Back into the Cordillera

Plaza Bolivar

Heading back to the cordillera also meant more cold and rain. The weather was really fitting to Bogota in my opinion, the whole city has this gothic and kind of ominous feel. I guess the gloom added to my actual feelings, Bogota was our last stop on this epic summer journey and I was not ready for it to end. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't dreading going back to Santiago, but I just could have kept exploring.

The Cathedral at Plaza Bolivar

The hostel in Bogota was one of my favorites from the whole trip. It was really small and probably had room for a total of about 15 people. Breakfast was included and there were hot showers! The neighborhood, La Candelaria, was also one of the best in Bogota, so I felt really comfortable walking around. Since the hostel was so small and only about half full, I actually got to know the other people staying there. That's where I met Kate! It is seriously such a small world, she is also studying in Santiago at my university for the year. Basically we were friends instantly.

So "me"

Most of the time when people think Colombia they think drugs and danger, but in all honestly, Colombia was the country where I felt the most safe. The people are just really cool and don't seem like they are out to get you (ehhmmm, Peru!). That being said, it wasn't that smart to wander around certain areas of Bogota at night, or really during the day, so we stuck to the well-lit areas.

In terms of sightseeing, day one was all the standard stuff: The central plaza, the biggest cathedral, and the government building (which are generally all in the same place). In Bogota that place took the name of Plaza Bolivar. Ohh and finding the grocery store is also vital. One major bonus for the grocery store in Bogota: doughnuts! They had like a legit selection. Grocery stores are really fun in other countries, seeing what they have to offer, Colombia was killin it in terms of a "global" variety of goods. We found Kraft Mac and Cheese...!!!! Nearing the end of the trip meant also nearing the end of our budgets, eating in was a must. Colombia surprised me with how expensive it was. It was still way cheaper than the US, but coming from Bolivia/Peru/Ecuador is seemed super expensive. The one absolute MUST-SEE in Bogota is el Museo de Oro (The Gold Museum). So much gold! It was really beautiful stuff too. An incredibly huge collection of ancient gold artifacts from latin america, I was blown away. Colombia also has some really awesome artesania, so a gander around the markets is definitely worth it.

















March 1st eventually rolled around and that meant it was finally time to go back to Santiago. Summer vacation was over and it was back to reality. Hands down, the best summer of my life. To sum it all up: November/December- Patagonia, Santiago, Home; January- Argentina (Buenos Aires, Iguazu), Bolivia (La Paz, Salar de Uyuni, Copacobana and Lake Titicaca), Peru (Cuzco and Machu Picchu, Lima); February- Peru (so many ruins along the north coast, Huaraz, Trujillo, Huanchaco), Ecuador (Guayaquil, Puerto Lopez, Quito), Colombia (Cartagena, Taganga and Tyrona, Bogota). What a freaking awesome trip!!!! To top it all off, when I got back to Santiago I had to go to the U.S. consulate to add pages to my passport because there was no more room for stamps :)

The end of a great vacation.