Colombia at First Glance
08.02.2015
19 °C
Having spent a month bathed in the tropical warmth of Cuba and our Cuban friends it was a bit of a shock to land in a cool and rainy Bogota. While it may be 1,500 miles closer to the equator than Havana, at nearly 9,000 feet it is is one of the highest capitals in the world and daytime temperatures rarely rise much above 20 degrees C. However, before we head for the balmy lowlands and sweltering beaches of Colombia, we have a few days to explore this colonial Spanish city. This is the Capitolio – the parliament – in Simon Bolivar Plaza…
The plaza is surrounded by magnificent buildings reminiscent of those in Spain…
Including the Presidential Palace…
And the country’s primary cathedral…
Bogota has a reputation for being a dangerous city for tourists and when we saw the number of police and soldiers stationed around Simon Bolivar Plaza we were a little concerned. However, when a young cop requested that we should accompany him to the police headquarters we wondered what was going to happen. Fortunately, the old police HQ is now a fascinating museum where James found himself quite at home…
This is just a sample of the arsenal seized from the notorious drug baron Pablo Escobar when he was finally killed in 1993… 
Colombia’s capital, (including the suburbs), is home to nearly 12 million, and it is in most respects a very modern community with facilities and infrastructures similar to most European capitals. We are hoping to see more of Bogota in the next few days and hope to bring you magnificent views of the city from the surrounding mountains – if only the rain would stop and the clouds would lift. These vicuna would also like the rain to stop so they can go back to giving rides to kids in Bolivar Plaza…
Looking forward to your new adventure. Keep safe, what an introduction Jim. Best to the two of you.
by Sue Fitzwilson