Bogota feels like a mix between New York City, some city in Europe I have never visited but imagine it would look similar, with a Latin American influence. From what I have seen, the city is beautiful. After writing about my arrival here, i decided to go to see a movie to distract my mind from realiy, as I was feeling a bit lonely and scared during my first night in Colombia.
I woke up early the next morning to change hostels to a more social one and explore the city. After checking into the hostel (Hostel Sue), i began my exploration of La Candaleria and its surrounding area. La Candaleria is the old part of the city, where many of the building look like they have not changed for hundreds of years.
My first task was to buy a cell phone, which ended up taking an hour. I think i got a pretty nice phone for $36, though I will probably never use it. Afterwards, i wandered around a bit looking for a place to fix my camera, which was mysteriously broken when i turned it on before getting on the airplane to Bogotá. Fortunately, the repairman was able to fix it in under 5 minutes.
Without any more chores, i was free to just walk around and enjoy my surroundings. For the next 6-8 hours, i walked non-stop, except for a quick lunch break where i ate one of the best meals i have had since being in South America. I visited many plazas, markets, presidential palace, the largest gold museum in the world, etc. The presidential palace was kind of interesting, or at least the outside was. I had to walk through a security checkpoint before going into the area of the building and many other governmental buildings. I also could not take any pictures. There were policemen and soldiers everywhere. I saw a few different groups of solders marching with their huge guns a few times. All in all, it was very interesting.
I got back around 6 or 7, and hung out with everyone in the hostel until midnight. Some of the highlights were eating giant dead ants and playing ping pong. At around midnight, at least 11 of us piled into 2 taxi cabs and made our way to Zona Rosa, a wealthy area of the city filled with all of the best clubs. We chose La Sala, and so I danced to Techno music almost non-stop until 5 am with a Colombian girl i met named Ana, who is a speech therapist in Popayan.
I woke up at 12 this morning, and ordered an omelet at one of the cafe´s nearby. Afterward, I took a taxi to the teleferico at Monserrate. For 12,000 pesos (about $6), i rode up the mountain on a cable car where there were stunning views of Bogotá. I also bought a few more presents there as well (one for me and someone else).
I got back about half an hour ago after getting some freshly squeezed banana and strawberry juice for $1. I will likely go out again tonight, and really can´t wait as the nightlife here is incredible from the one night i experienced.