"Bogotá Is Not Just for the Brave Anymore" according to an article published by the New York Times four years ago, and since then it has been shaking its bad reputation more and more as the years go by. So, those of you who are worried about me backpacking around Colombia can rest your minds at ease from now on.

Originally I had planned to skip Bogotá completely as constant comparisons to cities like Quito, and nobody really having anything good to say about it. However, I decided to go and check it out for myself just to see what it is really like, and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. As I had booked myself a flight from Bogotá up to the coast, I was left with just two days and one night to enjoy what the capital has to offer.

First of all I went to visit the Police Museum which was a lot bigger than I expected, and they even had English-speaking guides. In the museum there was a strong focus on their work against Pablo Escobar and all things cocaine-related. After taking the tour in Medellín and hearing Pablo's story from the family's point of view, it was interesting to hear it from the other side.

On the way back from the Police Museum I stopped off at Plaza de Bolivar which is home to the Cathedral, Congress and the Supreme Court. This is by far one the largest and busiest plazas that I've seen on this trip - and I've seen a lot! Although it could not be described as beautiful, I quite liked it and the atmosphere that was within.


The main museum that I wanted to visit in Bogotá was El Museo del Oro (Gold Museum), but en route I decided to stop off in the Botero Museum. Botero is a very famous Colombian artist who describes himself as "the most Colombian of Colombian artists", and always produces 'fat' art. For example, one of his most famous pieces of work is the "Mona Lisa", which is just like the Da Vinci original, except that she is fat... even his paintings of fruit bowls feature 'fat' fruit. As well as a large selection of Botero's work, they also have some paintings by Picasso, one of Dali's sculptures and various other pieces from famous artists. I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed this as I am not normally a great fan of art museums.


My final touristy activity for the day was the Gold Museum - I thought that I was saving the best for last, as I was not expecting to get much out of either of the Police or Botero museums. However I have to say that I was a little disappointed by it, and very sick of the sight of gold by the time I left! I am not sure what I was really expecting, and maybe I should've invested in an audio guide to help keep me interested when I lost the will to read any more signs about gold in Spanish. If you're a certain villain from an Austin Powers film then you would probably love this place, otherwise I found that it is just way too big and the exhibits are very monotonous indeed.

The one night I had in Bogotá was a Friday night, and therefore a night where there was lots going on. I started off by going to a nearby hostel to meet a friend and enjoy their BBQ. Then a group of us proceeded to go to many bars drinking copious amounts of cocktails, and desperately seeking karaoke as all the bars were playing 80s rock classics that we wanted to sing, It is probably a good thing that we never found any karaoke as it is not a good idea to give me a microphone and backing track when I am drunk as everyone at my old workplace will tell you!

A great night out topped off a really nice stay in Bogotá, and I am very glad that I changed my plans and paid it a visit. If nothing else it was the first place I've seen in Colombia where the sun was shining all day... maybe with gray skies I would not rate it so highly.