Our time in Bogota was short but packed with many new learnings for Paul and me. For starters, we realized that traveling continuously for a month is exhausting especially when we're only in places for no more than 3 days. We realized in Bogota that our bodies needed rest no matter how new and exciting everything felt. Our first day in Colombia was spent listening to our bodies and recognizing that our flight days should be considered "zero days." We borrowed this term from trail thru-hikers that use the term to define days of no activity while on the trail. For us, it was the right way to honor rest. Frankly, we found Bogota to be very busy and difficult to explore mainly because of all the traffic. We spent a large majority of our time in the City either stuck in traffic, on the Transmilieno trying to find the correct route, or waiting at bus stops. For future visitors, we recommend minimizing public transportation and staying in a few neighborhoods. We really enjoyed the district of Usaquen. It was a charming neighborhood with many cute shops, delicious artisanal chocolate eateries, and amazing coffee shops that rival some of the best in Colorado, and rightly so.
As we neared the end of our Colombia trip we realized 15 days was not nearly enough time in the country. We really wanted to explore the coffee region in Colombia. I mean come on we couldn't come to Colombia and not visit a coffee farm. It just didn't seem right. We learned that there was a coffee farm near Bogota that offered tours and coffee samples. We immediately booked a tour without second guessing. It was our only opportunity to experience Colombian coffee farms. We got directions to the nearby town of Fusagasuga and we were happily on our way. It was supposed to be a 90-minute bus ride which seemed long but seemed worth it nonetheless. To our sad realization, the bus routes and getting out of Bogota is a twisted mouse trap. Our round trip ended up taking 7 hours. (gasp, I know) for a 60-minute coffee tour. Again, public transportation is not for the faint-hearted in Bogota. Luckily we really enjoyed the coffee tour and loved sampling the coffee and the coffee liquor the company is known for making. We were also the only two on the tour so we received a very personalized tour and got an in-depth lesson about the coffee history of Colombia. Most notably we learned why Tintos are so popular in Colombia and it has nothing to do with flavor. Tintos are made from cheap coffee beans, and often the leftover coffee residue after extracting the rich beans. While not as delicious as a freshly pressed espresso, if accompanied by lots of sugar, it's hard to distinguish the taste. Because historically most of the coffee beans are exported, Colombias are only now beginning to learn about the art of brewing and making tasty, high-quality coffee, as they should. It's great to hear that Colombians are reclaiming coffee culture and embracing this deep part of their identity as exporters of coffee.
On a quick side note, we were quite surprised to learn that a large percentage of visitors to the Coloma coffee farm is of Mexican Nationality. Apparently, there have been more visitors from Mexico than from Colombia which prompted the owners to honor Mexican visitors by flying the Mexican flag along with the Colombian flag on their property. We were so tickled by it, but I'm proud I could contribute to that trend. Coincidentally enough, later that evening while looking at live Salsa music in Bogota we came across more Mariachi bands than Salsa musicians. There is no denying that Mexico has a strong influence in Colombia and vice-versa as well. It felt like coming home in a way. Colombia definitely has a piece of our hearts.
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| An artistic photo taken by Paul at a delicious chocolate restaurant. |
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| Photo taken at the historic center of Bogota |
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| Paul helping out at the coffee farm. You can see fresh beans drying on the ground. |
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| A photo of the Mexican and the Colombian flags at the coffee farm |
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| The best coffee liquor we've ever tried. When we return to Colombia we'll definitely take one of these back. |
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| We had the delightful opportunity to see a dear friend from the 2015 summer course at the Center of Protected Area Management. I met Adriana when I worked at CPAM during my first job handling logistics for the course. It was so sweet to reconnect in her home country. |