Bogota Review

My first impression on landing in Bogota was one of surprise: I simply had no idea Bogota was as BIG as it is. It feels larger (and more cosmopolitan) than some of the other South American capital cities I've visited (except Sao Paulo, of course....NOTHING about that place feels small!)

Bogota boasts great scenery, easy and affordable mass transit, lots of colonial style and history in the Candelaria section, and enough museums, monuments, and tourist attractions to easily keep a curious visitor busy for several days (if not weeks). There's fun day-trip opportunities like the Salt Mine Cathedral at Zipiquiri, and there's parks and outdoor activities within close proximity to town.

Being a large capital city, of course the nightlife is outstanding. There's fun cultural activities, like Teatro Candelaria, for the early evening, and tons of nightclubs filled with stunningly beautiful women and where the pulse-pounding music gets the locals dancing every night of the week---but especially the weekends.

Some of the "don't miss it" sights to see include the city's spectacular gold museum (Museo del Oro) and a trip up the cable cars to the peak of Monserrate. I'm always interested in the arts, so I consider a visit to Donacion Botero a "must" as well, but then, I just LOVE Botero's whimsical style and his fixation on fat people. His works always express such a pure joi de vivre that I can't help but regard him as one of the world's most talented and significant living artists today. It would be a real shame, IMHO, for any visitor to Colombia not to take some time to learn just a bit about Botero and his works.

Bogota is a great place to visit. It's a sophisticated cosmopolitan area set against the dramatic backdrop of towering Andean peaks. There's some rough areas, but they're not hard to avoid and a trip to Colombia's capital is one of South America's best urban adventures.