Bogota

Bogota was a little crazy! The capital city of Colombia is large, sprawling and hemmed in by high, green hills.

We stayed in the old part of the city called the Candelera at a busy backpackers called Platypus! Hmmm!

We had a whirlwind couple of days trying to beat jet lag and get accustomed to the Colombian culture. It really is a country in growth. A very friendly and ever present police go out of their way to make the traveller feel comfortable. They are aware of their reputation of violence and drugs and are making a concerted effort to rectify the association. There seems to be an all out war against terrorism and the government seem to be winning. Parts of Bogota which only 5 years ago were consisted out of bounds due to gangs etc have now been converted into safe public parts which Bogotons use for recreation, football practice and general lazing around.

We caught the cable car up to the church of Monteserrate which gave us the most incredible views of the city. Much of the old monastery has been converted to restuarants and shops but the church still has services every Sunday for the scores of pilgrims that visit it weekly.

Our next stop is the Zona de Cafe - Coffee Triangle - and we're looking forward to 320km bus trip which is rumoured to take 8hours!