Bogota, round 3 - Days 72-75
It was finally time to leave Salento. It was one of my favorites of the trip - so beautiful, perfect weather, excellent coffee. We were sad to leave but getting excited to go back home for a bit. But first, Bogota.
We had to take an hour bus back to Pereira to get to the airport. We split a taxi from the bus station to the airport with a gal from England. And guess what? Her best friend went to UW. Craziness.
Our AirBNB in Bogota was super nice, per usual, and was right across the street from a proper grocery store. With vegetables! What a luxury! We got broccoli and asparagus, along with some stuff to make some chicken nuggets. While Ben's chicky nugs were great, the veggies stole the show. Tomorrow, Brussels sprouts!
End of D72 cribbage score: Ben 95 (15 skunks) – Meg 75 (16 skunks)
We had a few things on our Bogota bucket list to check off before we left, but today was a Monday. And Monday's in Colombia are holidays (not always, it just feels like it) so a lot of things were closed. We spent the morning trying to catch up on the blog now that we had decent internet. In the afternoon, we took a stroll through Zona Rosa, one of the trendy neighborhoods in Bogota. Then it started to rain. There were lots of neat coffee shops and restaurants that we could've ducked into, too bad they were all closed. Juan Valdez (Colombian Starbucks) was open though! We stayed there and read awhile the rain let up, then headed across the street to grab lunch at Sipote, which was basically Qdoba.
Since everything was closed and it was raining, we went back to the AirBNB and lounged for the night. Completed part 8/8 of our long-term Star Wars marathon by watching The Force Awakens. And as promised, we had Brussel sprouts for dinner.
End of D73 cribbage score: Ben 95 (15 skunks) – Meg 78 (16 skunks)
Our last full day in Colombia! Needed to make it count so we had a full day of activities planned. First, the Free Walking Graffiti tour downtown! Graffiti is everywhere in Bogota, mostly because it is not criminalized. Many artists are actually hired by restaurant/bar/hotel owners to paint murals on the walls of their establishments. This brings in foot traffic and also deters taggers from spraying random things on the walls (graffiti code of conduct to not spray over someone else's work). It was super cool to take a walk through some of the more graffitied areas and learn about the stories/inspiration behind the paintings. I was amazed at how incredible and detailed the paintings were.
Second, one last ajiaco soup (a Bogota staple) at La Puerta Falsa. One of the Colombian foods I actually like.
Third, the Gold museum. It was a huge museum and full of well
preserved, historical pieces of gold. From buffed shiny breast plates to intricate pieces of jewelry (truly amazing) to coins to statues. There was a little bit of it all, and all very informative. As far as museums go, one of the top I've been to. Fourth, try an oblea. Its a wafer sandwich with all sorts of fillings to choose from - caramel, fruit jam, cheese, etc. Not too shabby!
Finally, a nice steak dinner at Andres Carne de Res. It's a famous steakhouse in Colombia not necessarily for its food, but for its massive size and crazy entertainment. The main one (the restaurant takes up 4 city blocks) is a ways north of Bogota so we settle for the downtown location. In retrospect, we probably should have made time to go see the main one. Now we have a reason to
come back! This one is still pretty big though: when we checked in for our reservation, we were told to take the elevator to the 4th floor. Our "floor" of the restaurant was decked out in bright red neon lights, street signs, lanterns, and all around overstimulating decor. Pretty wild place. We order chicharrones as an appetizer and steaks for the entree. When they bring out our food, they also bring us plastic bibs to wear. Like the kind they give kids to wear in places like the Olive Garden. We assume its standard practice (they do wear plastic gloves while eating chicken wings afterall) and bib up. We're so entranced by the delicious food and the atmosphere that we don't notice that we're the only ones with bibs on in the entire place. Noobs. Oh well, at least our shirts were clean. We take the stairs back down so we can check out the entertainment on the other floors - each as wild as the last. Pretty great last day!
End of D74 cribbage score: Ben 95 (15 skunks) – Meg 78 (16 skunks)
Well, we made it! Time to pack up for the last time (in South America at least). It feels odd to leave this continent and this lifestyle, but we're happy to go home to see our friends and family. And it helps knowing that its just a temporary break in traveling.
I suppose I should've known better than to expect a hassle-free flight back. We had a layover in Panama City and apparently they were having some bad weather causing backups. We had to circle the PC airport for 45+ min before being allowed to land. Queasy queasy. Then, we had to run to our next gate to avoid missing the flight to Chicago. We make with just a few minutes to go before our scheduled departure time. Then we sit on the tarmac for the next hour and a half. So frustrating. We finally take off and make it to Ohare at 3am, only to discover that the bag we checked with all of our souvenirs didn't make it. We search the airport for a Copa Airlines representative, but it was the middle of the night so no one was around. We were annoyed, frustrated, and very tired. But as soon as we see Jared and Katie answer their door with arms open and big bright smiles, we feel pretty darn good. Because we're home.
End of D75 cribbage score: Ben 95 (15 skunks) – Meg 78 (16 skunks)