The next day we worked out and relaxed before heading to the airport around 1pm. The Latam Lounge was great (though we did stop at California Pizza kitchen for a light lunch first). The flight to Bogota was 6 hours with a 2-hour time change so we arrived at the hotel around 10:30 pm (12:30 our body time).
Interesting to contrast the two airports. Santiago’s is brand new (it still smells new). It has a calmness about it. Bogota’s is older though not old. But it was frenetic and crowded. And it seemed everyone was walking in slow motion. Quite an interesting contrast.
We found Santiago to be modern and clean. While BA had many green parks throughout, Santiago is divided by highways so feels more like a US city. There are proper, modern high rises and apartments buildings. Just like in our prior visit is feels much more developed. That said, the average wages are about 600 USD per month, a fancy 2-bedroom apartment is 1000 USD, and you can drink the water. It is very dry but the surrounding snow-covered mountains are so beautiful.
The next morning we were picked up by Sergio from Hansa Tours.
First up we drove through the green hills and quite modern, well-kept apartment buildings to Monserrate. https://monserrate.co/en/
First, we took the funicular to the top of the mountain. We have never been on such a vertical ride up a mountain. Thank goodness the infrastructure is strong!
We walked above the forests looking for hummingbirds in the native plants. There are a lot of Eucalyptus trees here which they are trying to remove as non-native trees and replace them with native vegetation. We went into the Sanctuary of the Fallen Lord of Monserrate.
Monserrate Sanctuary is a Catholic sanctuary that was built between 1650 and 1657 and is 3,152 metres (10,341 ft) above sea level. Bogota is built on a plateau at 2,640 meters (8,660 feet) above sea level, so we noticed some difficulty breathing in the city and even more here.
The church is relatively simple inside but there was a service going on and it looked like people were embracing the experience.
It was named for a mountain near Barcelona, Spain, but since it was a sacred mountain to the pre-Colombian natives, it had an earlier name – Quijcha Caca or grandmother’s foot. When the Spanish arrived in the mid-1500s the native religious ceremonies were quashed and replaced by Catholic ones, including the veneration of what is now Monserrate. In the 1600s climbing Monserrate began as a pilgrimage and quickly became a popular destination for Bogotanos. Around 1650 the Sanctuary of Monserrate was built.
We then walked through the local market checking out the unique local foods. At the back we saw the donkeys that carry the products up the hill. Hard workers for sure.
We also had a view of the second big mountain here, Guadalupe Hill. Here we could see another chapel and 49-foot Virgin of Guadalupe. (Apparently this is the female mountain while Monserrate is the male mountain.)
Then we went to the historical, colonial part of town. First, we had a true Columbian coffee in a café that takes their coffee seriously. Then we walked the colourful cobblestone streets of the area. Here the buildings are very historical, with most being in at least adequate shape. There is a LOT of street art that is really art which we loved (apparently there is an understanding not to tag real art with graffiti). This area feels much more like colourful Cartagena.
We walked into the Candelaria church. https://visitbogota.co/en/atractivo/turismo-religioso/iglesia-nuestra-senora-la-candelaria-all-169 This was built in 1686 and has beautiful painted wooden ceilings. This place feels like it has witnessed a lot of history and feels very restful and peaceful.
We then walked into Bolivar Plaza (previously called Plaza Mayor) where the main cathedral is located, the congress, and the city hall. There were too many pigeons, but all the building were beautiful and made from light coloured sandstone, with the peculiarity that the city hall has French influence since at the time it was built the Spanish were not particularly in favour. We also looked behind the congress building to the Presidential Palace.
Everything was neat and orderly. No trash was on the ground. There were a lot of hawkers, including some of the indigenousness here fleeing the drug situation outside of the city.
Bogota, at 8 million, grew dramatically because so many people around the country came to the city to escape the waring and drug problems in the countryside.
