BoldspiritTravels on a budget: When you shouldn't go out on your own...Bogota, Colombia. [Solo backpacking on a budget in Latin America]

Bogota, my first stop in Colombia. This town has its charm and downsides of a huge city. But is definitely a place to discover if you want to understand the country a little bit better.

I have already climbed the Mountain Monserrate. I have seen the exhibition of “el Museo del Oro”, known as “the Gold Museum”, that surely will leave you astonished by the richness and beauty of the pre-Colombian culture. I also recommend “the Botero Museum” that you can visit while walking around the Candelaria district and the downtown.

Yesterday I have shared with you how I have spent my Saturday night in one of the city’s most famous restaurants, that’s also a bar and a discotheque, in fact located outside the city – "Andrés Carne de Res". This is where I discovered that contrary to general beliefs not all Colombians can dance Salsa even though they really want everyone else to believe that this is the case. 😂

On Friday evening I was invited by my host to join him and his friends at a house party.

To be completely honest with you I really wanted to go out in the city centre, get to know and understand more how locals are having fun. Back in Europe, in all the cities I have been living I was always going out at night without really worrying that I might get hurt. Even when I was alone. Additionally, I tend to walk back home (also alone) cause I like experiencing the city when it sleeps. I mean there is violence and crazy / bad people everywhere so we should always be more or less careful. But I appreciate my freedom and the idea that f. ex. if I want to walk during the night, I can; that I am not forced by the circumstances to compromise. And Bogota, or later Cali, were the cities where locals were warning me and asking for additional precaution. To be on a bus heading home when it was getting dark. That meant avoiding the city centre at night. It was back in 2015 so I was curious if that has changed since then. So I read some articles from bloggers who have been travelling in Colombia recently and I have noticed that they admitted being more careful than usual. But the most important is that Colombia is really in a process of changing and is already immensely safer than it was not so long ago! It is a great country with amazing and beautiful people who deserve to live in a peaceful and safe environment.

So here I was, heading to a fancy building in a “safe” and modern neighbourhood. My host, a friend of a friend, is a super friendly and nice guy. Colombian who studied in France, so we mostly communicated in French. At the party, I met other internationals, mostly from other South American countries. As always at the beginning I was asked by everyone what was I doing in Colombia, for how long I was planning to travel and, most frequently, was I not afraid to travel alone. But you know what, I was never super comfortable being in the centre of attention. I mean it is nice when people are honestly interested in your stories. But I felt better when I was no longer a curiosity 😅 , and I could get to know some other people. I particularly enjoyed a few girls from Colombia and Venezuela. They were in Bogota to work in some international companies. They were independent, beautiful and taking good care of themselves. I always feel some kind of proud when experiencing “girls power”, haha. 😅

The party itself was very “European” style, with French cheese and baguettes, olives and other antipasti. We had mostly wines to drink. So although I didn’t expect it, I felt like at home 😅, with my friends. I later heard that most of the people participation at that party was doing part of their studies abroad, in the United States of America or in Europe, just like my friend. But the sad fact is that they were able to do it because they came from wealthy families. The Colombian educational system is exclusive and the good high schools and, later on, Universities, are very expensive.

Thank you for being here with me. I hope until next time!
Pura Vida and enjoy your journey! 💛

• More about me here: You can travel without being wealthy aka a girl from a "struggling" family chasing her dreams!

• Some of my recent stories from South America:
  Boldspirit and the death road - la ruta de la muerte - Bolivia # 1 and # 2
  BoldspiritTravels on a budget: Ometepe Island, Nicaragua. [Solo backpacking on a budget in Latin America]