Bogota

As soon as I landed at Bogota airport, 2600 metres high, I was immediately hit with altitude sickness. I knew that I would have three days of headaches, dizzy spells, breathlessness and tiredness but I was not going to let that stop me from exporing Colombia's capital city. I'm staying in La Candelaria, the oldest and most culture-rich part of the city, full of vivid-colours, old colonial buildings and grand churches, there is something interesting to observe on every corner and it clear that this is the artistic side of town.

Every Sunday La Candelaria closes its streets to traffic to allow a parade of pedestrians and cyclists to take over. The chaotic streets surrounding the beautiful buildings become filled with cyclists, skaters, skateboarders, and I even saw a young girl on a llama. So I thought I would join the action. I signed up for a bike tour with Juan, a super-friendly local from Bogota Bike Tours, along with 5 other eager tourists, and we set off to explore the city. As we passed through the colourful streets and tree lined plazas of La Candelaria, local musicians played traditional music on xylophones whilst children happily danced around. 

After we rode through Parque Nacional, onto the football stadium and quickly through the red light district, we stopped off at a market to try some of the local delicacies including delicious-looking but not-too-tasty Colombian fruits and guava jellied candy served with cheese, which were surprisingly yummy.

As we continued on through the more prestigious districts, past typically Colombian villages and through some areas that I would not dare to cross by myself, we stopped off at a very grand, red brick building. As we waited at the door for the security to let us in, I wondered what this impressive building could be. I soon discovered it was the city's bull fighting ring. Bull fighting season does not start until February so the place was completely deserted, giving us the freedom to explore.

We ended our five hour bike journey at the magnificent Plaza Bolivar, the perfect place to people watch and admire the stunningly beautiful architecture.