The rest of our week was pretty low-key. We spent most of our second Wednesday in Bogotá searching in vain for a place that would insure our bike. This proved to be a surprisingly more difficult feat than expected, especially considering that vehicle insurance is mandatory in Colombia. Luckily, on Thursday morning, we were finally able to find a place, Suramericana Seguros (SOAT), where we were able to insure the bike.
Our host’s brother in Bogotá had invited us over for a delicious ajiaco lunch on the same day so, that is where we spent most of our afternoon. We kept the gastronomic theme going for the remainder of our day by exploring the Usaquen neighbourhood of the city afterwards. Usaquen is an upscale area that has some of the best restaurants in town.
Move aside, Starbucks; this one’s got his name on it
We decided to go French for the evening since French cuisine is very expensive in Canada and USA, and Colombia has been terrific in terms of quality and cost of food. Our first stop was at Philippe Café because… do I really need to explain this? The beverages and cakes we had were delicious and worth a visit if you’re ever in Bogotá, even if you’re not visiting the city with a minion guy by the name of Philippe.
So much deliciousness! All the Philippes of the world ought to be proud 🙂
After getting our sugar levels up, we walked around the neighbourhood and took in the sights before making our way to the restaurant La Provence de Andrei for dinner. We had to have escargot, obviously, followed by a cassoulet for me and Thumper a bunny for Phil. Great food and one of those times where overeating was not regretted.
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- Usaquen
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- Usaquen
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- La Provence de Andrei
Feels like we’re in Provence!
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- Escargot
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- Cassoulet
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- Dead bunny
On Friday, we went to visit Monserrate, a mountain that rises to 3,152 metres above sea-level and dominates the center of the capital. We took a gondola for 40,000 COP (~18 CAD) for the two of us and ended up spending a good part of our afternoon at the top. Aside from incredible views of the city, there are restaurants, markets, and even a church at the top. It was also chillier (100% better than heat) and getting short of breath was much easier due to the altitude, but it was a great way to spend the afternoon.
Bogotá
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- Made it to the top!
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- Monserrate
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- Markets at the top
At 3,152 metres above sea level!
The next few days were uneventful; however, we had plans to visit the Catedral de Sal (Salt Cathedral) of Zipaquirá during the following week. But that’s for another post 😉
