Medellín to Bogotá is an hour in the air, and a smoother ride than Mendoza to Santiago by far. We arrived in Bogotá around 1pm, and after easily finding a taxi, we set out for our Airbnb, about a 30 min ride past endless hotels and airport amenities (sort of like Houston’s International airport) until we finally came into the city itself. Though Bogotá’s altitude is 2,640 meters, we’ re feeling fewer effects after spending time in Medellín (1,500 meters).
We’re staying in Chapinero, a district north of the historic center. A lot of it is red brick, not unlike Medellín, but in this neighborhood at least, there are fewer highrises with lots of what look like 1930s houses built with English detailing (a little like the row houses in parts of Queens), and there are many cafés, restaurants and small offices along with a huge construction zone at the end where they are building an elevated subway line.
Although our Airbnb was near the construction, it was just a few short blocks from the main part of Chapinero. Given the traffic in Bogotá, it turned out to be a perfect central location!
After greeting our friends we’re staying with and dropping our bags, we took a 30 minute taxi to the base station of Monserrate and got in line for the cable car which takes you to the top of the mountain on the east edge of the city, about 3,150 meters up, about 500 meters above Bogotá. There’s a church at the top dating to the 1600s, named for the Montserrat shrine in Spain. The view is spectacular. Bogotá stretches out in every direction, obviously a much larger metropolis than Medellín (about 7.5 million in comparison to 2.5). After a few photos and a visit to the church to see the Virgin, the wind picked up and the rain started. Unfortunately, having left the apartment under the impression the sun would shine with just a few clouds in the forecast, we were thoroughly unprepared without rain gear or warm clothing. We waited in the rain in a long line for the cable car back down, then more waiting on an Uber, then thirty minutes back to the apartment. We’d forgotten about the transportation challenges of big cities, especially those without subway systems!
Following showers and a nap, we went to a nearby restaurant for dinner at Dos Lugares, a really interesting Mexican and Peruvian fusion place. It features tacos, great guacamole, ceviches, and a cocktail list with good service.
Our second day in Bogotá we were up early and ventured out with our friends to the Jardín Botánico de Bogotá, out by the airport, so, again, a bit of an Uber ride. It was founded in 1955 and named for the Spanish botanist who led the Royal Botanical Expedition through New Granada in the late 1700s.
Because we wanted to have time to see museums before our lunch reservation at Prudencia, we resolved to make it a quick visit and attempted to make a bee-line to the orchids. Not the easiest task, given that it’s the size of the Queens Botanical Garden! We finally found the Tropicario, a set of glass houses, each one containing a different Colombian ecosystem: dry tropical forest, humid forest from the Amazon and the Chocó, superpáramo, useful plants, and the specialized conservation collections. We could have spent the entire day there, but went directly to the useful plants sections to find the orchids (see photos).
Then we Ubered to the Gold Museum on Parque Santander at the north edge of the La Candelaria neighborhood. The collection belongs to the Banco de la República and holds around 34,000 pieces of goldwork, plus ceramics, stone and textiles from pre-Hispanic Colombia. It covers the history of uses and importance of gold in Columbia at the time and is quite beautiful. We stayed about two hours, ending at the giftshop, where I bought a beautiful bowl made from werregue, a palm fiber from the mangrove swamps of the Chocó on the Pacific coast.
Reservations at Prudencia were at 2:30, and we had time to wander through the narrow cobblestone streets from the museum on the way to lunch past the emerald traders, souvenir shops, one and two story houses painted in bright colors, red tile roofs, and many wooden balconies (like we saw in Perú). It’s full of students, cafés, bookstores, small shops selling ceramics, jewelry and textiles, street art and other random performers and vendors. Finally, we came to Prudencia near the top: two tall wooden doors with no sign. Google maps was, as always these days, essential.
Prudencia opened in 2016, and we were somewhat surprised to find out that it’s a seven course lunch. The only selection you choose other than your preference in wine for each course, is the main dish. We all chose something different. They ask you to get up mid meal and move to the back patio for two smoked meat courses. There’s one main room with an open kitchen, yellow walls, old plasterwork and an iron and glass roof that fills the whole space with light. It’s truly a labor of love. The owner, who is originally from Baltimore, told us they’ve slowly built the place into its current form over the years. Oh, and in addition to the food, they bake their own bread every morning. We bought the last one of the day to take back to the apt (!) and they gifted us all breakfast granola with the check. Beautiful afternoon!
We had an early night of board games with our friends and we have an early start tomorrow for a coffee plantation tour.
Days 5 and 6 Bogotá photos/videos here:
alsur.blog 
Leave a comment