Bogota Day 311 26/07/2015

We'd booked tickets for the 0800 bus to Bogota and, after breakfast, headed to the northern bus terminal by taxi. The southbound side of the dual carriageway that runs alongside the river was closed to cars with access only to bikes and runners/walkers. No doubt Nairo Quintana's success in the Tour de France has encouraged a few more people out on their bikes along with club riders and what looked like a race. We boarded our bus just after 0820 and set off just before 0830, initially heading north and climbing up into the mountains. As with other bus journeys we were 'entertained' with films, dreadful American horror/thriller movies dubbed in Spanish with the volume very loud. All a bit too much at 0830 on a Sunday morning! The journey to Bogota is 426km along winding mountain roads before dropping down to sea level, crossing a huge bowl and then climbing up again through winding mountain roads to reach Bogota at 2600m. The scenery was lovely, very lush and green until we dropped into the arid bowl where we stopped for lunch and 'enjoyed' the full heat of the day. Most passengers tucked in to cooked meals but we opted for crisps and coke again, staying away from the hideously sweet candy (we'd thrown our previous purchase away). Unfortunately the air conditioning on the bus either didn't work or couldn't cope with the temperatures and we swelted in the heat as we continued through the lowlands, glad when we finally started climbing again and the temperature on board dropped slightly. The roads were very busy again with juggernauts (so much for hoping it might be quieter on a Sunday) and we frequently came to a stop as the lorries cut across the road on the hairpin bends or slowed as they crunched they gears heading slowly uphill. We eventually hit the outskirts of Bogota around 1800 and the bus terminal just before 1900, 10.5 hours after leaving Medellin. Taxis are all well organised and you have to get a ticket prior to getting into your allocated car. We headed off north through the city to La Candelaria district and our hotel, Abadia Colonial, where we'd booked to stay for three nights. We checked in and were handed a large DHL parcel containing enough contact lens solution to last Diane until we head home, courtesy of Diane's Dad. It had travelled from the UK to Miami and on to Panama before reaching Bogota, clearing customs 3 times along the way. We decided to have dinner in the hotel's Italian restaurant, a very enjoyable meal washed down with a nice glass of Montepulciano, the first Italian wine we've had in a very long time. We were both exhausted after the long bus journey and headed off to bed early wondering what Bogota had install for us tomorrow.

Thanks Dad!