leaders. There were about 30 people on the tour and you need to book in advance to secure your place. www.beyondcolombia.com 
I don't know if it was the weather, the tour guide or the tour in general but after about an hour I was getting quite bored. I ploughed on for the next couple of hours and gave my tip at the end but it definitely wasn't as interesting as other walking tours I've been on the past. 


The tour ended at 1pm and at this point I was jaded, hungry and cold. I headed back to my hostel to put on another layer and get a snack before heading to the Zona Rosa district. I got a taxi from my hostel to Zona Rosa, it's about a 30 minute drive. Colombia is very hilly and mountainous and the roads are windy and steep. Unlike the Candeleria area Zona Rosa is much more built up, modern and a richer area. There are several apartment complexes, bars, restaurants & western shops such as Zara, Coach, Converse, Tiffany etc to choose from. Whereas the Candeleria area has several old buildings and is more run down in addition to local shops and street vendors. 


I headed to a Taqueria (taco restaurant) for some well needed refuelling. Unfortunately these tacos weren't the usual ones I was expecting. Instead I was served taco shells with a mountain of melted cheese and chorizo. I ate as much as I could until calling it a day. 


I then got a cab and headed back to my hostel to plan my next day and take a nap. I then headed out in the evening with a girl I met on the walking tour. We went to a local restaurant for dinner then I headed back to my hostel for a good night sleep before my 6am flight to Medellin the next day. 

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