Pura Vida!: AK-47’s in the Morning…

We took the overnight bus from Bogota to Cali. The rising sun had just awoken us as our bus pulled over at a small roadside stand. We looked out the window and right there was a crew of guys wearing military uniforms holding automatic weapons… I didn’t know there was a quicker way to feel awake than coffee, but this was it. Everyone grabbed their bags and climbed down from the bus… I’ll spare our family members reading this the worry- not a big deal! Just a police checkpoint, standard procedure apparently. They glanced at my passport, but Megan’s apparently required the attention of several guards… Cute blonde girl? I think so. After that interest waned, they ignored us and we just hung out drinking a small cafe. They peered over the Colombian ID’s a bit longer but quickly sent us all on our way. Colombia’s finest, making sure the roads are safe to travel.

We spent the past week exploring Bogota. It exceeded both of our expectations, which made me happy. I know Megan was a bit anxious about heading into another big city after leaving the relaxed mountain town of Salento. We’d heard different reports about Bogota and about La Candelaria, the old neighborhood that has become a backpacker hub over the past few years. I was pretty reassured that the area was safe, as the NYTimes travel section wrote about the neighborhood a few months ago. Once a place is safe enough for NYTimes travelers, I’m pretty sure we can handle it. It turned out to be an incredibly relaxed, alternative, artsy area. We met some great fellow travelers and had some great conversations with locals. There are also a ton of universities right in the area; so it’s full of young people, cafes, and bars. Richie, if you are reading this (and as my little brother, I hope you at least glance every so often), you should definitely consider studying abroad in Colombia. Megan and I immediately thought of you.

Bogota itself is massive- population somewhere between 7 and 10 million, depending on the source. We got oriented by taking a cable car up the nearby mist covered mountain of Montserrat. As we got to the top the clouds blew in and surrounded us. Aside from that trip, we mostly stuck to our neighborhood, La Candelaria, the historic city center. There is also a modern district which has sprung up to the north, full of tall office buildings and trendy bars, but our only venture there made it seem a bit out of our budget.

We did one day trip outside the city to visit an underground cathedral carved into a salt mine- billed as “The Number One Attraction in Colombia!!!” We probably should have read a bit more into the attempt to use the advertising to bring us out there. It’s fascinating to see massive underground chambers carved into the salt, but beyond that there’s quite a bit of overstatement. I definitely kept my glasses from the 3-d animated film they show at the end of the tour though. It stars a fast talking giant robot. Need any more be said?

(The walls were lit up by these trippy multicolored lights... I guess they decided that white salt just wasn't interesting enough)

(again, trippy lights to accentuate the salt walls... right out of Star Trek)

(High relief crosses carved into the salt walls of the mine)

As much as we loved Bogota, we decided it was time to move on south. When we got to the bus station, our plan was to head to San Agustin, but we had no luck finding a bus. After pushing through the crowds and fighting the Colombian concept of ‘lines’ (lots of shoulder checking involved), we found passage on an overnight bus to Cali. So we’ll save the archeological ruins of San Agustin for a bit later on, it’s now time to experience the salsa capital of Colombia. Chevere!