Kaleidoscopic Colombia

(I've had troubles uploading the photos with this I've out ohotos on Facebook if you want to see some colour)

Arriving in Bogota was a little confronting to say the least.  We pulled up at our hotel in La Candelaria (the old district) to open the taxi doors to a man in uniform with a very large gun who took our bags.  With some sense of relief we realised he was the security guard who also acted as the doorman and he had taken our bags to our room!  We soon became somewhat comfortable with the fact that everywhere we went in Colombia there were people in uniform with big guns and dogs.

They were all very friendly, helped with directions (when they could understand what we were asking) and essentially were part of the police and military protecting the city.  This outward facing presence was just one part of the Colombian kaleidoscope.

Between Susan and I we had read a couple of books on Colombia ('Killing Pablo' and 'Even Silence Has An End' which are both interesting reads for anyone interested) which had given us some perspective on the recent history of Colombia including the violence, drug cartels and kidnappings.  The presence of the military and police was indicative of the 'crack down' from the government.  There is still some guerilla warfare going on in Colombia but certainly not in the areas we visited.  We loved Colombia, the people are very friendly, sights and scenes amazing and food fresh and fantastic.

We spent four days in Bogota in La Candelaria - we did venture to Zona Rosa on one occasion which is in the north and where the more wealthy people live.  It had everything in the way of shopping malls, designer shops, restaurants, bars, apartment blocks and traffic but we didn't love it.  It was what you could see in any large city (Bogota has a population of 8 million).  La Candelaria had a real spirit to it, lively, bustling, small narrow streets full of tiny restaurants and bars where the menus were in Spanish and we had to point at what other people were having to work out what was what on the menu!

On our first morning we went on a bike ride with Mike from Bogota Bike Tours, what a treat.  It was a Sunday and the sometimes forward thinking Government closes the main street every Sunday and public holiday for  'Ciclovia' when thousands of people get out on there bikes, roller blades, skate boards and feet and cycle, skate, walk or jog through the city.  It is very impressive and we saw all sorts of colourful sights.

Mike took us to places you wouldn't normally visit as a tourist - slums, red light district (prostitution is legal in Colombia), cemeteries, tasting all types of exotic fruit a the markets and into torrential rain in the middle of the tour which caused the streets to flood and us to get absolutely saturated - it was great fun!

There are numerous museums and sights in Bogota, many of them free, which gives you a real sense of the city.  Without a doubt my top three museums were

The Botero Museum, probably Colombia's most famous artist and I think now my fabourite artist.  The free museum was not only full of his works but also his collection which included Picasso, Monet and Renoir to name a few.

The Bogota Gold Museum full of absolutely exquisite cold, copper and silver pieces also giving an interesting overview of Colombian history

The Police Historical Museum - here our 18 year old guide (all guys once they finish school have to do 18 months service unless they can afford to pay not to have to do it - that in itself gives sn indication off the level of people serving) gave us a very interesting tour and told us some amazing stories about the pointe and military in Colombia.  He was working there as he was injured during his time fighting the guerillas in the jungle, the guerillas (FARC) are very closely associated with the drug cartels so it is an ongoing battle.  Of course what we had read and the stories we were told didn't always match up but I was particularly interested in the perspective and section on Pablo Escobar, who was one of the worlds most wanted men   For drug running and killing hundreds of people when he was finally killed by the police s age 44!

The view over Bogota from Mont Serat was stunning (we were lucky enough to go up there with blue skies).  Interestingly, and very different to most other cities in the world, the poorer people live on the hills and the wealthier the flat areas of Bogota.  

Probably a real highlight for us was a cooking class we did with Elsa.  Elsa didn't speak English, my Spanish is very basic and Susan's is non-existent so we had a very funny time going to the markets to get ingredients, following instructions and having conversations but it is amazing how you can work things out through miming, cooking and laughter and the 'Sopa Ajiaco' we made was sensational, even if I do say so myself!

There are mayoral elections for each province across Colombia this weekend.  The current Mayor of Bogota is in gaol for taking a bit of a kick back on a major road building project in the city and there have been a few murders and kidnappings across the country of some candidates.  Again we didn't see any of this but I have again been reminded about how lucky we are in Australia not experiencing the violence or upheaval so many other countries do.

Cartagena was such a different view of Colombia - full of life and action and street sellers. It was hot and humid, the jumpers and jeans were quickly put away away and shorts and t-shirts out.  We arrived to a torrential tropical storm and as I write just before we leave for Cuba there is another torrential downpour hammering the roof.  

We again stayed in the old town.  Cartagena is quite touristy as it is on the Caribbean coast.  We managed to hunt around a little and find a few restaurants and shops that catered for the locals.  The walking tour we did of Cartagena was again insightful and provided us with a behind the scenes view of people, festivals and customs.  The old city of Cartagena is a walled city and is a UNESCO world heritage city - certainly with the visit.

Colombia has been wonderful we have only seen a few of the views of this amazing country, of course there are many different views to it and as a tourist you only see some of them.  Off to Cuba next who knows what stories we'll have to tell from there....adios