2023 was a tough year of work and travel so when I landed back in Bogotá for two months at the end of the year I was wanting to rest. I caught up on editing all of the photos I took throughout the year and focused on training for strength. December and January were relatively tame with work and I was able to recharge my travel batteries while living a daily and weekly routine in Bogotá. December is the best month to visit Bogotá because the skies are clear and there’s no rain (until about late February; then there’s always rain) and lots of Christmas festivities happen throughout the month. Dia de las velitas is the cutest — “little candles day” is really a night when families congregate to light little candles of different colors. My friend Catalina also drove me to see Chirstmas lights in the various little pueblitos around Boyacá. Thanks for driving Cat (it was a lot of driving). For Christmas I spent dinner at a friend’s place. New Years I was happy to go to sleep early. I climbed Nevado de Santa Isabel a 4,950 meter (16,240 feet) volcanco a few hours outside of Pereira, which […]
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Another month and a half were spent enjoying the enigmatic charm of Bogotá. This time, I had the pleasure of hosting family and friends and becoming an ambassador of sorts for a city that can be a challenge to appreciate. However, once you learn to enjoy Bogotá’s unique character, it becomes an entirely different experience. Navigating the city’s complexities is no small feat, with its notorious traffic, unpredictable downpours, and hidden gems. Yet, I take pride in my ability to unveil Bogotá’s special qualities while circumventing its less appealing aspects. On this visit, I had the opportunity to stay in the upscale Parque 93 neighborhood for the first time. While it’s undoubtedly one of the city’s most desirable areas, I often strive to avoid such comforts and conveniences. Embracing these luxuries can be a slippery slope, as they quickly become indispensable. I’ve even caught myself splurging on priority seating for flights to expedite my passage through immigration lines. It’s crucial to remain vigilant, as these indulgences can quickly consume any budget! Despite my love for Bogotá, I inevitably find a reason to depart its embrace. Yet, the city’s allure never fails to draw me back, time and time again.
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I spent three months back in Bogotá for the first time since the winter of 2020, before the Covid-19 pandemic. I chose Bogotá during the worst (weather) time of year — it usually rains and days pass without seeing the sun. Most people hate this weather, but I feel cozy and focused here. I spent each day working from within a WeWork co-working space, spreading time between my job, classes (Spanish and business school), etc. Having spent time here over the past six years, Bogotá feels less like a foreign destination and more like a routine resting place. I kept it fresh by hiking a 5,000-meter volcano, and that helped to focus my morning training regimen each day. Alongside weekend hikes to Monserrate the cardio grind wasn’t so miserable as it would have been chained to the treadmill. My Spanish continues to steadily improve, however spreading my focus among so many goals over the past years has slowed my progress (in all of them). I’m fine with that; I prefer steady, incremental improvements compared to alternatives. Sleepy, rainy Bogotá is the perfect place to grow.
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I began 2019 with the goal to vastly improve my Spanish and what better place to improve it than Bogotá, the Colombian capital generally regarded as harboring the most-neutral accent. I already intended just how to do it too — three years ago when I first visited Bogotá a woman named Nataly approached me while I was working from a Starbucks cafe in Zona G to solicit Spanish classes. We exchanged contact information, she emailed me and, well, I was busy with other things and never responded. Actually, I did respond, it just took me three years. But when I did respond I knew it was her who I wanted to learn Spanish from — in the city that I grew to love so much in the interim spacing my reply. The universe had delivered me a teacher (this is how I like to make decisions — by following the path serendipity lays before me) and of course I felt compelled to oblige. I purchased 80 hours of Spanish classes and facilitated class three days a week over the lunch hour and set to work on the challenging task of learning a first, second-spoken language. As someone who studied Latin […]
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I returned to my favorite city in the world for two months of living my daily routine in the grungy, bustling neighborhood of Chapinero. When I wasn’t working from cafes in the area I was exploring neighboring towns in Cundinamarca like Sopó and La Fuente. With every returning visit Bogotá feels less like a destination necessitating exploration and more like a comfortable home to live a life. As for learning Spanish – I continue to improve slowly though focus is spread among other endeavors contemporaneously which serves to limit dedicated efforts. As a historically all-or-nothing person it is an exercise in little-by-little. I was honored to host my sister and a niece and a nephew in Bogotá for a week as they celebrated their spring break with me. After hearing how much I love Colombia they were brave enough to visit; but since Bogotá is not an easy destination it required effort to show and help advocate for all the great stuff sitting beneath the trafficy, somewhat-dirty exterior. The first day of their adventure featured a stroll around grimey Chapinero, a visit to Monserrate, the historic, graffitied neighborhood of Candelaria, the Gold Museum featuring lots of artifacts from the indigenous […]
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My favorite city in the world is Bogotá, Colombia and I have a hard time explaining to people why; it’s big, it’s dirty, the traffic and infrastructure are abysmal – how can I think that Bogotá is so great? This city feels authentic in a way that others just don’t. No strip malls or vegan cafes (or even vegetables really) people are polite and respectful and when I stay out of the touristy sections I feel anonymous walking among the crowds of Colombians living their normal lives. And when you are living a normal life around here you get a little sentimental to the dirt, grime, the familiar old man selling stuff on your street corner each day, the occasional unkempt gentleman urinating across the street from your building entrance. You develop a sense of community and togetherness with the anonymous people you walk by each morning on the way to start your day and then again in the afternoon when returning home. Part of this camaraderie comes about from walking so much. I walk most places unless I am meeting a friend who lives in a different district of town in which case I take an Uber to where […]
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I entered Colombia for the first time the same way I have many other destinations – no expectations. I thought it would be a little dirty and rugged owing to rumors that white people told me. These of course just made it more attractive in my mind (and of course less in theirs). Bogota blew my mind. It has supplanted Seoul, South Korea as my favorite place to live over the past fourteen months. Colombia has a vibrant, friendly, beautiful and diverse culture that is energizing and contagious. I’ve lived less like a tourist these past two months in Bogota than in other places — finding an easy groove between my working, gym worship, Bikram yoga, exploring local and historical attractions and partying amid the myriad of diverse nightlife venues. How much have I enjoyed my time in Bogota? Enough to stay an additional month than I planned — supplanting 4 weeks in Quito and a non-refundable AirBnB reservation. Why Bogota is overlooked as an international destination is beyond me. Some people will no doubt find its perpetually partly-cloudy, mid 60s temperatures off-putting but for me it’s an ideal climate. As one AirBnb host told me, “it’s like the AC is always on in Bogota”. The city’s location within […]
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