Eating Well in Bogota

We are now enjoying our final day in Bogota and have really enjoyed our time here! A little city sophistication is a nice treat after being off the beaten path for so long. We can use credit cards, enjoy a latte and drink the tap water-- this is about as fancy as we will get for a long time!

 

It rained (more like poured) for the bulk of our visit to Bogota. That said, we never let the weather get in our way and conveniently our hostel loans out giant and durable umbrellas which have been keeping us for the most part dry.

 

Highlights of our time here include a cable car ride to the top of Monserrate featuring epic views of Bogota from 3,150 metres above the city. We´ve visited a cathedral in a town just outside of Bogota called Zipaquira which is made entirely out of salt from alter to benches-- it was incredible! We licked various parts of the cathedral multiple times to confirm it was indeed made out of salt... and it was! We enjoyed a night out on a party bus hitting up clubs around Zona Roza-- the hub of nightlife in Bogota. We also treated ourselves one rainy day to a movie in English at a fancy mall and lunch in the foodcourt to mix things up! We visited the fabulous Botero Museum, full of paintings and sculptures of obese and often naked people and also checked out the Man Ray exhibit. Yesterday we did an incredible 5 hour bike tour of Bogota and saw everything from the red light district to the presidential palace. We even learned how to play ´toja´a Colombian billiards game, which is kind of like shot-put but also includes clay and gun powder. I hate to brag, but I had a natural talent for the game! But no tour is complete without food-- we also visited the fruit market and sampled rare and exotic fruits and also had lunch at the National Park, enjoying the delicious street food sold there.

 

The people in Bogota seem to enjoy celebrating on a daily basis!... The streets and parks here are illuminated in Christmas lights and the main streets are nearly always lined with people performing, food vendors and people out and about to enjoy it all. Every Friday night is Septimazo, where the main street is closed for over 30 blocks and the whole city, young and old,  is out to celebrate. We spent over 3 hours that night out roaming the streets eating, drinking and enjoying the various street performers from comedians, jugglers, midgets singing (I´m serious) and of course Christmas carollers.

 

The food here is incredible and cheap! I think I have developed a small addiction to the food-- namely the street vendor steak skewers that cost 1,000 pesos or 50 cents each. They are BBQed with love and topped with a potato... delicious! Other Colombian classics include:

 

Ajiaco: A creamy soup with chicken, potatoes, corn, sour cream, capers, and avocado. Oh and by the way, the avos here are the size of a melon back home. It is impressive!

Arepa: Bread made from cornmeal, similar to a thick pancake. It can be ordered with a variety of fillings or toppings... my fave is ham, cheese and pineapple!

Chocolate Santafereño: Hot chocolate served with bread/butter and cheese. The locals put their cheese in their hot chocolate-- I opted to enjoy each component seperately.

Obleas: A circular waffle cracker that is loaded with jam, carmel, cream, and sometimes cheese. It is topped with another waffle and makes a deliciously messy dessert sandwich!

Anyways, I could go on forever about the food here as it is just that good. I will certainly miss the Colombian cuisine as we continue to journey south... Peru here we come! I think I can enjoy BBQed guinea pig in Peru... perhaps I will give it a try!

This evening we are catching a flight from Bogota, Colombia to Cusco, Peru. We will be in Cusco acclimating for a few days and then leave to hike the Inca Trail beginning on December 10. The Inca Trail has been on my bucket list for years and I am beyond thrilled to start our journey to Machu Picchu!

Machu Picchu and alpacas... here we come!