GREAT TIME IN BOGOTA – DOORWAY TO THE LAND OF ENCANTO!

We had a great time in Bogota (the gateway to Colombia) as we kick started our journey to the marvelous South American country. Surrounded by the stunning Andes mountains, Amazon rainforest, and a beautiful sprawling coastline, there is no shortage of adventures to be had in the land of Encanto.

We went on an epic 9 day trip that covered 3 cities (Bogota, Medellin, and Cartagena) and could be considered a Colombia travel sampler if you will. Our vacation was divided evenly (sort of) in time at each city and covered just enough to leave you wanting more. This post is part one of three.

Getting there

We had quite the experience just getting out of the US. For starters, we had to go through the ATL (world’s busiest airport). We try to avoid flying through there as much as possible but sometimes it can’t be avoided. Our first leg from Houston to Atlanta went on without a hitch. Our original layover was supposed to be 3 hours. This is usually a perfect amount of time that gives you some cushion if there are delays on the 1st flight and it also gives you a window to eat without being in a rush.

Delta airlines however decided to give us a bonus 2 1/2 hours because who couldn’t use more time at their hub airport right? We used this extra time to get properly hammered because what else was there to do, lol. We took it all in stride and charged it to the game. The delay meant that our arrival into Bogota would now be around 11 pm instead of 8 pm. There would be no first night going out stories to tell.

El Dorado International Airport

This is a huge airport but with a very well organized customs check in. We breezed through without incident and even my common name would not cause us problems this time. Things changed quickly once we got our bags and moved on to the main arrivals area. The doors slid open and all you could see was a sea of people and they all seemed to be yelling out in various directions. We were bombarded by several that kept asking if we needed a ride to our hotel. Waiting for an Uber was out of the question so we grabbed a cab.

An airport worker (I think) opened the door to our cab and wanted a tip! She was pretty adamant about it too. I politely declined, got inside, and told the driver to take us to the Holiday Inn Bogota airport property. It was now midnight and we were tired. And of course the cab driver gets lost. It was just one of those days. I literally had to guide him there using my Waze app. Wasn’t sure if he legit did not know how to get there or se estaba haciendo pendejo but either way we got there.

Day One – Monserrate, La Candelaria, Bolivar Plaza, and Gold Museum

The alarm went off at 8 am and as we peeled back the curtains and took our first daytime glimpse of Colombia, we were happy. Mostly clear blue skies as far as the eye could see. We were already off to a good start and only needed our coffee to get us truly going. Colombia is world-renowned for their excellent coffee and it tastes even better when you’re in the country. This was me after every sip:

Where to Stay – Sofitel Bogota Victoria Regia

After breakfast we took a 30 minute cab ride into town to our hotel for the next 2 days. The French hotel Sofitel Bogota Victoria Regia was a true gem of a property. Great location, superb service, and the best bed I have ever slept on in all of my years of travel (no joke). I had never stayed at a Sofitel property but I should have known that this would be a great experience when we pulled up and the doormen had top hats. It reminded me of our stay in Mexico City at the Intercontinental. My boys in top hats over there were super attentive and on top of their game as well.

It was only 10am and our room was not ready so they checked our bags. No worries, we were on a mission to do as much sight seeing as possible this beautiful day. My wife asked if we had a personal driver or tour guide set up and I told her it was me. She wasn’t amused. She had gotten used to us having private guides on our most recent trips. We were going to do it old school style like we had done it all those other years, by getting lost everywhere.

I’m only half kidding fam. As long as my google maps worked on my cell then we would be good. I had an ambitious day planned for us. Monserrate, La Candelaria, Bolivar Plaza, and Gold Museum were all on my itinerary so we jumped into a cab and made our way to the first site.

Monserrate – Best view in all of Bogota!

 It’s always nice to get a bird’s eye view of the city you are visiting and you won’t find a better spot than this one. The most visited sanctuary in all of Bogotá sits at 10,400 feet above sea level! At that altitude you can see the sheer size and magnitude of the entire city and appreciate it’s beauty from the top. But first you have to get there and I’ll cover the 3 ways to get to the 500 year old shrine on the hill.

Walk up the Hill

Nope. Not for us, and definitely not on day one. Remember those 10,400 ft. I told you about? You need to take it easy to get acclimated. I did not want to die in the first 24 hours upon arrival. But for those that want to give it a shot, here are some things to consider.

