Bogotá
I arrived in Bogotá by plane at the end of april and subsequentially had to go through with the compulsory immigration process. After I stated the purpose of my stay in Colombia, as well as provided information about my accomodation, I was equipped with a 90-days visa stamp and free to enter the country. My friend picked me up at the airport and we took a cab to his family`s place, where I am currently staying. The 25 minute cab ride cost around 22.000 COP which equates to 8-9 EUR. I was very friendly welcomed, but the long flight took its toll on me and I was not able to spill out more than 3-word-sentences in spanish.
After some necessary sleep I used the next day to get to know the surroundings of my accomodation, which is located in the north of the city.
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| North of Bogotá |
The first days were really necessary for acclimatization as the city is different to the places I`ve been to in Europe. Thanks to my friend and his family`s effort to speak spanish with me and their explanations I became quickly acquainted with Bogota.
During the first days two things stand out to me. The sheer amount of different fruits Colombia has to offer which I`ve never eaten nor heard before, e.g. the delicious Granadilla, and the lack of coffee drinking habit, which I expected to find in a country cultivating one of world`s most famous coffee.
On my second day in Bogotà I made first contact with the Transmilenio transport system. It is a bus system which is in place of a metro and uses its own lanes on the city`s crowded streets. One ride costs around 0,6-0,8 EUR depending on the time of travel. The bus system transports one suprisingly fast across the city but also gets astonishingly crowed in the morning and evening hours. If you believe the bus is absolutely full, still one more person gets in.
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| View of Bogotà |
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| Obligatory Picture after the Walk |
On sunday I did the walk to the Cerro de Monserrate and the white church which is on top of it. It is the town`s landmark, located at around 3100 meters above sea level. The church is an ideal compass for the city, as its visible from many places and indicating the location of the historic centre of the town.
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| Church on top of Cerro de Monserrate |
While the view from the top is breathtaking, the city and especially the historic centre, La Candelaria, have lots of interesting sites to offer which are best discovered on foot. Here are some impressions.
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| Plaza de Universidad Rosario |
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| Former Riverbed of the Rio in the Centre |
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| The Parliament on Plaza de Simòn Bolìvar |
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| La Candelaria |
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| La Candelaria |
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| Museo del Oro - Hombre y Mujer |
So, the thing I can say after my first days in Colombia is that its people are incredibly friendly and hospitable. I really have an awesome time here and I`m looking forward to discover this country`s sites.