Sergio was very helpful in sharing information about the drug problems, how they started and where they are today. Several times he referred to corruption, historical and current. He also said that the Colombians had revered the US as a beacon of democracy, but that image has been greatly tarnished recently. They held protests recently when Trump said he was going to invade Colombia because of the drug problems.
We found that city to be huge (from above) but saw many modern buildings. Most building are low rise (8 to 10 stories). Apparently, it is relatively safe here and most building don’t have shutters and homes are not shrouded in fences, a big contrast to Lima. Yes, we saw poverty. It was heart breaking to watch a child (well dressed and clean) playing near the road while his mother made beaded necklaces.
This is why we always find it fascinating to travel.
We were staying at the AC Hotel Zone T in Bogota, which is in a happening, safe area (the Four Seasons was around the block). For dinner we walked a few blocks to Andres DC Bogota. https://www.andrescarnederes.com/andres-dc It is perhaps the Latin version of the Hard Rock Café with lots of loud music, people dancing salsa and an eclectic interior. It isn’t perhaps our standard restaurant, but the energy was fun and the food nice. The service was a bit slow, and we joked that the evening was lasting as long as one of our tasting menu experiences.
The next morning Sergio picked us up at 8 am to take us outside the city. First we went to Lake Guatavita.
The lake is renowned for its connection to the Legend of El Dorado and its importance as a sacred Muisca indigenous ceremonial site, where rulers once covered themselves in gold dust before making offerings into the lake. Located about an hour from Bogotá in Sesquilé, in the Cordellera Oriental of the Columbian Andes, it is unique for its circular shape and beautiful surroundings.
Today was a drizzly day and we weren’t prepared for the extreme uphill climb we encountered. It was beautiful, misty and mystical. Sergio did a great job of explaining the importance to the Muisca culture.
We found it fascinating that the leadership would plan for it replacement with the youth born to be the next leader raised in preparation to take over the leadership when he turned 18. These boys were forced to live in a cave and only come out at night during their upbringing. They learned many things during this period, but their final test was a fire test where they had to keep the fire going for 3 days while being distracted by young, beautiful women that were trying to seduce the man. (They had a back-up leader should the youth fail this final test). So, every 18 years there would be a big ceremony where the youth took over. He would cover his body in gold dust, take a raft to the centre of the lake, and during the Spring solstice, would dive into the water at sunrise, being reborn and becoming the new leader. Interestingly they would soon marry as it was a Matriarchal society, and the women were the keepers of much knowledge. And should the male die before the end of his18 year reign, the wife would lead until the new leader was initiated. We noted a drawing showing the leader with a very large gold face plate over their mouth. Apparently, this made talking more challenging, but it was to remind them that a leader’s single word can have a great significance so think before speaking. (this we thought would be a useful tool for today’s leadership). Apparently, there were plenty of resources so in theory there was no need to seek the lands of other peoples. Sergio described what was a very reasonable and thoughtful way of living. However, apparently the various tribes did fight among themselves. So it seems no form of society can be designed perfectly unless we get rid of the human part of the equation.
Apparently, the society also threw gold objects as offerings to the gods into the lake. Later the Spaniards tried unsuccessfully to drain the lake in search for these gold objects. We could see where a section of the mountain that had been blown up in at attempt to drain the lake. Many of the objects that have been found over time are now in the Gold Museum in Bogota.
As I wrote, we had no idea how steep a climb we would walk up on a wet, slippery walkway. This was compounded by the high altitude. That said we preserved and had some hot tea in a native restaurant at the base. While it was unexpected and more arduous that anticipated, we cherished the experience.
Next up with lunch at Salario in Zipaquira https://www.instagram.com/salario_de_zipa?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D\. It’s a traditional restaurant that still use their salt ovens. We had a traditional lunch, with David having a very traditional soup.
Then we were off to the Salt Cathedral. https://www.catedraldesal.gov.co/en/ The upside of not doing a lot of research in advance is the surprise of the moment. We thought this would be a little chapel at an abandoned salt mine. Boy were we wrong.
