Colombia, Part 1 (Bogota)
Greetings & Salutations Everyone,
And I guess I should say Happy New Year, since this is the first post of 2010. The start of the new year has been a fun and exciting, which corresponds of course with having summer vacation occur during the months of January and February. As some of you well know, I began the new year back in Minnesota, discovering that my blood has thinned and thirty-plus years of experiencing cold weather washed away and I have become, as my cousin Dan predicted, a marshmallow to the cold winters of home after a bit of time in the southern hemisphere. Regardless, it was great to be back home with family and friends, even though the time was spent almost exclusively indoors and it went way too quickly. If I was unable to connect with you during my time back, I extend my apologies; the days flew by and the number of people I would have liked to have seen trumped the number of days I was visiting.
Upon returning to Peru, preparations for my joint vacation with Marianella began in earnest. She taught summer school through the month of January and on the night of her last day of school, we caught a plane to Colombia. We were there for just shy of two weeks and had a wonderful time, with two vastly different experiences in two unique cities. Today I'll tackle our time in Bogota and the surrounding area and after the weekend I will tell you all about Cartagena. So, without further ado. . .
Bogota
When Marianella first mentioned Colombia as a potential vacation destination about a year ago, images from the Miami Vice episodes of my youth flashed through my memory. Colombia's recent history as the drug-trafficking, kidnapping, and high homicide rates capital of the world were not fiction, but the country has undergone a remarkable transformation in less than ten years and we really enjoyed our time in the country, highlighted by the time spent in Bogota, Colombia's capital city.
Bogota Cathedral & Congress:
Located in the northern Andes, the climate of Bogota approached perfection in my mind while we were there. Sunny, warm tempertures during the day gave way to cool nights and presented an ideal situation for exploring the city. Bogota's combination of culture and friendly people, along with the weather and clean environs caused Marianella and I to ponder the possibility of Bogota as a future destination for ourselves.
A sample of the colorful graffiti in Bogota:
Montserrat
On our second day in the city and well rested, we ascended to the heights over Bogota, aided by cable car. The ride up was surprisingly smooth and upon exiting, we were greeted with panoramic views of Bogota in the midst of colorful flowers and plants. The journey from the cable car to the top of Montserrat followed the Stations of the Cross (the Catholics in the crowd know what I'm referring to) and in the high mountain air it allowed Marianella and I to make the journey slowly. The beauty of the site really overwhelms any words I can use to describe it, so I will let the pictures do the talking for me.
The Museums of Bogota
During our stints in Bogota (we sandwiched the trip to Cartagena around two three day stays in Bogota) we spent a lot of time visiting the various and engaging museums that Bogota has to offer.
The Police Museum: We visited this museum on the first day, at my urging, due in large part to its display on the manhunt of Pablo Escobar, the cocaine kingpin who at his peak was the seventh richest man in the world and inspired so many storylines on the aforementioned Miami Vice. While the whole museum was quite interesting, it was the display on Escobar that seized our attention. The manhunt for Escobar was extensive and eventually ended in a shootout with the Colombian police killing him, ending the terror and corruption that Escobar brought to Colombia through large scale murders of police officers and civilians, including the bombing of a domestic flight which killed over one hundred people (and turned the citizens against him, many of whom previously viewed Escobar as a modern day Robin Hood). On display were several interesting artifacts, including the blood spattered jacket he was wearing when killed, several of the weapons seized from Escobar's estate, and a Harley Davidson motorcycle that Escobar had given to one of his top lieutenants.
Part of Escobar's weapons cache:
Museo de Oro (The Gold Museum): Undoubtedly the jewel of Bogota's museums, the Museo de Oro presented an overwhelming display of gold, preserved from pre-colonial times. According to my personal historian (Marianella), when the Spaniards invaded South America and took control of much of the territory, they largely overlooked Colombia and focused upon Peru. So while Peru's gold was being seized and melted down for the personal use of the Spaniards, much of Colombia's gold was left intact and has made its way to this museum. The amount of gold on display is staggering and it is all accompanied by explanations on the significance of the pieces or the methods on how the gold pieces were created. Both of us agreed it is one of the top museums we have ever visited.
