THE RAINY CITY OF BOGOTA
A megatropolis of brick and cement transforming into towers of glass, this Andean capital city of Colombia has a remarkable history and a bright future. From far away one may first imagine a muggy tropical urban area, it’s quite the opposite. Bogota is at 2580 m elevation, temperate with light to heavy rainfall typical in this highland valley. It has T-shirt weather during the day and sweater temperatures at night. Over nine million people have appeared in this Spanish-established city that started in 1538. Rising over the city to the east is a steep forested mountain range. The historic center at the Plaza de Armas is called Candelaria and still preserves colonial buildings painted in bright colors. Narrow streets hide trending cafes and pubs.
The Museo de Oro, on Calle 16, has an impressive collection of pre-Columbian gold artefacts. Colombia is a country of gold with many mountain streams and jungle pediments being mined for placer gold. Artisanal miners labour in incredibly rich quartz veins. And Colombia drug traffickers launder money through the gold mines, but also legitimize their incomes through casinos and building apartment towers.
The peace process in Colombia, after 40 difficult years of leftist guerrilla warfare, is advancing. Although other armed groups continue in their useless causes. Bogota was once infamous for pervasive kidnapping and car bombs. This has mostly halted. Violence has reduced some 90%, and if you speak with Colombians most believe they are heading for the best of times and they are eager for continued improvements.
Real estate and retail has taken off. Many USA restaurants and hotels are already doing business in Bogota while Chilean shopping malls and supermarkets are quickly proliferating. Spanish and French banks, amongst others, have established Bogota as a financial center. But what is real is walking down a wide brick sidewalk next to a bike path , watching yellow taxis drive by, and holding aloft an umbrella to fend off the rain.
To orient oneself, the city is spread out in a NW-SE direction, such that general areas are called by the numbered east-west streets called calles. The upscale fashionable zones are along Parque 93, calle 84, and broadly around calle 73. The main nightclubs are around called 84, along with two large shopping malls and many restaurants. This is the happening spot.
We have found the people of Colombia to be friendly, the beer good, and the airport well managed. Bogota is worth a visit; it is the place to buy high quality emeralds, and it is full of many different things to explore.
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