Quito - Bogota Colombia

Posted on November 12th, 2007 in Travel by Sinead

okay so after or trip in the Galapagos we flew back to Quito but didn`t stay there long as we decided we`d go to Colombia. So we booked a bus and after a small delay (of about four hours) we got under way to the border between Colombia and Ecuador. So after a short five hour bus trip we reached the border town of . Four of us hopped in a taxi me, Garrett, an ecuadorian girl and a colombian girl named Ellie (who traveled with us all the way to bogota) which brought us to the border and immigration. After the easiest border crossing of our entire trip - seriously no bag searches noone looking for a payoff we didn´t even have to fill in a form entering colombia (it was great) we got a minibus into the first town in colombia Ipiales.

In Ipiales we had some lunch and decided we`d just head to Bogota (a twenty two hour bus trip!!!). The scenery was amazing on our way up and we sort of regretted not seeing some of the south before heading to Bogota but our decision was made so a day later we arrived in Bogota. Ellie who we`d been chatting with on the bus trip was returning home after 7months travel so her family were there to collect her at the bus station and they very generously gave us a lift to our hostel (our first introduction to colombian hospitality!! unbelievably friendly people). Anyway we were a bit dismayed by the fact there was a massive storm - raining so heavily the roads had become rivers so we were extremely glad of the lift.
Once settled in Bogota we took a walk around the town - plaza boliviar (were i got surrounded by pigeons) and a market or two. We couldn´t get over the halloween decorations everywhere its a big thing in Colombia (not so much in other South american countries). We went on a trip to the police muesum were we got to see Pablo Escobars (he was a big drug lord over here until they killed him that is) motorbike (with gold plated decorations) and his two hand pistols made completely out of silver….. I also took a trip to the docs were i got to try out my fantastic spanish again!!! Don´t worry not to big a deal well nothing an antibiotic won´t fix.

We decided after spending a few days doing nothing but walking around the city we´d go and see the famous salt Cathedral (built in a salt mine) outside the city. So a two hour bus trip later we arrived at a little town Zipaquira not far from Bogota. It was a real nice place there was a market in the centre of town - all types of vegetables and meat. We of course got lost but got to wander around an old plaza and wind our way through some cobbled streets before eventually finding the entrance to the salt cathedral. Its all underground in the tunnel on the way in they´ve got the stations of the cross with little areas to kneel (salt platforms) until you reach the main area which is a massive tunnel which is divided into three sections - birth, life and death. In the first chamber there´s a baptismal fountain and a nativity statue - fantastic detail (made out of sandstone not salt though). The centre chamber has an alter and reportedly the biggest cross in the world as a background (the area is huge you can barely see the ceiling). The last is a simple chamber with rows of seats. There are statues in different areas again all beautifully detailed - it was definately worth the effort.

After a week in Bogota having beers with fellow hosteliers we decided we´d better move on our we wouldn´t have time to see the rest of the country.
S&G

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