Just a small sampling of the gold on display:
Botero Museum: Francisco Botero is Colombia's most famous artist and he donated his large collection of art to create the Botero Museum in downtown Bogota. Walking through the galleries of his own work and those of other famous artists was a pretty nice way to spend a Sunday morning for Marianella and myself.
A small sample of Botero's work:
National Museum: On our last day in Colombia, we visited the National Museum, which provided a wonderful historical progression from when the country was first settled by native Colombians to the colonization by Spain through the independence gained in the early 19th century.
Usaquen
We were drawn to this Bogota neighborhood when we heard it hosted flea/craft markets on Sundays and we enjoyed our time there so much we decided to spend both our Sundays in this area. The open air market was a combination of interesting items for sale and street performers, amidst a great variety of restaurants and pubs. We found a sports bar in this neighborhood to watch the Super Bowl, my first outside of the United States.
Jugglers practicing their craft:
The best human statues we've ever seen:
Street musicians:
Had to include this, due to the great concept-a clothing store with a bar. What do you imagine I did while Marianella browsed the racks?:
Salt Cathedral
One of the truly stunning places we have visited, the salt mines of Colombia are located about thirty miles outside of Bogota in a small community called Zipaquira. Many years ago, the miners moved to create a Catheral within the mine, as protection and a place to worship in this very dangerous line of work. We actually visited the second version of the Salt Cathedral, as the first one had to be shut down due to safety concerns. The "new" Cathedral has been open for about fifteen years and was built further underground and more structurally sound, so it should last for countless years. In the tunnels that lead you back to the Cathedral, there are fourteen Stations of the Cross carved along the pathway, along with kneelers for those who choose to do the Stations. Mass is held each Sunday, and the capacity is supposedly around 8,000 people.
No mustache, but still looking ridiculous:
Alright, that covers Bogota. . .as promised (threatened?), I will update the blog after the weekend detailing our visit to Cartagena. Have a wonderful weekend and take care~T & M
And I guess I should say Happy New Year, since this is the first post of 2010. The start of the new year has been a fun and exciting, which corresponds of course with having summer vacation occur during the months of January and February. As some of you well know, I began the new year back in Minnesota, discovering that my blood has thinned and thirty-plus years of experiencing cold weather washed away and I have become, as my cousin Dan predicted, a marshmallow to the cold winters of home after a bit of time in the southern hemisphere. Regardless, it was great to be back home with family and friends, even though the time was spent almost exclusively indoors and it went way too quickly. If I was unable to connect with you during my time back, I extend my apologies; the days flew by and the number of people I would have liked to have seen trumped the number of days I was visiting.
Upon returning to Peru, preparations for my joint vacation with Marianella began in earnest. She taught summer school through the month of January and on the night of her last day of school, we caught a plane to Colombia. We were there for just shy of two weeks and had a wonderful time, with two vastly different experiences in two unique cities. Today I'll tackle our time in Bogota and the surrounding area and after the weekend I will tell you all about Cartagena. So, without further ado. . .
Bogota
When Marianella first mentioned Colombia as a potential vacation destination about a year ago, images from the Miami Vice episodes of my youth flashed through my memory. Colombia's recent history as the drug-trafficking, kidnapping, and high homicide rates capital of the world were not fiction, but the country has undergone a remarkable transformation in less than ten years and we really enjoyed our time in the country, highlighted by the time spent in Bogota, Colombia's capital city.Bogota Cathedral & Congress:
Located in the northern Andes, the climate of Bogota approached perfection in my mind while we were there. Sunny, warm tempertures during the day gave way to cool nights and presented an ideal situation for exploring the city. Bogota's combination of culture and friendly people, along with the weather and clean environs caused Marianella and I to ponder the possibility of Bogota as a future destination for ourselves.
