Bogota
Trip Start
Feb 06, 2007
1
46
332
Trip End
Jan 14, 2008
Bogota,
Colombia
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Our plans for our last 2 days in Bogota were thwarted by Barb having yet another attack of a tummy bug and feeling not too well. Saturday morning Barb slept while Pete went hunting a Goretex jacket in the Unicentro shopping centre, one of the upmarket malls. They only had a few coats, all the wrong sizes. Bogota is nothing like Adelaide, where you can choose from at least 8 travel stores and 100 jackets. We visited the archaeological museum, situated in a renovated house along Carrera 6. On the top floor they have a very good collection of prehispanic pottery, including our favourites, the Shaman figures. There was also a superb realistic figure of 'The Thinker' from Tumaco on the Pacific coast, which was the favourite of the lady running the shop. Unfortunately, photography is not allowed.
There ws still time to have a brief look into the art museum which is connected to the Botero museum, and well worth a visit
Pic 1
.The arthouse cinema had managed to find the Iranian film, but we were surprised to find ourselves the only patrons for the first 10 minutes. After that a few more people turned up.The theme was interesting, but the film and sound quality atrocious. It cannot have been an old film as a mobile phone was seen, so we concluded it was an amateur filmmaker with only 35mm film.
During the last few evenings there have been free evening concerts in the street for Easter. 'Authentic Brass' was playing outside the theatre in Carrera 7, and was good. Next was a choral group. Their lovely singing was totally ruined by an overzealous sound mixer, who gave us VOLUME. We were interviewed by a TV station but with a light shining in our eyes and not being able to hear for the nearby speakers, we stuffed it up and doubt we would appear on TV.
Easter Sunday we paid another visit to the Botanic Garden (bus 97). It seemed much prettier than on our previous visit in September 2006. Maybe there was more in flower. There are numerous explanatory notices, for example on the origin of the different types of plants, not feel-good stuff but scientific and very interesting. The tropical conservatories have a nice collection of orchids and bromeliads, cactus and many others. If you like plants, don't miss the gardens.
Pic 2
Note on The DogA strange creature that looks like a cross between a lion and a dog, with dreadlocks, hangs around the area near Platypus. It was usually seen at night checking out the rubbish, even in heavy rain, but appeared once in daylight.
Note on Platypus Hostel
We have stayed in the main Platypus 3 times previously.This time our room was in another Platypus house several doors up the road. If you can, avoid this overflow place. Our room smelt damp and musty and the mattress and pillows were as hard as a rock (we managed to change rooms after 5 days). There were 2 bathrooms that had rough dirty floors, not cleanable tiles, (and a third modern one, but access was through the back yard and we didn't find it for days), and the kitchen sink was disgustingly filthy. Most of the other travellers were single blokes who never seemed to clean up after themselves. The only plus was that it was a lot quieter than Platypus 1.
Monday and Tuesday, April 9th and 10th 2007 Leticia
We took our packet of papers that had accumulated (maps etc) to the post office to check on the price of sending them home. We were intending to buy a Botero book, 'Dibujos', and send this too
Pic 3
. The official price of sending 5kgs of printed matter is 75,000 pesos, but the guy in the post office got it wrong, and wanted 118,000 to send 2+kg (our papers minus the book). He was not to be moved, so we didn't buy the book and threw out half the papers we had saved, then shoved the rest in Barb's pack.As usual we took the bus to the airport, then found our flight was delayed. The flight was coming from Cali and Cali airport had been closed because of bad weather. We eventually took off, and in sufficient time for us to have wonderful views over the Amazon basin before dark, with millions and millions of trees and huge rivers snaking their way through the jungle. The pilot came in far too fast and the plane only just stopped before the end of the runway. Phew !
At the Leticia airport you have to pay 14,500 pesos tax unless you live there. Outside we were plagued with tour touts thrusting their cards under our noses, but we resisted all and took a cab to the backpackers' place German at Platypus had recommended. Unfortunately it only had 2-tier bunks with the saggiest mattresses we have seen (and the cost was 15,000 each), so we walked to Hotel Divino Nino (in Lonely Planet) and found a nice room for 40,000 pesos.
There are several restaurants serving set meals in town. Our choice served OK food, freshly cooked (which is more than can be said for our next meal)
Pic 4
. A walk down to the river completed the evening. Someone tried to sell us a boat trip to Santa Rosa island across the river, in the pitch dark. We said 'tomorrow'.In bed Barb got a bee sting on the leg. We think the critter must have arrived folded in the top sheet. On a pain rating, it initially came number 4, after fire ants, bull ants, and European wasps, but 24 hours later was nearer the top of the list.
Tuesday morning we wandered around town looking for another hotel, because our room was noisy from Avenida Internacional under the window, but came to the conclusion that we had the best value, with a spacious room, cable TV, free (sweet) coffee, free water and a sitting room.
One of the travel touts found us and tried to sell us a jungle tour for the huge cost of 650,000 pesos each for just 3 days. It took 2 minutes for him to reduce this to 450,000 (a special offer, just for us, if we said 'yes' right now). We got rid of him and said we'd ring him later. Lunch was at El Sabor, in Lonely Planet. Alas, our chicken and beef had been reheated and were very ordinary.
One of the cards planted on us at the airport was for a hostel in Tabatinga, across the border in Brazil. You walk along Avenida Internacional until you come to an almost invisible sign saying 'Welcome to Brazil' (in Portuguese), then keep walking
Pic 5
. No passport stamping is needed, as long as you stay in Tabatinga. Suddenly almost all the signs change to Portuguese, which ISN'T like Spanish, whatever anyone says. The travel guy wasn't in the hostel, but he found us when we were walking back to Colombia. We piled on to the back of motor bikes and were taken back to the hostel to see a video of his tour. His starting cost was 450,000, which got reduced to 400,000, if we decided right here and now. We have heard this before ! We said we'd ring him. When he eventually found us again he wanted 300,000 if he could pick us up at 6am tomorrow. By this time we had decided to go to Puerto Narino tomorrow and see what was on offer there.
The highlights of the day would have to be seeing and hearing thousands of small parrots arriving in Parque Santander about 5.30pm to roost in the trees. While the parrots were settling down lots of great egrets arrived and perched on top of their tree, and black vultures settled in the vulture tree. We were then treated to a spectacular sunset, in brilliant colours. Lots of locals were watching it too, so it must not happen every day.The promised 32 degrees and 94% humidity appears to be a myth. It was warm and humid, but not unpleasantly so, and Pete's socks dried. We both plan to have a hair cut tomorrow. After 2 month's traveling, it's time.
