Day 2 in lovely Bogota, COLOMBIA: Luzelena put me up in a very nice hotel in the heart of downtown. The Hotel Tequendama stands next to the Colpatria Building which is the tallest building in the country. I was on the 12th floor looking down on the city and up to the moutains around. Shrouds of mist and rain danced through the hills while the hustle and bustle of city life took place below.
The following pics were taken from my hotel room.
The whole city was under construction. They are creating a whole new road system. The streets were a mess and residents were now forced to drive down once familiar two-way streets as one-way streets. Everyone was coping with it, but the city is revamping itself as a major tourist destination.
The Colpatria Building is the tallest in the country and the second tallest on the continent. This, i heard, will change once a taller building is constructed nearby.
Looking from my room to the east.
From my room to the street below.
To the northeast.
Slightly more northeast.
One bed to sleep in and another to put my crap on! This is fine living!
Looking towards the windows.
Looking towards the south.
In front of building by the tram that took us up the hill to the Cerro Monserrate.
We made it to the top!
A whole gang of statues line the walkway as you go towards the church of Christ's life. I only took one picture of many of these statues.
Luzelena on the walkway heading towards the church.
The mountains on the east side of these hills are undeveloped and left in a wild state. A stark contrast to the megapolis that lies to the west.
Pretty tree that i think is native to that region.
The Virgin Mary on the hill across from the one we were on. I wanted to go there but was told that it is unsafe due to high crime and lack of security. I did exactly as they told me there :)
The church. Forget the name
First glimpse of Bogota below behind a small tree.
The views up here are panoramic, so what you see in these pictures is only a small frame of the whole.
The brick building to the left is the hotel that i stayed in.
Inside the church.
The Hall of Miracles. Each plaque represents a miracle that occurred.
A small alley to buy cool crap. I did buy a couple things. They sell coca leaves there too. After being processed with lots of horrible chemicals they become cocaine, but in their natural state they are a mild stimulant, like coffee or tea.
Now we're in the restaurant. They serve traditional Colombian food. It is nothing like Mexican. They dislike spicy food and prefer things with fruit juices.
A beautiful presentation of plantain cakes and some kind of fish with fruit.
The weather went from nice and sunny to thunderstorms very quickly. The restaurant actually got hit by lightning while we were there. The window started leaking and we had to move the table away from it.
Now we are down below in the city again walking from where the vernicular took us down back to Luzelena's condo. This church stood out amongst the more traditional looking architecture.
This is the building where Congress meets at Bolivar Square.
This is the Supreme Court Building, i believe. It is the site where the narcotraffickers blew up part of it in the 90s and killed several judges and politicians. Truly one of the darkest times in the country's history.
This church is next to the government buildings and is one of the very first edifices in the city, dating back to the 1500s.
Bolivar Square and the myriad government buildings around.
That day there were tents set up to advertise government agencies for the city of Bogota. I picked up some info about the wetlands of the area in the environmental tent.
The Casa del Florero, which means House of the Flower Vase is a kind of independence museum. Apparently, the whole independence movement came to fruition after someone spitefully broke a flower vase which was the straw that broke the camel's back. The area of Colombia after independence included Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama. This museum was very interesting and i got no pictures.
I can't find a link in English. It is also known as the July 20th Museum, Independence Museum or simply Vase Museum. If you speak Spanish there is info on the place. Also a few Youtube videos.
Just a cool vending vehicle.
The coolest and most elaborate quilt i've ever seen. It took up a good portion of a wall and had a whole complex community represented. The price tag? A mere $1500. If i was rich i'd have bought it. Way cool.
All the pics i took this day. On to the next!
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