After arriving in Bogotá, the taxi ride to our hostel did not elicit excitement: lots of two-floor brick buildings covered in graffiti. Was this all Bogotá had to offer? Luckily, our hostel was next to a big intersection, with plenty of people and shops around, yet the regal houses where the only disruption in an otherwise bland neighborhood.
La Candelaria
The following day we decided to visit Bogotá’s old center: La Candelaria. We decided to join yet another free walking tour, as the one in Quito impressed us. The center was a bit run down and smelly at parts.
The tour started at the Plaza del Chorro de Quevedo, popular with university students, surrounded by colorful but faded colonial buildings. The most interesting part of the walking tour was our visit to the (free) Museo Botero where one could find great works collected and provided for free by the artist Francesco Botero (hence the name). It certainly was the best free museum we had come across.
The tour finished in the grand Plaza de Bolivar, however apart from the church the surrounding building did not boast much character and seemed a bit run down. One annoyance in the downtown area were the countless homeless crack addicts, as our guide pointed out, who kept begging for money and caused disturbances around bus stops. Needless to say, this area becomes deserted at nighttime and it is not recommended to stay late, so we left the area before it got dark.
Chapinero & Zona T
The next day, we opted to visit the more modern neighborhood of Chapinero and Zona T. Zona Rosa forms the heart of Zona T with restaurants, clubs, and shopping options. Also visually, this part of town was way more appealing, with tree-lined streets and new buildings.
After a couple of hours we had a good impression of the area and decided to head back. Because of Easter, not a lot of people went shopping that day, leaving the area a bit empty (but not unsafe). We felt our two days in Bogotá were sufficient to see most of the cities neighborhoods and highlights.
