"Bogotá, Colombia?! What about the drug cartels? Have you seen Narcos?!"
...warned every single Gen-Xer and Baby Boomer that we told about our upcoming trip. Sure, I get it. Colombia's past reputation hasn't been the best, but it's stuck with Colombia far longer than necessary. World governments, economies, and travel regulations are ever changing and evolving, so it's good to often refresh your stigmas of countries and just do some research. I'm here to convince you with a couple of reasons why Colombia is an emerging destination and just how amazing it really was.
It's Cheap
The flight was VERY cheap
6 months ago, on our 25th birthday, Marissa and I decided to book a trip. Skiing is always an obvious winter trip for us, and John and I have skied together every winter since we met. But, I was ready for a change and didn't want to waste another winter on skiing again... and we are just not that kind of predictable people. I needed something new. After considering Costa Rica for a surfing vacation, Marissa suggested we should go somewhere even further south. Neither Adam, Marissa, John or I had been to South America. So, I began to track flights to Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia. I am OFTEN tracking flights; if you were to see my google flights account you'd see at least 20 flights being tracked at all times. You could say I'm obsessed (probably knew that already based on this blog). I really suggest it if you have dates and places in mind.
So I tracked from a Wednesday to a Monday in February. If you also know me, I like to use the least amount of vacation days as possible. Flying out on a Wednesday late evening and coming back on Monday, would only take up 3 vacation days while spending actually 4.5 days and 4 nights in a country... my ideal trip.
One day, this nonstop flight on Avianca to Colombia dipped in price... to $338 nonstop round-trip from Chicago to Colombia. Based on tracking history, I knew this was a very low price for this flight. (This is the same price to fly to Miami...) I immediately emailed Adam, he was in right away, and we booked. (This is why we are sisters and best friends. We are "Yes" people who picked "Yes" life partners.)
The 4-star hotel was cheap
We usually stay at Airbnbs, while Marissa and Adam stay at Marriotts due to points from Adam's work. However, we wanted to be in a particular neighborhood in Colombia, north of the touristy Chapinero district, by all the amazing restaurants. The Click Clack Hotel was an obvious choice for it's bold decorations and style. It was the cost of a Best Western but with the trimmings of a 4-star hotel. For a terrace room, we paid $550 for 4 nights per couple, AND daily breakfast was included, which was an added surprise when we arrived.
Food is cheap!!!
We went to multiple 4 & 5-star restaurants that in the states would cost us $300 a couple and it cost us anywhere from $50-$100 a couple. A bag of a ton of fruit at the market only cost $3. At the Bogota Beer company we paid 32,000 COP (Colombian Pesos) which is about $10 for 4 nice beers. No wonder we met so many expats who moved to Bogotá!
Few Tourists
We walked around most of Bogota and besides other guests on our Urban Food Tour and Coffee Plantation Tour, we didn't meet a single American. We imagine there were probably tourists from other Latin and South American countries, but we unfortunately couldn't decipher the difference as we knew little Spanish!
Because of the lack of North American tourists, most people hardly spoke any English. In fact, when we would walk into a restaurant and usually we would be immediately spoken to in Spanish. It was only after we tried our hardest to understand what we were just told and nervously responded "No hablo español," that the hostess would run off into the midst of the restaurant. A couple of minutes later someone (usually it was the manager) would return, and be our server for the evening.
Unlike places like Italy, where most people speak English but seem annoyed you are just another American tourist, Bogotá was generally surprised and happy to see tourists. It was actually refreshing that it was assumed we spoke Spanish.
1 Hour Time Difference & 6 hour Flight
I love long weekend trips. And one of the first questions I was asked about our 4 nights stay in Bogotá was how far it was. Colombia is at the top of South America so it's super close. In fact it took us 6 hours to get there and even quicker to get home, about 5.5 hours. The best part about it was that it was only an hour ahead, so our jet lag was minimal. We flew overnight on Wednesday and had a full day on Thursday before heading to bed early Thursday night, much more doable than anywhere in Europe.
Great Food
One must-try restaurant that always tops every Bogotá list is La Puerta Falsa. Known for it's tamales and hot chocolate with a block of cheese, it cost us a small total of $10 USD for a full lunch for four.
It was like dining at 5 star restaurants in New York City for 1/3 of the cost. Meat is a staple and they rarely have vegetarian options. Restaurants like Segundo and Local by Rausch had elaborate menus of shared plates and delicious tapas. A lot of their food is fruit and acid based, which we loved. One of the must see places is the Paloquemao Market where there are more fruit you haven't heard of than you thought possible.
It's Modern & Beautiful!
The neighborhood we stayed in was incredibly modern and safe. Wide, clean sidewalks lined the streets and hotels, while many banks with easy access to ATMs surrounded our hotel (which made getting out more cash very easy). We could walk many blocks to all the fun up-scaled neighborhoods. This was truly the most surprising part of Bogotá.
Taking the cable car to the top of Monserrate allowed for some amazing views of the city as well. The beautiful church and couple restaurants that sit at the top are worth a several hour trip. Sunset and sunrise are ideal for the best glimpse of the city below.
However, the best part about Bogotá is the graffiti. It's unlike anything I've ever seen. I know there are many cities all over the world with insane graffiti like it, but none I've been to just yet. The tiny street of Carrera 2 where Plazoleta Chorro Quevedo rests is the most iconic spot for all the best graffiti. As these walls are completely full, streets surrounding it have begun to fill up with fantastic murals as well. We even caught a glimpse of a local artist at work.
Meeting Yuri
On a personal note, we had a rare opportunity present itself right after we booked our flights in August. Our close family friends, Chuck and Dolores Gagnier (who were best friends with our Grandma and Grandpa Yontz), were able to have dinner with us while we were in Florida over Labor Day Weekend. During the nice evening we talked about our next trip together in Colombia. Chuck and Dolores said that coincidentally they had been sponsoring a young girl named Yuri through Compassion International who happened to live in Bogotá. Through their church, they had been supporting this young woman from age 7 to her current age of 17.
After many emails we found out that they encourage sponsors to visit and welcome friends of sponsors as well. As Chuck and Dolores were unable to visit Yuri, we thought this would be a perfect chance to do it on their behalf. Once the background checks were complete, we confirmed that one of our mornings we would take a shuttle to the Compassion Church where Yuri attended.
After being picked up by a shuttle with our funny translator, Jefferson (very broken English but that's ok!!!) we drove an hour to the south side of the city. We picked up the program coordinator, José who spoke zero English (hence, the translator). He led us into the church where several kids and Yuri held balloons to welcome us. One of the 13 year old boys was even dressed up to play the piano for us. So cute!
We were able to sit and learn about Yuri and her history with the program. Every single letter to and from Chuck and Dolores had been kept, along with her grades, health records, and graduation diplomas.
We even asked where donations went for Yuri, and they said for items like healthcare, and her braces!
After giving her some cards and a beautiful necklace from Chuck and Dolores, and lipstick and nail polish Marissa had brought, we started walking to her apartment. The small neighborhood was mostly empty except for some children playing in the streets. Yuri's mother and grandmother greeted us at her house. She actually lives with her mom, dad, grandma, sister and little cousin. Looking through her tiny apartment she shared with her family, and through many many photos of her Quinceañera and graduation, we could tell that she was truly happy and healthy. What an amazing thing to witness the incredible kindness of our dear friends truly transform Yuri's life. We are almost convinced to sponsor a child of our own!
Bogotá was incredible. We hope you can see past the stigma as we have and experience it on your own. It might just surprise you.
تعليقات