Visiting the Colombian capital

One year now I have been traveling a lot for please. So much that I even lost count of all trips. I miss my old work life a lot though and  every morning is one less until next time. Being on the road, meeting new people and finding out what’s next is also part of traveling and going to Colombia by myself was very exciting even for me that see myself as an experienced traveler. By end of July I headed to Bogota for some days in the Colombian capital. A must see place for me. 

Getting around Bogota

The city is one of the capitals in the world with highest altitude and at 2800 meters. I didn’t felt it when walking but when running a bit faster I could. The pulse was reaching higher levels than normal. Uber works perfectly in Bogota and was my trusted transport friend. My “poquito” Spanish worked but the conversation with the all time friendly drivers were a mix of Spanish, English and teater language. Fair enough. The 12(!) million people city does not have a subway but it is under construction financed by Chinese investment. Public transport consist of buses but I didn’t tried them although I like doing the local way while being on the road. 

City sightseeing

The first day I went for a guided city walk. That was very nice and is something I always recommend solo travelers when you are not familiar with the city. You get to see the vibes, meet other travelers and get an idea of how the place works and if it is safe to walk around yourself. Bogota I had quite some respect for traveling to by myself but I was positively surprised. I didn’t felt scared at all, okey I was not walking outside in the darkness or visiting suburbs myself but doing normal stuff was completely fine.

The sightseeing tour brought us to some local colonial neighborhood and it was very beautiful, a market and the main part of the city center. It was a very nice group and half of us were solo travelers so I even found company for dinner after. I wanted to try one local specialty and tried some kind of soup with chicken and potatoes in served with rice and avocado on the side. Tried it but not my taste. 

Bogota halfmarathon

The reason I went to Bogota this time of the year was also due to the half marathon. It was a very nice one and Adidas was the main sponsor so of course there were some perks for Adidas runners. The day before the race I attended a shakeout run of 5K and there were also drinks and snacks and activities around it. The elite runners were presented and it was a nice gathering. 

On the race day it was quite some fellow runners at the hotel so we had some pre race talks during breakfast. At the race Adidas also had a huge area with hair fix, lounge, DJ and snacks so it was great to hand out there before the run started. Although summer in Bogota it was cold. 12 degrees and rain. I decided to run in my rain jacket. This was just a fun run for me and I’m happy I wore it because it was cold. Half way in it stopped raining and I took it off. Looking at my watch after I had also increased my pace after that. It was a very nice run all around the city center and a lot of people out watching. Absolutely not a good run time but I had fun. Finished and got a beautiful medal.

Montserrat

The city has a viewpoint Montserrat which I of course visited. Okey it is a religious spot but location is at a mountain so it is also a major tourist attraction. You can walk up the mountain and get another 600m elevation challenge but after the half marathon I took bought me out of it and took the funicular. Sunday afternoon it was no people in line to get up so perfect. I walked around and enjoyed the view being up there and also had a snack. When I was finished I was very hungry since I had not eaten properly after my half marathon so started to think about food. What I didn’t know is that Sundays are family days so finding an open restaurant after lunchtime is very difficult. I was eating at the hotel and honestly it was by far the most delicious food I had. Local tacos with plantain chips.

Upscale Bogota

The last neighborhood I wanted to visit was the upscale neighborhood Usaquen . It was very cute and since Colombia is very famous for coffee I decided on having an easy day there walking around and trying different coffee places. In the end it only became two but one was absolute great. It felt like a museum with old furniture and a story and they had my favorite cookies Efajores. I had already found another favorite coffee place that I absolutely loved with best coffee I ever had and very cozy atmosphere. I got my Starbucks collection mug, magnet and some other souvenirs before I left. 

Bogota summed up

After that I left Bogota with positive memories of the people and the place. It was nice. Different and exciting. I enjoyed the vibe a lot. The streetart that covers the city and that tells stories about life. Like most cities two or three days is enough for Bogota but I feel that Colombia has a lot more to offer and I would happily travel back to San Andres, Medelin and Cartagena.

/ Pernilla that has a great time in Bogota