Bogota
Attractions
Museo Botero
Most of the items in this museum were donated by the famous Colombian artist Fernando Botero. This museum is for free and it also houses a numismatic museum. Botero has a very distinct style and you might find that he is obsessed with painting fat people. Botero said about his figures, “What I say is that they are not fat, but voluminous. If I make a fruit, a landscape, an animal, a man, anything, it is a deformation to exalt volume. So I do not see them as fat, but as voluminous. Fat can also be Michelangelo, Masaccio or all Florentine art that is voluminous.”
Besides Boteros paintings and sculptures you can admire paintings from Picasso, Gustav Klimt, Max Ernst, Joan Miro, Salvador Dalí and many more.
Museo del oro (Museum of gold)
It is the biggest museum of gold in South America. It displays thousands of gold, silver and coper artifacts from the ancient indian history. Not only can you admire the artifacts but the exhibition tells a story on how the objects were made and how they were used in ceremonies and what spiritual role they played in the life of the ancient people.
You can read about priests and shamans who identified them selfs with bats, evoked this animal habits in they own, they lived in dark temples, worked at night and flew when they were in transes.
Yopo, a powerful hallucinogen that was extracted from the Anadenanthera tree, came from the Eastern Plains. It was inhaled using a small spoon or bird bone from trays with animals depicted on them that conjured up images of the transformations that were experienced.
The entry fee is only 3.000 COP (1 EUR)
Monserrate
Monserrate is the hill above Candelaria and the city center. You can either access it by walking up the very steep steps (at least 60 min. hard climbing) or you can go for the easier option and take the cable car. The costs for the cable car is 8.500 COP (3 EUR) one way. You can return walking (30 min.). The return ticket is 17.000 COP (6 EUR). On the top of the hill are a monastery, small botanic garden and a market with hand crafted products and food. The view of the city is spectacular.
National Museum
It is admission free and currently undergoing a reconstruction. Most of the descriptions and informations are written only in Spanish. However there is one remarkable exhibition room with marvelous paintings and projections which does not require any explanations. We have never before seen an exhibition room like this.
Graffiti tour
Meeting point is at Plaza de Periodistas at 10am or 2pm nearby the statue of Simon Bolivar. The tour takes around 2.5 hours and goes through La Candeleria district and finishes in downtown. Be prepared to hear tons of informations not only on the graffiti and the artists but also on social and economic issues of Bogota. Other then that you will get tips on restaurants, bars, alternative shops and galleries.
Street art in Bogota is nowadays well established and recognized by its citizens, landlords and shop owners. Street art is present everywhere but especially in Candelaria, where artists can even work by daylight in safe zones. Some landlords choose to commission international artists to avoid having their facade being tagged. Once the facade is covered with a piece, other artists respect it and they don't paint over it.
You will see pieces from Guecho, Rodez, Crisp, Likme, APC, Bastardia, DjLu,
Even though the tour is free a tip of 20.000 - 30.000 COP (7 - 10 EUR) is appropriate.
Where to stay
Candelaria
This is the historic center of Bogota. Some of the colonial houses are dating back 500 years. There are no two identical buildings. You will find many design shops, cheap hostels, restaurants and bars over there. Most of the historic monuments (Plaza Bolivar, Museo Botero, Monserrate ... ) are in walking distance.
Several universities are located in the Candelaria district. Many students and young people come to Plaza de Quevedo to enjoy street performances (mostly live music) and drinks (chicha, aquardiente or beer). This is definitely one of the best hot spots to meet with locals and have a drink.
We stayed in Casa Quevedo that is located at the Plaza de Quevedo and the party is right outside the door. Prices are around 50.000 COP (17 EUR) for a double room per night, breakfast included (eggs, bread, coffee). The 2nd floor has only two toilets which were not always clean.
Food
Typical dishes from Bogota are Bandeja Paisa, which consists of meat, sausage, rice and beans and Aijaco, which is a soup with corn, yucca, potatoes and meat. If you are into sweats Columbia has a lot to offer. You can try pastry and cakes from tamarind, dulce de leche (caramelized condensed milk) and different types of fruit.
When in Bogota try Chicha drink. It is fermented corn alcohol beverage, very sweet and sour. From Plaza Quevedo leads a narrow street in which every pub and bar serves this drink in a cup made out of totumo. Totumo is a typical plant for Colombia. Be warned that the portion is really big and not everyone likes the taste.
Dos Gatos y Simone
It is a cozy restaurant and the food is good. It is easy to miss, because it is all painted with graffiti from the outside. We chose estofado, which is meat with rice, some veggies, guacamole and salsa. The meat was tender and juicy, the sauce and the guacamole were nicely seasoned and tasty. One meal was with 20.000 COP (7 EUR) a bit pricey for Bogota.
Tao Calentao
The biggest problem with this place is to find it. It's hidden in small alley close to Universidad de Los Andes. Ask the students around they will point you in in the right direction. Calentao is a typical Colombian dish from rice, meat, beans and vegetables. You can select all ingredients yourself, or choose from one of the four versions on the menu (Argentinian, Thai, Mexican, Italian ). This is a bistro style and the food is prepared in front of you. Prices are reasonable and the portions are huge. We had troubles to finish our meals. We paid 28.000 COP (9.70 EUR) for two meals with lemonade.
Plaza de Mercado de Paloquemao
The market is far from the center. Getting there on foot is possible, but don't draw too much attention onto yourself as you are walking through some shady neighborhoods. It's located on the corner of Carrera 28 and Calle 19 in front of a modern shopping center. The market offers a large selection of fruits, vegetables and herbs. Inside the market you will find several stands with authentic, home made cuisine. We had two soups, two main dishes (large portion of fried and barbecued chicken leg, lentils, platano and arepa) and lemonade. Altogether we paid only 10.000 COP (3.50 EUR). The portions were big and the locals were super friendly to us.
01 July 2015