Thursday, September 11, 2009


I can’t write that date without reflecting back on the deadly date. I think all Americans at least think about it on 9-11 of each year.

Today was a day of independent exploration. Unfortunately, we started late and, after a breakfast of some of the fruits we purchased at the market, we found that the Posada del Sol was not going to be able to accommodate us for that night. ( I had reserved for two nights and when we got here decided to stay an extra night). So, we headed out to look for a new hostel/hotel. We found the Hotel Aragon on 3rd Carrera and 16th Calle , a fairly basic hotel for 38,000 COP per night. From there we decided to do some sightseeing and run some errands on our way back to the hostel.

Right around the corner from the hotel we found Los Dos restaurant and had crepes, one chicken and one beef, with bubbling cheese. Absolutely delicious! We waddled out of there and down the hill for our train tickets for the next morning tourist train to Zipaquira. When we got to the area where we needed to walk through to the station, the police told us it was not safe to walk through there and to take a taxi, which we did. We bought our tickets and walked a very short way to Sabana station where we boarded the TransMileno bus through the dangerous area. The TransMileno is Bogota’s answer to rapid transit. The large articulated buses have their own divided lane and are able to move fairly fast through the town. From the next station we walked to and across Bolivar Plaza to the Presidential Palace where an outdoor security checkpoint stops some walkers (e.g. Nancy) to check their backpacks. It is a very imposing building but I thought the Observatory next to it was more beautiful. We then walked up the hill to the Iglesia Museo Santa Clara which is a very ornate church attached to a large building and now run by the government as a museum.

By this time, we were ready to eat again and decided we needed to try chocolate santofereno, which is chocolate which is served with a white cheese and bread. You dip the cheese into the chocolate and eat it with the bread. We decided it was an acquired taste.

From there we took a taxi back to the hotel, exhausted again, having essentially walked all over the Candelaria area again. Bogota is laid out as a grid with Calles going one way and Carreteras going the other. The address gives you the street or avenue and number address which intersection it is near. For instance Calle 3 12-47 would be on Calle 3 between Carretera 12th and 13th. Easy, right?? Apparently not for taxi drivers, however. They not only can’t find desired destinations, but they also are unwilling to believe that a passenger could possibly know where he/she is going. To compensate, they have developed the ability to back up or down steep hills on narrow, one way streets at great speeds.