This is a full underground cathedral at 180 meters underground in an active mine. Apparently, this began because the salt mines were dangerous, so the workers built a small chapel to pray. Details are below:
Years before the underground church was built (around 1932), the miners had carved a sanctuary, as a place for their daily prayers asking for protection to the saints before starting to work. In 1950, the construction of a bigger project had begun: the Salt Cathedral which was inaugurated on August 15, 1954, and dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, Patron saint of miners. It was compound of three naves and a monumental cross. Part of the galleries were actually carved by the ancient Muisca. However, as the church was carved inside an active mine, structural problems and safety concerns led the authorities to shut it in September 1992. This construction cost of the original church was over 285 million U.S. dollars. The building had 120 m length, 5.500 m2surface and 22 m height. It had six main columns, and a maximum capacity of 8000 people.
In 1991 the construction of a new cathedral was undertaken, 200.0 feet under the older one. This new Cathedral was inaugurated on December 16, 1995. Its various corridors and sanctuaries were achieved by making small but significant additions to the caves left behind by previous mining operations.
The main sections of the building are:
· The Stations of the Cross: At the entrance of the church, there are 14 small chapels, representing the Stations of the Cross, which illustrate the events of Jesus' last journey. Each station has a cross and several kneeling platforms carved into the halite structure.
· The Dome: Located at the end of the main descending entrance ramp. From here, the visitor descends to the bas relief cross chambers, the balcony and the Narthex labyrinth.
· The three naves: They are interconnected by a crack, symbolising the birth and death of Christ. Copies of Creation of Adam and Pietá can be seen.
To say we were blown away is an understatement. There was so much thought and symbolism throughout. It is so impressive and awe inspiring (except perhaps the mall adjacent to the cathedral). They truly did a beautiful job. We loved the large cross in the main cathedral space which included a red light throbbing like a heart in the centre of the cross. Again, we really enjoyed this surprise experience.
Dinner was booked not realising it was at the top of the hotel. We went to Astoria Rooftop https://astoriarooftop.com. We joked we were glad we hadn’t ordered an Uber.
It’s a happening place with a live DJ playing high energy music from our generation. We had a good meal and we enjoyed the views over the city.
The next day we went to the Gold Museum. https://www.banrepcultural.org/bogota/museo-del-oro
The museum displays a selection of pre-Columbian gold and contains the largest collection of gold artifacts in the world (apparently they have over 55,000 pieces with 6,000 on display). Together with pottery, stone, shell, wood and textile objects, these items, made of what indigenous cultures considered to be a sacred metal, testify to the life and thought of the different societies which lived in present-day Colombia before the Spanish conquest of the Americas. Many indigenous groups did not consider gold to be a source of wealth, but rather held the belief it was charged with symbolic and religious values.
There were some beautiful pieces. We find these types of objects to be so interesting as we think of the fact that while these ancient societies needed to be focused on securing food and shelter, they still devoted time to making such beautiful objects. Also, I found it interesting here, and in the discussions on the Muisca society, the extreme focus on balance and equilibrium. I wonder how they would have viewed homosexuality in the construct of needing all things in life to be balanced.
Then we went to Museo Botero. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museo_Botero
Fernando Botero was born in Medellin. In 2000 he donated 208 art pieces including 123 of his own and 85 other international artists to Colombia. The museum is in a beautiful courtyard building with galleries surrounding. We couldn’t believe the number of his works, each being huge in scale. They were great fun to see. However, we were blown away of his huge collection of other world-renowned artists, such as Picasso, Bacon, Chagall, Dali, Degas, Renoir and more. It’s an outstanding collection and we very much enjoyed this surprising experience.
After a pizza we napped, checked out and did a little shopping before heading to the airport. Our flight was about an hour late leaving so we had to run through the Madrid airport to catch our connecting flight to Barcelona. But we made it as did our luggage.
After 30 days on the ship, plus 5 land-based stops (while we enjoyed the in-depth experience of land travel it is more tiring packing, moving, packing and moving…..) so were pleased to be home!
On to our next adventure in London in 10 days……