The opening and closing times of the Monserrate trail. It’s open every day, except Tuesdays, from 5:00 am to 1:00 pm to go up and from 5:00 am to 4:00 pm to go down. Most people say it takes between 50 minutes to an hour to complete the hike. So if you want the exercise or don’t want to pay a fee to go up, have at it amigos.

Via Funicular

I’ll be honest, I didn’t know what the hell this meant. When people were asking me if we were going to take the Funicular I was like a deer in the headlights. So FYI, its a type of cable railway system along the mountainside that sends you up at like a 45 degree angle. This is the option we went with due to the time we arrived. It is open Monday to Friday from 6:30 am to 11:45 am and on Saturdays until 4:30 pm. On Sundays and holidays until 6:30 pm.

Via Cable Car

It is only open starting at noon. Days and hours of operation are Monday to Saturday from 12:00 pm to 11:30 pm and 10:00 am to 4:30 pm on Sundays.

Almost there! Just a little more walking.

Whether you take the cable car or funicular, you’ll get dropped off at the same spot close to the top. But you’ll still need to make a small hike to get to the sanctuary. As you can see on the map below, there are 2 routes to go up. I recommend taking both (one up and the other coming down) so you can get different vantage points. It’s a steep hill but the trail is beautiful. The hike would have been perfect in silence but they literally broadcast the sermon on speakers throughout the trail. So if the sanctuary is having mass, you will hear the word all the way up.

AT THE TOP! 🤩

Your reward for hiking up to 10,400 ft is more than just. Incredible views of Bogota in all her glory await you! If you are lucky and the weather cooperates (like it did on our visit), your view will extend as far as your vision allows. We were so mesmerized by the scene before us that for a good while we had completely forgotten about the sanctuary! The superb views outshine the church on the hill in my opinion. The history of the sanctuary is much more interesting than the building itself. It’s worth reading about if you’re a history buff.

Behind the Basilica Sanctuary there is a large plaza with handicrafts and souvenirs. Next to it are several restaurants where you can try a wide variety of Colombian cuisine. Also a short distance from the sanctuary are two other traditional restaurants that have terraces overlooking the mountain and the city. They serve typical Colombian food and some international dishes there. All in all, Monserrate is an absolute must visit!

La Candelaria – Heart of the Capital

After leaving Monserrate we decided to walk to the vibrant soul of Bogota (La Candelaria). This area is the historic center of the city and is home to some of the city’s most popular attractions, museums, and cultural buildings. As if that weren’t enough, La Candelaria is also home to some very legit cool street murals. Taking a walking graffiti tour is one of the more popular options from tour operators like Viator. I strongly suggest booking one online. Or you can wing it like we did but you will more than likely miss out on some things.

Our walk from Monserrate was a couple of miles but it was all downhill and very scenic. Plus the temperature was in the mid 60’s with a breeze so we couldn’t have asked for better walking conditions. There is no actual sign to tell you that you are in La Candelaria, but trust me, you will know it when you get there. The architecture, streets, and graffiti are all so different here. This place can only be truly appreciated by walking around and getting lost in all the side streets and alleys. Enjoy the slide show and picture gallery of this unique neighborhood.

Murals and Lunch

As I recommended earlier, it’s best to book a walking tour. The guides will know exactly what streets to hit, where the best murals are, newest, etc. Don’t get me wrong, we still had a blast getting lost and found cool shit on our own but we also went down some roads to nowhere. The terrain is hilly here so you can definitely count this as a leg day in your workout calendar. It was now mid afternoon and we had worked up quite an appetite. The search went from murals to food!

Found the perfect spot in the Restaurante San Felipe Candelaria. We were finally going to have our first Colombian meal and beers! The breakfast we had didn’t count since we had omelets, fruits, and some breads. This place did not disappoint at all. The super friendly service and ambiance were exactly what we needed. For the food, we pretty much let our waitress order for us. We rolled the dice and hit with the seven, seven-eleven, seven-eleven, Seven even back door Lil’ Joe.

Okay that was a verse from Ice Cube’s hit “It was a good day”. You get the gist. Our plates were winners, the beers were going down right, everything was going our way. But seriously, if you are in La Candelaria, give this place a visit. Your taste buds will thank you.

Bolivar Plaza

Full from our meal and with a slight buzz from the Club Colombia’s, we made our way to the main cultural plaza. Bolivar plaza is the main square of Bogota. It is right smack in the middle of the historic district and is set up how the Spanish of the time would set up all their major plazas in the new world. The church cathedral and government buildings all in one giant square. Mexico City, Lima, and Bogota all have similar looking plazas. Even down to the pigeons who take over the empty spaces.

