{"id":661,"date":"2022-11-01T09:30:53","date_gmt":"2022-11-01T13:30:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com\/bigmap\/blog\/?p=661"},"modified":"2022-11-01T13:54:23","modified_gmt":"2022-11-01T17:54:23","slug":"colombia-july-2-21-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com\/bigmap\/blog\/2022\/11\/01\/colombia-july-2-21-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Colombia, July 2-21, 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our three weeks in Colombia<\/a> were amazing: stunning natural beauty, great food and so much deep and profound history to learn about — both recent and past.<\/p>\n

Bogot\u00e1<\/a>, July 2-4, 2022<\/strong>
\nJuly 2, 2022<\/em>
\nLanded late so took it easy on our first day and went for a delicious late breakfast at La Puerta Falsa<\/a> — our introduction to ajiaco soup and Colombian-style tamales, not to mention the oddly satisfying “Chocolate Completo,” which comes with a hunk of cheese you can dip in your beverage (!):<\/p>\n

\"Ajiaco<\/p>\n

\"Chocolate<\/p>\n

We then journeyed from Plaza de Bol\u00edvar<\/a> to Estaci\u00f3n de la Sabana<\/a> to buy tickets for the Turistren to Zipaquir\u00e1, after which we visited to the Plaza de Mercado Paloquemao<\/a> market where you can purchase exotic (at least to us!) Colombian fruit:<\/p>\n

\"Plaza<\/p>\n

Dinner: Salvo Patria<\/a>.<\/p>\n

July 3, 2022<\/em><\/p>\n

Took the Turistren<\/a> to Zipaquir\u00e1<\/a> where the main attraction is the wonderful and inspired Catedral de Sal<\/a>, or Salt Cathedral:<\/p>\n

\"Catedral<\/p>\n

\"Catedral<\/p>\n

\"Catedral<\/p>\n

July 4, 2022<\/em>
\nVisited the Cementerio Central de Bogot\u00e1<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\"Cementerio<\/p>\n

. . . after which we happened upon the Centro de Memoria, Paz y Reconciliaci\u00f3n<\/a> and neighboring Parque El Renacimiento<\/a>. Centro de Memoria was closed for the holiday, unfortunately, but we did get to see the outdoor columbarios, structures meant to hold funerary urns, in this case memorializing all the dead during the years of civil unrest and drug wars:<\/p>\n

\"Centro<\/p>\n

\"Parque<\/p>\n

Cartagena<\/a>, July 5-9, 2022<\/strong>
\nJuly 5, 2022<\/em>
\nIn Cartagena, we experienced 90-degree heat and 78-degree dew points and quickly learned why people seem to stay inside during the day! On our first day, we walked around Old Town<\/a>, then had lunch at La Cevicher\u00eda<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\"Old<\/p>\n

\"Ceviche,<\/p>\n

It was so insanely hot we retreated back our hotel<\/a> in adorable Getseman\u00ed<\/a> to spend the rest of the afternoon in the pool:<\/p>\n

\"Getseman\u00ed,<\/p>\n

That evening after the heat broke we enjoyed the La Fant\u00e1stica Pirate Ship Sunset Tour<\/a> (with all-you-can-drink pirate punch):<\/p>\n

\"La<\/p>\n

Coming back to Getseman\u00ed we saw how lively the neighborhood gets at night, especially around Plaza de la Trinidad<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\"Plaza<\/p>\n

July 6, 2022<\/em>
\nAll-day catamaran excursion to the Rosario Islands<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\"Bona<\/p>\n

July 7, 2022<\/em>
\nBraved the heat to see the view from the Castillo San Felipe de Barajas<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\"Castillo<\/p>\n

After that we got back in the pool, then did a wonderful cooking class through Foodies<\/a> where we learned how to make arepas de huevos and a couple of other dishes typical of the region . . .<\/p>\n

July 8, 2022<\/em>
\nA stroll through Parque del Centenario<\/a>, where, no kidding, there are monkeys and sloths:<\/p>\n

\"Sloth,<\/p>\n

Dinner: Restaurante Coroncoro<\/a>.<\/p>\n

July 9, 2022<\/em>
\nFinal day, where we stayed cool at a movie theater in Bocagrande<\/a> and went back into Old Town to take in the (surprisingly!) interesting\/engaging Museo Naval del Caribe<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\"Museo<\/p>\n

Medell\u00edn<\/a>, July 10-13, 2022<\/strong>
\nJuly 10, 2022<\/em>
\nThe beautiful Jard\u00edn Bot\u00e1nico<\/a> followed by a fun soccer match between hometown club Atl\u00e9tico Nacional and their Primera A rival Cortulu\u00e1 at Estadio Atanasio Girardot<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\"Jard\u00edn<\/p>\n