A sample of the colorful graffiti in Bogota:
Montserrat On our second day in the city and well rested, we ascended to the heights over Bogota, aided by cable car. The ride up was surprisingly smooth and upon exiting, we were greeted with panoramic views of Bogota in the midst of colorful flowers and plants. The journey from the cable car to the top of Montserrat followed the Stations of the Cross (the Catholics in the crowd know what I'm referring to) and in the high mountain air it allowed Marianella and I to make the journey slowly. The beauty of the site really overwhelms any words I can use to describe it, so I will let the pictures do the talking for me.
The Museums of Bogota
During our stints in Bogota (we sandwiched the trip to Cartagena around two three day stays in Bogota) we spent a lot of time visiting the various and engaging museums that Bogota has to offer.
The Police Museum: We visited this museum on the first day, at my urging, due in large part to its display on the manhunt of Pablo Escobar, the cocaine kingpin who at his peak was the seventh richest man in the world and inspired so many storylines on the aforementioned Miami Vice. While the whole museum was quite interesting, it was the display on Escobar that seized our attention. The manhunt for Escobar was extensive and eventually ended in a shootout with the Colombian police killing him, ending the terror and corruption that Escobar brought to Colombia through large scale murders of police officers and civilians, including the bombing of a domestic flight which killed over one hundred people (and turned the citizens against him, many of whom previously viewed Escobar as a modern day Robin Hood). On display were several interesting artifacts, including the blood spattered jacket he was wearing when killed, several of the weapons seized from Escobar's estate, and a Harley Davidson motorcycle that Escobar had given to one of his top lieutenants.
Part of Escobar's weapons cache:
Museo de Oro (The Gold Museum): Undoubtedly the jewel of Bogota's museums, the Museo de Oro presented an overwhelming display of gold, preserved from pre-colonial times. According to my personal historian (Marianella), when the Spaniards invaded South America and took control of much of the territory, they largely overlooked Colombia and focused upon Peru. So while Peru's gold was being seized and melted down for the personal use of the Spaniards, much of Colombia's gold was left intact and has made its way to this museum. The amount of gold on display is staggering and it is all accompanied by explanations on the significance of the pieces or the methods on how the gold pieces were created. Both of us agreed it is one of the top museums we have ever visited.Just a small sampling of the gold on display:
Botero Museum: Francisco Botero is Colombia's most famous artist and he donated his large collection of art to create the Botero Museum in downtown Bogota. Walking through the galleries of his own work and those of other famous artists was a pretty nice way to spend a Sunday morning for Marianella and myself.
A small sample of Botero's work:
National Museum: On our last day in Colombia, we visited the National Museum, which provided a wonderful historical progression from when the country was first settled by native Colombians to the colonization by Spain through the independence gained in the early 19th century.
Usaquen
We were drawn to this Bogota neighborhood when we heard it hosted flea/craft markets on Sundays and we enjoyed our time there so much we decided to spend both our Sundays in this area. The open air market was a combination of interesting items for sale and street performers, amidst a great variety of restaurants and pubs. We found a sports bar in this neighborhood to watch the Super Bowl, my first outside of the United States.
Jugglers practicing their craft:
The best human statues we've ever seen:
Street musicians:
Had to include this, due to the great concept-a clothing store with a bar. What do you imagine I did while Marianella browsed the racks?:
Salt Cathedral
One of the truly stunning places we have visited, the salt mines of Colombia are located about thirty miles outside of Bogota in a small community called Zipaquira. Many years ago, the miners moved to create a Catheral within the mine, as protection and a place to worship in this very dangerous line of work. We actually visited the second version of the Salt Cathedral, as the first one had to be shut down due to safety concerns. The "new" Cathedral has been open for about fifteen years and was built further underground and more structurally sound, so it should last for countless years. In the tunnels that lead you back to the Cathedral, there are fourteen Stations of the Cross carved along the pathway, along with kneelers for those who choose to do the Stations. Mass is held each Sunday, and the capacity is supposedly around 8,000 people.
No mustache, but still looking ridiculous: 
Alright, that covers Bogota. . .as promised (threatened?), I will update the blog after the weekend detailing our visit to Cartagena. Have a wonderful weekend and take care~T & M
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