Arriving at the vibrant capital of Colombia leaves you virtually breathless.
The city is situated at about 2700m above sea level and boy - you gasp for oxygen when you arrive.
The local advice to avoid altitude sickness is "Caminar despacito, comer poquito y dormer solito" which means "walk slowly, eat little and sleep alone"
We took the advice, rested a bit after our arrival and then plunged ourselves fully into discovering Bogota.
Traffic is chaotic and sometimes it seems that all of the over 7 million inhabitants of Bogota agree at driving their cars all at the same time in the same street-then you have what people refer to as a "trancon" or traffic jam.
The climate is quite unpredictable and most days you have all 4 stations in one day which means radiant sunshine in the morning, heavy rain or thunder storm at midday and variations of the former in the afternoon.
The cultural life of the city is amazing: Gorgeous museums (the newest addition is the Fernando Botero Museum), theatre, live music peformances from classic to Cumbia and Vallenato and the extraordinary puppet theatre of Jaime Manzur which features from the month of November on the Nutcracker and other classic master pieces.
Colombians have a reputation of being very friendly, well-educated and speaking a beautiful Spanish.
They continue to battle against the image of drug and crime problems of their country which certainly exist, but there are as well the millions of ordinary Colombians who work hard for their living and live a decent life.
We had a wonderful time rediscovering this exciting country, visiting Bogota and the beautiful Caribbean town of Cartagena de Indias.
A recreation spot near down town.
Bell tower of the Cathedral of Santa Fe de Bogotá
Writing on the wall: Remembering Colombian literature Nobel Prize winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez, whom Colombians called affectionously "Gabo"
The newest addition to Bogota's cultural life : Gorgeous museo Botero
Mona Lisa with a twist as seen by maestro Botero
The museum is situated in an old colonial style house with a beautiful patio
The "al agua patos" café where we enjoyed a delicious brunch
Best tropical fruit granola I ever tried
Amazing sandwhiches - this one with a Mediterranean flavour
The classical versión with ham and eggs
Local flavor with shredded meat and tasty onions
A colorful small house cheering up a rainy day
Visting the studio of our dear friend maestro Armando Villegas,a great Peruvian- Colombian painter who recently passed away
Live music show at a restaurant owned by the King of Cumbia and Vallenato music and Grammy award winner Carlos Vives
A sign at the entrance that reminds you to better not bring your personal weapons with you :)
"The "place to be for the young,rich and beautiful- Harry's Sasson, listed among the 50 best restaurants in Latinamerica.
A more traditional ambiance for private dinners
The open kitchen
Street musicians at a fleamarket in Santa Barbara
Thank you for joining me at this visit to Bogota, see you soon.