\"Atl\u00e9tico<\/p>\n

July 11, 2022<\/em>
\nPlaza Botero<\/a> and a ride on Metrocable L\u00ednea P<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\"Plaza<\/p>\n

\"Metrocable<\/p>\n

Dinner: Mondongo’s El Poblado<\/a>.<\/p>\n

July 12, 2022<\/em>
\nThe very informative\/highly recommended Comuna 13<\/a> tour guides you through the formerly troubled and violent epicenter of Colombia’s civil and drug wars. It focuses on the neighborhood’s renaissance and rich graffiti culture:
\n\"Comuna<\/p>\n

\"Comuna<\/p>\n

Dinner: La Matriarca<\/a>.<\/p>\n

July 13, 2022<\/em>
\nPlacita de Fl\u00f3rez<\/a> market and Museo Casa de la Memoria<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\"Museo<\/p>\n

Then some of us went to a science museum and others took the Metrocable L\u00ednea K<\/a> and Metrocable L\u00ednea L<\/a> to Parque Arv\u00ed<\/a> in the mountains above the city:<\/p>\n

\"Parque<\/p>\n

Salento<\/a>, July 14-17, 2022<\/strong>
\nJuly 14, 2022<\/em>
\nAfter flying into Pereira and taking a car service to Salento, we walked around the hilltop town’s cute streets<\/a> and lovely town square<\/a> with its church that has actual bells that someone has to ring<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\"Salento,<\/p>\n

Also, learned how tejo<\/a> works at Cancha De Tejo Los Amigos<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Dinner: Donde Laurita<\/a> where we tried “trucha,” the local trout fish dish and Quind\u00fa Restaurante<\/a>.<\/p>\n

July 15, 2022<\/em>
\nEnjoyed the incredibly informative, very thorough and highly recommended Finca Don Eduardo Tour<\/a>, where the English proprietor generously shares his time, knowledge and expertise he has gleaned from his experience nursing a 100-plus-year-old coffee farm back into production. Again, highly recommended and perhaps even worth visiting Salento for (details here<\/a>):<\/p>\n

\"Finca<\/p>\n

\"Finca<\/p>\n

After, we took in the views from the town’s two miradors — Mirador Alto de la Cruz<\/a> and Mirador de Salento<\/a> that look over the town and out toward the Cocoro Valley:<\/p>\n

\"View<\/p>\n

\"Steps<\/p>\n

\"View<\/p>\n

July 16, 2022<\/em>
\nSpent most of the day at the Seussically Instagrammable Valle de Cocora\/Cocora Valley<\/a>, which is accessible from Salento via jeeps that are called “Willies”:<\/p>\n

\"Valle<\/p>\n

\"Valle<\/p>\n

And more trucha for dinner at Restaurante Bar Shalem<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\"Trucha\/Trout,<\/p>\n

Pereira<\/a>, July 17-18, 2022<\/strong>
\nJuly 17, 2022<\/em>
\nWe had one last coffee in Salento at Caf\u00e9 Jes\u00fas Mart\u00edn<\/a> before our drive to Pereira, where we walked around a bit in the neighborhood near Plaza de Bol\u00edvar<\/a> and the hotel<\/a> before enjoying the Circo Vegas Fantasy<\/a> at Coliseo Mayor Rafael Cuartas Gaviria:<\/p>\n

\"Circo<\/p>\n

Bogot\u00e1, July 18-21, 2022<\/strong>
\nJuly 18, 2022<\/em>
\nBack to Bogot\u00e1<\/a> . . .<\/p>\n

July 19, 2022<\/em>
\nThe Museo del Oro<\/a> tells the story of gold in Colombia and is as fascinating as it is visually appealing:<\/p>\n

\"Museo<\/p>\n

\"Museo<\/p>\n

July 20, 2022<\/em>
\nThe view from Monserrate<\/a>, high above the city:<\/p>\n

\"Monserrate,<\/p>\n

\"View<\/p>\n

And the wild and wonderful Andr\u00e9s Carne de Res<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\"Andr\u00e9s<\/p>\n

July 21, 2022<\/em>
\nOur final day in Colombia, another fun cooking class<\/a> and dinner at Mini-Mal<\/a> before getting on the plane to return home:<\/p>\n

\"Mini-Mal,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our three weeks in Colombia were amazing: stunning natural beauty, great food and so much deep and profound history to learn about — both recent and past. Bogot\u00e1, July 2-4, 2022 July 2, 2022 Landed late so took it easy on our first day and went for a delicious late breakfast at La Puerta Falsa […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-661","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-out_of_town"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com\/bigmap\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/661","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com\/bigmap\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com\/bigmap\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com\/bigmap\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com\/bigmap\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=661"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com\/bigmap\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/661\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":693,"href":"https:\/\/www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com\/bigmap\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/661\/revisions\/693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com\/bigmap\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com\/bigmap\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com\/bigmap\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}