Bogotá
and Cartagena &
Leticia
Foreword
I have been in Bogotá in June, 2002. Bogotá is
definitely an awful place to go. I strongly DO NOT encourage anybody to
visit the city or any other place in the country. If you need to go there or if
you are a travel wacko like me, the following can help you find your way there.
First of all, keep in mind Colombia is an extremely
violent and poor place. Colombians usually say the guerrilla is confined to the
poorest parts of the country and the capital is relatively safe. It is not. In
Bogotá, locals keep advising tourists not to go out at night, not where
watches, to be always alert, etc. Not to mention that blasts occur in public
places once in a while.
Colombia is divided in three parts: mountain, sea and
jungle. I visited one city in each part: Santafé de Bogotá (mountain, capital
of the country), Cartagena de Indias (sea, in the Colombia Caribe) and Leticia
(amazon jungle, in the border with Brazil).
Colombia has not a serious tourism policy. Taxi drives,
sales people and tourism agents all have a tendency to fool the tourist. The
tourist knows he is being cheated, but gets afraid of doing something because everyone
is somehow linked to traffic dealing. Well, it is Colombia after all, what did you
expect?!
P.s.: Pictures will be included soon.
What to See and
Where to Go
In Bogotá:
Near Bogotá there is a city called Zipaquirá (about 50
km away). Due to geological phenomena, the mountains of Zipaquirá are filled
with salt. The mineral has been excavated and sold for many years. When one of
the mines became almost exhausted, it was decided to transform it in a church.
There are other versions of the reason of constructing a church in the very
spot of a salt mine, including a promise to save miners from their problems.
The church itself is not beautiful, but is worth a visit
because it is eccentric to watch such a big construction dug within a mountain.
There are still blocks of salt pending from the walls. You can take a piece
with yours hands and try it. Because of the salty smell, it is said that people
suffering from asma feels better in there.
Take a look at http://www.catedraldesal.com/
Typical Colombian dishes are made of boiled vegetals.
They use bananas in almost every recipe. The typical dish of Bogotá is called
Puchero Santafereño.
The Museo del Oro (Gold Museum) is an interesting place
to visit. It contains indian sculptures, tools, dressing made of gold. It is
interesting to see how much gold they used to have, not exactly for their
skills in forging the precious metal. Take a look at http://www.banrep.gov.co/museo/
The Museo Quinta de Bolívar is a museum about Simón
Bolivar. He is known as El Libertador (The Liberator) because he fought for the
independence of 5 South American countries. The Bolivarian States are
Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Equador and Bolivia). The museum is the house where
he abode in Bogota.
El Santuario de Montserrate (picture bellow) is a church
on the top a hill. It is a beautiful place, with gorgeous gardens. It has a
comprehensive view of the city. There is a tram that links the bottom to the
top of the hill. There is another church on the top pf another hill called
Guadalupe, but locals disencourage visitation because of constant mugging in
the path.
La Plaza Bolívar is the very center of the city. It
contains the Cathedral of Bogotá, the Parliament, the Supreme Court and the
President’s Cabinet.
Bogotá has two very popular parks: Parque Simón Bolívar
e Parque de la Independencia. They have beautiful pine woods.
In Cartagena:
The beaches of Cartagena are awful. The sand is dark and
there is every kind people selling things and food, offering massages. It is
simply impossible to relax for 5 consecutive minutes without being disturbed by
somebody selling something. There is just one way to enjoy Cartagena’s beaches:
take a private boat and go to a private beach distant from the continent. In
those beaches, sands are snow white and the water is so transparent that it is
possible to see many maters deep in. That is typical Caribbean.
For a birds-eye-view of the city, go to Cerro de la Popa.
It is a church on the top of a hill.
There is also a huge fortress called Castillo de san
Felipe. Worths a visit.
The center of the city is antique. It has Spanish
architecture from colony time.
They have a monument called “Monumento a los Zapatos
Viejos” (monumento to the old shoes). Somebody wrote a stupid poem comparing old people to old
shoes. After that this monument in the shape of old boots was constructed and “transformed”
in a tourism spot.
Cartagena's walls (muralla de Cartagena).
In Leticia:
Leticia is a very, very small city in the most southern
part of Colombia, in the border with Brazil. The most interesting thing to do
is to eat local fishes. River fishes taste different from sea fishes. That’s all,
they are neither more nutritious or healthier.
What I Strongly Suggest
On Sundays and holidays many the streets of city
are closed to automobiles, so only bicycles and pedestrians can go on. It is the
best way to know the city. You don’t so slow as if you were going on foot
(therefore it diminishes the chances of being mugged), and you don’t go so fast
as if you were in a car (therefore you can see the landscape park easier). The
big problem is to find some business to rent you a bike! I had the idea rent my
hotel’s doorman’s bike. That saved the day.
In Bogotá, always take a jacket or a coat to go out.
Weather tends to be cool/cold because of heights, even if you are not traveling
in winter time (middle of the year).
In Cartagena, eat the “Arroz de Coco” (literally means
coconut rice, which is the common white rice with coconut) along with some fish
filet. It is far from being really amazing, but it is the best option of
typical food.
In Leticia, try the various dishes made with amazon
fishes. They are really good (worth to try), but they are not a Colombian
specialty, they are Peruvian dishes.
Many of the dishes are in danger of extinction, but they are served
anyway. I just learned that after having eaten.
In the whole Colombia, drink the “Jugo de Mora” (Berry Juice). They are typical all over Colombia. Taste really good. Juices are made with water all over the world, but in Colombia they are made blending fruits and milk. If you want to have it made with water you need to ask, the standard is preparing with milk.
Things I Strongly Advise Not To Do
I strongly suggest not to go anywhere in Colombia. Sorry, there isn’t much more to say.
Curiosities
Bogotá lays 2600 meters above sea level, in the Cordillera
de los Andes. Sportsmen generally feel thet effects of the heights (there is
not so much oxigen high up in the mountains as there is at sea level, so
breathing can be difficult). In addition, Bogotá is very polluted. I have
ridden a bike for hours, nevertheless I did not feel anything.
Even in 4 stars hotels the breakfast is scarce. They
count how many cups of milk and slices of brad you can have.
visitors since 26/May/2003.