What a dynamic and surprising place. And for those of us who have family connections, so welcoming. But there are challenges. The first is to cope with the inevitable jet-lag that we are dealing with, having travelled from Australia the day before, one day stay in LA, then ‘red-eye’ to Bogota. The second is the high altitude of Bogota, being 2,625 metres (8.660 feet). Put together, and poor sleep routine, it is a bit of a battle. So what’s new says the seasoned traveller?

Of course, traffic and driver behaviour is rather different from Australia. However, it is what it is. Probably less road-rage I would suspect, as people drive aggressively yet mostly understand that in heavy traffic you need to keep taking any available space. It has been interesting to see it in action, and in some ways, it is part of the charm.

Then we headed out of town, into the hills (OK, the mountains, it is just that we are most of the way up in Bogota, being the Andes) and beyond to Quatavita. Lovely restaurant meal there, enjoyed the travel and sights, the one interesting tourist attraction (see below), and the cute village with its Colonial and indigenous history, by the lake, and involving gold mining.

So many things are different here in Bogota but that is what makes it interesting and fun. We are well escorted by locals so that keeps us away from exploitation or harmful areas, so for now, we have felt very safe.

Some pictures from this day’s travels are attached below.