The cathedral was closed during our visit so we were not able to see the inside. I’m sure it is amazing like all the others that Spain built during their colonial period. We walked around the plaza and took note of the architecture and people watched for a while. Main plazas are fascinating places to watch the masses move around and interact with each other. We also took this time to study our map to get to our next location (the Gold museum).

The Gold Museum

Our last and final stop would be the Gold Museum. Or that was the plan anyway. We made our way through what were now packed streets and found the Museo de Oro. It was almost 5 pm and it closed at 6. My wife and I looked at each other and the decision was an easy one. The museum visit would have to wait until the next day. All of the walking at altitude had caught up to us. We also didn’t want to give the museum short thrift and wanted to properly enjoy it. So we took an Uber back to the Sofitel for some downtime before dinner.

Dinner and that’s a wrap

Back at the Sofitel hotel and much to my wife’s delight, they had “Welcome to Colombia” slices of cake waiting for us in the room. We had our dessert and then laid down for some much needed rest. The plan for dinner would be simple this evening. My birthday was the next day and I knew we were going to stay out late then, so we decided to save the partying for 24 hours. A few beers and some Beef Wellington at the hotel restaurant was how we capped off our first day. Tomorrow we would be celebrating.

Day 2 – Gold Museum, Salt Mine Cathedral, Andres Carne de Res

This day would be a very special one, it was my birthday cabrones! It seemed like all the Sofitel staff knew too. Was pretty cool being told happy birthday by the front desk and door staff while we headed out the door. I’m telling you, the hotel crew here were customer service experts! My wife was all like, “I bet you that they will have birthday cake in our room when we get back”🤣.

It was back to the Gold Museum this morning to finish what we started yesterday. On the drive over there, we had a very cool Uber driver that we both hit it off with. He was informative and funny and when I asked him if he would be up to taking us to the Salt Mine Cathedral and Andres Carne de Res, he was 100% onboard. We exchanged cell phone numbers and he agreed to pick us up around 2:30 pm. We were set.

Gold Museum – 2nd attempt

We arrived just after 10 am and there was already a decent amount of tourists inside. It is Bogota’s most famous and visited museum and when you see the collection you will know why. What is it about gold that just fascinates people and makes them gravitate to the precious metal like characters on Lord of the Rings? I swear I saw some guests staring at some pieces like Gollum looking at the ring. It was funny but weird.

For the entrance fee of one American dollar, you can wander around the 3 floors of this historical museum and learn about the gold pieces and the people that created them. Besides the gold there are also many relics and artifacts displayed throughout the maze of rooms and vaults. This place is worth a couple of hours of your time for sure. Different performances are also held just outside the doors throughout the year so if you’re lucky you’ll see one.

Nuestra Senora del Carmen Sanctuary

While reading up on places to visit in this general area I came across some cool pics of a candy cane striped church. I had to see it for myself. I looked it up on our map and it wasn’t too far of a walk so we made our way to the church. It was different and trippy in person for sure. Standing out with it’s unique color pattern, it also had some beautiful interiors that mixed Gothic, Byzantine, and Moorish styles.

Taxi ride from hell

After visiting the church, it was time to head back to the hotel to get ready for the Salt Mine tour in Zipaquirá (a little over an hour away from Bogota). My Uber app was acting up so we had no choice but to get a cab. Short on time, we grabbed the first available one which was just a little bigger than a Smart car. By a little “bigger” I mean about 3 more inches of leg room. Every instinct in my body told me not to get into this cab and I should have listened but I told myself it would work out.

For starters, our driver looked like Gríma Wormtongue in Lord of the Rings. Google the name so you can get a visual. But aside from looking weird and creepy, the tiny car was really dirty and in rough shape. Felt like if we hit a big pothole it would literally break apart. We felt every single pebble the tires hit. His driving was the worst of it. Every time he shifted gears he was grinding the hell out of them. Like a 16 year old learning to drive stick for the first time.

The hilly terrain did no favors for the 5 horsepower car either. I’ve cut grass in riding lawn mowers with more power. We almost got hit no fewer than 3 times, the dude wouldn’t talk, and he had us listening to the gospel the entire way. Whole scene was surreal, comedic, and scary at the same time. When we finally arrived we counted our blessings. There was a new victim, err, I mean passenger eagerly waiting to take our cab. I thought for a second that maybe I should warn him. Nah, he looked like he needed some excitement.

The Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá 

Northeast of Bogota and a little over an hours drive is the city of Zipaquirá. It is here where you will find the famous Salt Cathedral 600 feet below the earth in a salt mine of all places! How did they do it? Sheer will, ingenuity, and lots of hard work is how. Now we had never been inside of a real mine and didn’t really know what to expect. Our only experience ever with mines was watching movies which didn’t help because they were either falling apart or had evil nasty things inside.

And for a minute when you first enter, the walls collapsing and you being trapped do cross your mind 😱. But you can relax and take solice in knowing that 600,000 people visit every year and if it was unsafe, we all would have heard about it in this time of social media we live in.

Navigating the labyrinth of rooms

This place is pretty awesome I must say. I mean I would never want to work in a mine because I know that it is incredibly hard work. But taking this tour, following the guide around to each main room, and listening to the stories, well it brings out the explorer in you. So many different rooms and paths to take on the way down and at the bottom. The original cathedral was built in the 1930’s but then it came crashing down in the early 1990’s. It was then rebuilt at a deeper level of the mine and reopened in 1995.

What started as a simple place for workers to worship and pray for their safety while at work turned into a massive project with huge stand alone crosses made of rock or carved into the mountain interior. Several rooms are lit up in various colors and with different cave backdrops. 14 of these chambers were turned into devotional chapels. Each one is said to represent a major event that occurred on the Via Dolorosa (the path Jesus took to his crucifixion). It’s all quite impressive.

The Main Room

Once you descend all the way to the bottom (of where tourists are allowed), you’ll reach the main cathedral site. And let me tell you, there is way more down there than just the main alter and Cross! There is a full blown spa, a movie theater, places to eat, jewelry stores, souvenir shops, and more! You would never have guessed so much was at the bottom when you take the tour. It’s like a whole little town. The tour ends when you arrive to this area. The tour guide points out the main exits and then you are free to stay and wander as long as you want.

Andres Carne de Res – Original Chia Location

When I booked our Colombian vacation, I knew exactly where I wanted to celebrate my birthday in the evening.  It had to be at the original Andrés Carne de Res.  This is absolutely the place to be on a Friday night and especially if you are celebrating any kind of event.  I’ll try to describe it the best way I can.

It’s a restaurant/nightclub/sensory overload wonderland.  It is the ultimate destination for diners, drinkers, and partygoers alike. There are many layers to this place too.  Several dining areas, different dance floors, and multiple kitchens.  Add in the many glittering lights and live performances happening all around and you’ve got yourself a non-stop-party atmosphere.

Cocktails

After we were seated, we ordered our first drinks and got the lowdown from our waitress on how the place operates. A Mojito for my wife and I wanted to try a different Colombian beer so they brought me an Aguila. To our surprise, they serve their mojitos in a freakin’ bowl! A bigass bowl like they serve Pho in. Another difference here is that they literally use the whole mint plant, stem and all. Verdict from my wife, best mojitos she’s ever tasted.

Aguardiente! – My first experience

You can’t visit Colombia and not drink Aguardiente. It’s like their unofficial national drink and you will literally see it advertised all over the country. Even before we arrived I had friends and colleagues tell me, “you have to at least try the Aguardiente”. So it being my birthday I figured that it was the perfect time to give it a shot. Here is was my initial reaction.

As you can see in the video, I was not a fan of it. It’s a sugar-based drink with only 29% alcohol but the taste just isn’t there in my opinion. I would end up trying it again in Medellin and Cartagena just to make sure, but it was no better in those places as well. If you’ve tried it, let me know what you think of it.

The Food

Everything we had was delicious here. We stuck to seafood and empanadas for the appetizers and select beef cuts for the main course. When they do bring your beef order out, they slice it for you tableside. Andres Carne de Res delivers on the food front with flying colors. Their menu is quite extensive and I’m sure that it would be hard to go wrong no matter what you ordered here.

Dance the night away

After our meal we drank and danced to Cumbia and Salsa music. That is the only way to finish off a great time at Andres Carne de Res. We left a little after 11 pm and headed back to Bogota (almost a hour drive back). Still feeling good when we arrived back to the Sofitel, we went to a rooftop bar across the street for a night cap. I don’t remember what time we left there but I know when we got back to our room, we set every alarm and wakeup call we could think of. We had an 11 am flight to catch in the morning. Medellin would be waiting for us.