Traveling to Bogota for a second time I was prepared for the chaos that would ensue; pollution filled air, constant traffic jams, and the dangers that came with going out at night. I realized this time around that Bogota isn’t as bad as I thought it was. The city is a bit more dangerous than most in Colombia but it really has a lot to offer tourists when you get past the initial facade. After you look past all of the annoyances you can really find some great things in the city.
Traveling to Bogota is sour then sweet, like Sour Patch Kids.
I went to Bogota in order to get extra pages added to my passport since I only had 4 spots left, not 4 pages, 4 spots. For my current move to Kenya I would need 6 different stamps on my passport not including the pages I would need for visas while traveling in Africa.
While I am more than willing to hand my passport over to very efficient Colombians working at the US Embassy in Bogota (sarcasm), I am not willing to hand over my passport to anyone in Africa. On a side note why are Colombians even working at the US Embassy? This is where my tax money is going? I’m just kidding Colombia I support your economy too.
Bogota’s weather is sour to most people but to me it’s the sweetest thing on Earth. Kind of like when people look at me funny when I put my sushi plate and cover it with hot chocolate at the old restaurant I used to eat at. Yeah I did it! I pig out on all you can east sushi and I dipped it in chocolate, take that Godiva.
After all of the chaotic taxi drives and pot holes that I informed the taxi driver he missed, Bogota turns into a cultural powerhouse. The city has more museums to offer visitors than any other city I have visited around the world.
Now I don’t know if this has to do with my 48 hours of boredom in Bogota which lead me to research things to do more than usual, but either way most of these museums are extremely interesting.
My first experience was walking along 7th avenue on a Sunday afternoon. I decided to walk 8 blocks to the National Museum of Colombia since it was cool outside and I just finished roasting on the Colombian coast. I must of lost 5 pounds with all the sweating in Tayrona National Park. I did gain it back as soon as I arrived in Medellin and ate hot dogs at 3am infested with 3 foreign kinds of sauce, thin fries, and green stuff that I can’t begin to try to describe. Try to follow me here.
Look at that face! Who couldn't love that face?
7th avenue was closed off to cars and there a must have been hundreds of people riding bicycles back and forth. One of the unique things that I love about Colombia is the you don’t need to be young to have fun. In the picture above you will see an old couple jamming to some Colombian music.
There was a big crowd watching them dance and if you didn’t already know, we get jiggy with it in Colombia
The next few days that followed I encountered great people on the streets and visited four museums while I was taking care of my passport. While I now have a passport fatter than American waistlines (sorry America I love you but its true), the museums were seriously impressive. The Gold Museum in Bogota is world class and one of the best museums I have ever visited.
His name is Juan!
Another unique museum is the Emerald museum located on the 23rd floor of the Avianca Building just across the plaza. They wouldn’t let you take pictures but being that I am a VIP travel blogger with fancy business cards they gave me a personal tour and allowed me to take pictures. The National Colombia Museum was excellent especially since they had my crack available, Juan Valdez. And the Colonial Museum in the candelario district was extremely interesting.
The only museum that I didn’t get to see on this visit was La Moneda which had to do with the history of money in Colombia.
All in all I would say traveling to Bogota may rub you the wrong way when you first arrive. It’s like your parents trying to make you eat vegetables when your kid after they bought you the extra large chocolate bar at the gas station for an appetizer. You just don’t want it. And just as you get older saving the chocolate bar for desert you get used to Bogota within a few hours after you explore it.
So when you are traveling to Bogota remember that you may be disenchanted at first…. It’s sour then its sweet.
My pleasure 🙂
Bogota, the capital city and the nation’s economic and cultural center, provides fabulous opportunities for visitors. It has more than two dozen museums, hundreds of parks, a wealth of colonial architecture, and some of the hottest night life in South America. If you have two weeks to spend in Bogota, you’ll find something new to see and do every single day.