Bogota

Bad incident with Viva Airlines

I wake up feeling a lot better. I think I might even try some of those “Big Ass Ants” today. Big Ass Ants are very large ants with huge butts that are roasted and salted. They are considered a delicacy.

At breakfast we meet a family that had stayed at the same hotel with us in Cartagena. I am horrified when they tell us about an experience they had the day before with Viva Airlines. After booking & paying their fare and downloading their boarding passes at the airport they were told the boarding passes were not valid and given no explanation why. By the time all the discussion about the situation was over, their flight had left and the airline put them on the next flight 5 hours later. That flight ended up being delayed but they did finally get to Bogota.

Chapinero for Antigen Tests

After breakfast we had a virtual appointment with our family doctor. Next we headed to a clinic in the neighbourhood of Chapinero to get the covid rapid antigen tests required for entrance to Brazil tomorrow.

The cab ride takes a lot longer than we expect. Although it is only about 8km, we seem to travel across a small, lush mountain or two and the traffic is bad. The views of the city on the ride to Chapinero were very picturesque.

Chapinero is a very metropolitan, upscale area of Bogota. There are a lot of brand name stores. People look fit and dress well.

I feel a bit nauseated in the cab…all that going up and down steep hills. I am also suffering with a bit of altitude sickness; a bit dizzy. John is fine.

Gran Colombia Walking Tour

Back at the hotel we rest for a short bit and head out for our walking tour with Gran Colombia.

We meet in the square where Bogota was first established. The sun is out and it quickly gets quite hot. As we wait, I can’t stop watching this really funny looking, bald dog with a white mohawk hairdo. He is wearing a punk rock type denim jacket. He is so ugly he is cute and such a friendly fella.

To the Market 

From the square our tour heads through some narrow streets to a market where we try numerous types of fruit…many which I have never even heard of.

La Candelaria area is a mix of old architecture, modern skyscrapers and everything in between. There is no shortage of character and a lot of graffitti, some of it quite good.

The people on the walking tour are from all over the world; Switzerland, Germany, Malaysia, Brazil and England. They are all great to chat to.

Monserrate Peak

Our tour ends at at Varietale, a coffee cafe where we are served some of Colombia’s best coffee. Our group chats for quite awhile and the lady from England strongly recommends that we take the funicular and go to Monserrate Peak instead of the Gold Museum.

We grab an Uber and go to the funicular which is quite cool. The top is covered in lush vegetation, capped with a church…and the views of the city are gorgeous. Apparently the bird watching is also really interesting. We are glad we went.

In Search of Big Ass Ants

By the time we get down from the top, the man selling big ass ants has gone home for the night. I use my Spanish to let the taxi driver know what I am looking for. “Yo quiero comprar la cucarocha ” as I make eating motions.

Fortunately he realizes that I am wanting to buy big ass ants and not cockroaches. Unfortunately the seller is not where the taxi driver thought he would be.

We continue searching for other purveyors of the ants (I even ask the police) but we always received the same response; “They only sell during the day”

In a last ditch effort, we go back to Simon Bolivar Square. No luck but we do get to see the cathedral lit up at night.

Sadly, I return to the hotel with no ants in my pants.

Some people talk about Colombia being a dangerous place. We were cautious and took advice on where and when it was safe to be out and about. The only crime we personally experienced was being given a counterfeit bill with a face value of $7 Canadian.

We do have some good news though. Our covid tests came back negative so we are good to go to Brazil early tomorrow morning.