Bogota Feb 2014

Bogota is the capital of Colombia and one of the largest cities in Latin America.  The city’s cultural center is the cobblestone historic downtown La Candelabra.  Most of Bogota’s attractions are in this area such as Plaza de Bolivar, the Gold Museum, and the Botero Museum.  Monserrat Hill is also frequented by visitors for its panoramic views of the city.

We stayed at the Casa Medina Hotel in Zone G of Bogota.  The “G” in Zone G stands for gourmet and this is where most of the best restaurants of the city are concentrated.  We started our visit of the city with a cable car ride to the top of Monserrat Hill for a panoramic view.

20140206_080318Today is no car day in Bogota, only taxis and pubic transport allowed on the roads.

DSC03157Cable car ride up to Monserrat Hill.

DSC03159Monserrat Hill

DSC03167Rays of sun over the city of Bogota.

A visit to Bogota is incomplete without a tour of the Gold Museum.  This museum contains the largest collection of pre-Colombian gold pieces.  It has altogether some 50,000 pieces of artefacts made of gold, other metals, and ceramics.

20140207_111610_LLSGold Museum

20140207_111208_LLSSorry for the camera shake.  Muisca’s golden raft is one of the most famous pieces here.  It represents the El Dorado ceremony where the heir to the mythical tribal chief covers himself with gold dust and dives into Lake Guativita as an initiation rite.

20140207_115359This crocodile is about the length of my finger and on the belly you can see a human face.

DSC03115An idea of how the gold pieces are worn by the natives.

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DSC03120Funerary masks.  Notice the eye pieces can open so that the dead can see in the afterlife.

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The Botero Museum is housed in a colonial building near the Gold Museum in the historic La Candelaria neighborhood.  The museum has 123 works of Fernando Botero and 85 of other artists, all donated by the Colombian artist Botero himself.  Botero’s signature style is making everyone and everything fat.

DSC03141Courtyard at Botero Museum

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DSC03134My favorite – the fat Mona Lisa :)

DSC03135That is Botero depicting himself as the fat painter.

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A few blocks away from the Botero Museum is Plaza de Bolivar.  The historic square is surround by government buildings such as the palace of justice, the Parliament, and the mayor’s office, as well as the Cathedral of Bogota.

DSC03148Plaza de Bolivar

DSC03147Cathedral of Bogota

20140207_141717Juice stand at Plaza de Bolivar

DSC03150Presidential Palace

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20140207_142105(0)Sweet snack of waffles with jam and nuts.

DSC03144One of the several streets radiating out from Plaza de Bolivar.

 

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