Bogota, Colombia

COLOMBIAN PROVERB: There is no better friend than a burden.

Colombia was the first stop on a brief trip around two of the more intriguing countries in South America, with Venezuela next on the list. I flew to Bogota's El Dorado airport from DFW via Miami. I was impressed with the airport and the super quick baggage delivery - virtually no waiting. I had booked a couple of nights at the Bogota Marriott using points and there was a free shuttle from the airport which barely took 15 minutes to deliver me to the lobby. The Bogota Marriott is an awesome hotel and typically room prices start at around $300 per night but for 20,000 Marriott points this place is an absolute bargain. I was upgraded to a huge suite and the executive lounge on the top floor has fantastic food and a wide selection of beer and wine. I wished I had booked more than two nights.

Colombia - country #110 for me

NUMBER 110

With little time to waste in Colombia I had prearranged a private tour for the day with Hansa Tours and their excellent guide, Daniel Pedraza, a Bogota native and one time Miami area Domino's pizza delivery guy.  Daniel met me in the lobby of the hotel and after a quick exchange of pleasantries we headed north out of the town of Gautavita (elevation 3,000), where the nearby lake is home to the legend of El Dorado. The indigenous Muisca Indians held religious ceremonies in the middle of the lake, their bodies covered in gold dust, while gold offerings were dropped as sacrifices into the lake. The walk up to the lake was littered with school children on a field trip and the odd tourist but it was very relaxing and good exercise too.

Gautavita - the legend of El Dorado

For lunch we drove to the town of Zipaquira for a delicious bowl of Ajaico - a traditional thick soup made with potatoes, chicken, avocado, corn and cream. We also tried a selection from the barbecue including pork, lamb, blood sausage, chorizo accompanied by arepas, which are corn based pancakes that you can stuff with your favorite filling. The rain poured down as we ate but just as we were about to leave the clouds pealed back and it was sunny again - but we were about to head underground.

Next door is the impressive underground cathedral carved out of a salt mine. At the entrance of the church are 14 small chapels, representing the stations of the cross, which illustrate the events of Jesus' last journey. Each station has a cross and several kneeling platforms carved into the halite structure. There are no images of Jesus but the symbolism of each different cross represents his struggle. The enormous main temple has three naves each connected by a thin crack in the salt walls. Thankfully there were very few other tourists there and at times it seemed as if we had the whole place to ourselves.

One of the stations of the cross chapels

The main cathedral at Zipaquira

I can't say enough about the quality of the tour and especially Daniel who was more than just a tour guide - he served as driver, translator, and bodyguard. For anyone with little time to spare, I highly recommend Hansa tours.

BACK TO THE CARIBBEAN (Colombian style)
The following morning I had an early flight to San Andres, a small island in the Caribbean Sea and an overseas Department of Colombia - technically another destination on the Travelers Century Club list. The island is really small and the airport is even smaller. The ocean flanks both ends of the runway so there's not much room for error. The hotel of choice was the Hotel Sunrise Beach, perfectly placed on the south eastern shore overlooking a private beach and well priced for $120 a night including breakfast. The island is a little bit dated but the beaches were first rate, the food was excellent and Aguila beer was about US$1.50 a bottle. Most of the tourists were either from Colombia or Central America and around every corner there seem to be music playing and over-sized golf carts doubling as taxi's or rental cars.

My view from the Hotel Sunrise Beach

The main beach at San Andres - near the airport

San Andres was a nice change after the big city of Bogota but before long it was time to move on to another big city, this time Caracas, and another new country. Based on what I had read and heard there was a fair amount of trepidation heading to Venezuela but the next week would change everything.

COLOMBIA QUICK GUIDE

Capital: Bogota

Currency: Colombian Peso (USD1 = 2,100 COP

Language: Spanish

Drives on the Right

Beer of choice: BBC (Bogota Brewing Company)