Colombians are generally not fans of the way Hollywood portrays them in movies. Type-cast a drug dealer, lately? Residents of Bogotá, in particular like to cite the 2005 Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie blockbuster
Mr. & Mrs. Smith at the top of their grievances. In the movie, the titular couple are in the capital city where jungle vines encroach on Spanish colonial-style buildings and rain is seen as a refreshing reprieve from the heat of the day. In reality, Bogotá sits at 2,625 meters above sea level (about 8,600 ft) and the residents have wardrobes containing more jackets and scarves than bikinis and bermuda shorts. To quote the author of the blog
Intercultured, "I’d say I spend approximately two-thirds of my life in Bogotá underwater."
Tragically, despite the fact that I've passed through Bogotá many times en route to other locations, either by bus or airplane, I've only spent about 24 hours here as a tourist, and that was one brief day over four years in transit to the Amazon. This seemed to be a similar theme for five other of my colleagues, so about a month ago we decided to pick a weekend and go.
One of the first things on our to-do list was visit "La cervecería pequeña más grande de Bogotá" (The largest small brewery in Bogotá), otherwise known as the Bogotá Beer Company. Their slogan could be adapted to include all of Colombia, as there are few micro-breweries in the country, but until the BBC expands to other cities, they aren't necessarily incorrect. One company, Bavaria, brews pretty much all the other brands of Colombian beer. With this kind of monopoly it is not surprising that an artesian start-up could find a niche market.
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| Sam and Mandi in the BBC lab |
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| BBC Tour stop number one! |
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| The group at the Usaquén location. |
The tour started with a pick-up in a company van in front of our hostel, a tour of their small factory, then stops at three restaurant/bars of our choosing throughout the city including a complimentary pint at each stop as well as one appetizer per every two people all for the amazing price of about $30 USD each. Fascinating tour, informative tasting session, great food, VIP service at every establishment, and a free ride around town made for a pretty great first night out!
The next day we explored the Zona Rosa neighborhood we were staying in then headed to a small city north of Bogotá called Zipaquira. The main draw of this town in the Salt Cathedral, an actual Catholic church carved deep inside an active salt mine. I was the lone one to have visited this unique site before, however, I though it would be interesting to see again. In the last four years there has been some serious work done on the tourist infrastructure, and while not anywhere near amusement park, it is a far cry from the more rustic look the area had on my first visit.
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| The main "room" inside the catedral de sal from the choir loft. |
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| One of the stations of the Cross. |
Later that evening we headed to an iconic Bogotá destination, the restaurant Andrés Carne de Res, located in the municipality of Chía. If TGIFriday's in the US is considered "kitch" in decor, this is "super-kitch on steroids." Serving an enormously diverse and international menu, the maze-like restaurant is giant party; emphasis on the word giant. This is where people go to see and be seen but in the most unpretentious of ways. Loud but not deafening and bright without being blinding, the entire place is an overload to all the senses.
