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Colombia: Bogotá

The view over central Bogotá from Cerro de Monserrate
The view over central Bogotá from Cerro de Monserrate

On paper, Bogotá doesn't sound terribly appealing. For a start, the sprawling capital of Colombia sits at a heady 2600m above sea level, which means the weather is surprisingly cold and wet, despite being less than five degrees from the Equator. Then there's the graffiti that's scrawled pretty much everywhere in the centre of town, which is a subtle hint that there are areas of town that you should absolutely avoid, some of them quite central. Then the locals warn you never to flag down taxis in the street but to pre-book them instead, as there are fake taxi drivers out there who will pick you up, lock the doors, pull out a knife and take you and your credit card on an expensive tour of the local cash machines. And the Transmilenio public transport system groans under the weight of the morning and evening rush hours, with queues winding their way out of the stations while commuters press their noses up against the bus windows. On the surface, it doesn't sound like it's much fun.

Plaza de Bolívar
Plaza de Bolívar
Catedral Primada
Catedral Primada

Exploring Bogotá

Cerro de Monserrate
Cerro de Monserrate

Luckily the India Chez Moi Hotel was just a short walk from the Transmilenio, which made it really easy for us to get into central Bogotá. As you would expect from the capital city of such a vibrant country, there's plenty to see in town, although we did keep getting caught in rain showers when we ventured into the city streets, some of them amazingly heavy (this part of the world has a second rainy season in April and May to complement the more usual October-November rainy season, and we're bang in the middle of it). As a result we didn't manage to explore as much of the city centre as we otherwise would have, but what we saw was enjoyable.

The church on top of Cerro de Monserrate
The church on top of Cerro de Monserrate
Iglesia de la Candelaria
Iglesia de la Candelaria
Inside the Museo Botero
Inside the Museo Botero
Modern skyscrapers near Usaquén in northern Bogotá
Modern skyscrapers near Usaquén in northern Bogotá
A man dressed as a piece of broccoli
Broccoli man runs off with a man's burger and offers him a piece of broccoli in exchange; great hidden-camera hilarity ensues
Ice creams and llamas in the Plaza de Bolívar
Ice creams and llamas in the Plaza de Bolívar
The night view over the city from the road to La Calera
The night view over the city from the road to La Calera