Sharing Colombia with the Family - Part 1: Bogotá

So yesterday my family - mom, dad, and brother - got up and left at 6 am for their flight home, after 10 days of great family time and traveling around Colombia.  It was certainly a whirlwind of a trip but they got to see a lot of the country and hopefully left with a better idea of why I love Colombia so much and am not sure if I will be leaving after my second year... the future is very uncertain, as my next steps in terms of my career are still taking shape.  Anyhow, we did a LOT but here is an overview of what we did:

Friday:

The family arrived at the airport.  We headed to our hotel, Hotel Casa Paquin.  It is in the neighborhood called El Polo. I'd never been and it seems like a strange location but just across the footbridge crossing the highway (la Autopista) is Zona Rosa and Parque 93...so in the end the location was great.  We headed out for a celebratory drink at the Bogotá Beer Company and then crashed.

Saturday:

The day began with a city tour.  Our guide, Rene, was amazing.  He really knows the country and the people and the history, so  even though I've taken a city tour and lived in this city a nearly a year, I learned a ton!  He totally inspired me as well to be more conscientious about living sustainably.  Incredible right, that in just a few hours a person could have this big of an effect!?  If you're looking for a guide for a city tour in Bogotá, let me know and I'll connect you to him.  Anyhow, we began by heading up to the mountain to see Monserrate.

My family loved it, I was wishing for a little less rain and clouds.  Still, the views are spectacular and they got to see a market with all the typical foods.  We then headed down to el centro to see La Candelaria (one of my absolute favorite places in Bogotá, see La Candelaria or More Exploring for additional info on the area).  We mostly just walked around for my family to see it all and get an idea of what was there.  We stopped in La Plaza de Bolivar and then continued onto el Museo del Oro.  This museum is excellent and Rene really helped to make the time there even more valuable with all his explanations of the symbolism and the history.  Very cool...but we were exhausted and HUNGRY.  We spent only an hour and then headed to lunch.  We invited Rene along because he is awesome and he had a great suggestion.  A place called Minimal, which I will certainly return to, located in Chapinero Alto.  (I have no pictures of any of this, hoping dad sends me some.  I think I was just so excited to be learning the history and talking with Rene, that I forgot about the pics!)

After a few hours to relax in the hotel, we went to Yanuba for traditional onces (kind of a like a late afternoon "snack" although it can be a lot of food) with the director of my school and the director of bilingual education as well.  My parents loved meeting folks from the school and trying this new meal or at least the concept was interesting.  Additionally, the conversation was great.

In the evening we split a bottle of wine, relaxed, and again, crashed early.

Sunday:

Sunday was a bit less programmed but still wonderful.  We woke up and enjoyed breakfast in the hotel, as we did every day because it was included.  We then hopped in a taxi for my parents to visit my neighborhood, see where I live and see where I'm going to live (I found an apartment and I'm moving on August 1!).  We stopped to have an empanada from el Kiosco (my favorite empanadas in all of Bogotá) and then walked to catch the bus to Usaquén.  The buses are safe here in Bogotá but it's always better to not draw too much attention to yourself if you are 1) gringo and 2) don't speak Spanish.  I suggested that my family try to just quietly get on the bus, find a seat and follow my lead  i.e. not talk.  I got on and paid for everyone and then my mom attempted to get on the bus but had trouble with the turnstile.  She decided that shouting "I can't get on, I can't get on!" was the best way to handle this.  Oh dear.  Of course the passengers and driver just looked at her like she was crazy (fair assessment), we helped her get through the turnstile and once we arrived to Usaquén the family was in tears from laughter.

Usaquén is bustling with outdoor markets on Sunday, so we spent an hour or so walking through the markets and then stopped for coffee.  My mom at the end of the trip commented that there wasn't enough coffee on the trip.  Again, uncontrollable laughter.  You can't make this stuff up!!  We are in COLOMBIA, the home of some of the best coffee in the WORLD.  I mean, seriously?

Anyhow, I hired a driver to take us to lunch outside of the city.  This is the norm in Bogotá.  Families on the weekend, drive out of the city to have big lunches together.  We went to a place in Chia called Entre Pues.  Everyone had Bandeja Paisa and we shared a few pitchers of refajo (a mixture of beer and a soda called Colombiana).  We were STUFFED.

In the evening, we wanted to just grab a drink and maybe dessert but it was Sunday so my favorite places were closed.  I settled for Crepes & Waffles in the zona T.  We were joined by a friend and had a lovely evening.

Again, no pics.  Sorry!  Hoping that my dad will help me some to spice this post up a bit.  I was just living in the moment and forgot about recording it!

Interested in a trip this awesome? Check out www.colombiantravels.com for help with the planning.