Bogota - A big, busy family affair

Central Bogota from the cable car to Monserrate (by the time we
reached the top the city was covered in cloud)

As we stepped from the plane into the darkness of the Bogota evening we were met by a chill not felt since the autumnal days of London in October. Bogota - at 2500 meters above sea level - is a cold place at night despite nearly lying on the equator. So we were extremely happy to walk straight into the arms (and warm car) of Juliana and Sergio - a Colombian extension of Sal's family. They live in North Bogota, well away from the historic centre - La Candelaria - up towards the lush green countryside referred to by the locals as the "savannah", though we saw nary a giraffe or an elephant. More about that later....

Ian, Juliana & Sergio in the courtyard of the Botero Gallery

The first thing you notice about Bogota is the incredible size and traffic. At 8 million citizens Bogota is the forth largest city in South America, and without a metro it is extremely difficult to get around the city. Huge traffic jams bumper to bumper ensnare the city, a situation so desperate that a law has been passed which specifies only certain cars can use the roads during peak hours, depending on the last number on a numberplate (0-4 or 5-9 on alternative days). Unsuprisingly many of the wealthier residents have instead bought a second or third car with a different number plate to get around this.

A 'love drink' (made with blended crab (shell included))
pit stop on the Bogota Bike Tour

To try and alleviate the pollution and encourage alternative transport use, roads are closed on Sunday mornings and public holidays and turned into cycle paths, running tracks and even yoga studios for what is known as the 'Ciclovia'. Approximately, 2 million people (about 25% of the population) take part. We unfortunately missed the opportunity to participate but instead joined the 'Bogota Bike Tour' which allowed us to explore the  more unusual side of Bogota and see what it was really like on those roads. An exotic fruit market, street art, love drinks, coffee production and the red light district were some of the highlights. And despite dealing with huge amounts of traffic and being led the wrong way up one way streets numerous times, the cycling was pretty fun although i'm not yet convinced that I could commute daily by bike if I lived there.

A selection of funerary masks on display at the Museo del Oro

Bogota has the largest gold museum (Museo del Oro) in the world. It is truely wonderful, showing work from every tribe across Colombia which survived, and was not smelted down and exported by the Spanish. Also Botero's gallery showcases his sharp and evocative political and playful paintings. Botero is one of two of Colombia's great cultural icons (the other, of course, Gabriel Garcia Marquez) who developed his art over the years of La Violencia and the following insurgency. This contributes to a style which blends satire with a sharp eye for proportion, uglyness and sensual in the human form. I'm not really a big art lover, but I have to say I really loved his work.

The Salt Catherdral of Zipaquira

On a day trip to outside the city, on one of the wonderful day trips into the 'savannah', Juliana and Sergio took us (along with Sergio's daughter Maria) to the astounding Salt Cathedral in Zipaquira which lies deep underground within one of the largest salt deposits in the world. The walls are pure rock salt, and the carvings elaborate. The fifteen chapels that correspond to the stations of the cross are hollowed out of the rock as you make your way to the breathtaking cathedral itself, hewn out of the rock 180 metres beneath the ground.

Family day trip to the Laguna de Guatavita

We also were taken to the Laguna de Guatavita, the source of the myths of El Dorado. The Spanish conquistadors followed fabled stories of a city of gold since they arrived in the Americas, and arrived at this lake. They surmised - based on the knowledge of gold offering ceremonies seen elsewhere in the Americas and the exquisite golden raft model in the picture below - that the lake would be filled with gold from hundreds of years of ceremonies.

A scene depicting the gold offering ceremonies on display
at the Museo del Oro

Spanish, and then French engineers drained the lake with no success. At the end of the 19th century, British engineers were invited to try a more sophisticated method to find the golden horde hidden beneath the water. A huge trench was dug out of the surrounding mountain and the water drained. When the lake had been reduced to mud the investigators waded through it but found nothing, having wasted millions. Today it is a placid body of water, still used as a sacred site by those nearby.

With 'honores de la casa' we were welcomed

With our Colombian family

We finished up out time at Bogota with a visit to the legendary restaurant Andres Carne De Res in the northern suburb of Chia - a  spectacular experience. We feasted on fine cuts of beef (the Colombians love a good steak almost as much as the Argentinians). The place is absolutely huuuuuugee and eclectically decorated with the most weird and wonderful trinkets. On arrival we were given sashes and crowns, played to by a wandering band and sung to by the various actors (the restaurant employs people to provide impromptu musical performances as entertainment).

After the food and the delicious cocktails came the time to dance. Sal and I are always saying we should have a few Salsa lessons but we never got round to it, so we botched together a few drunken steps. Juliana and Sergio really cut some rug up, moving with all the practiced ease of professionals, making us all very jealous.

PS. There is no doubt that the star attraction of Bogota, for Sal at least, was Luna the tiny dog. She has started a campaign for us to get one when we get home...

Luna