Why We Could Never Live in Bogota

Although we had a great time in Bogota, there are certain qualities about this city, some serious and others petty, that makes us glad to be moving on to new places.

Our lungs wondered what they did to deserve this punishment

The air pollution in Bogota is terrible. It is very unpleasant and feels very unhealthy to walk on many streets because of all the car and bus exhaust. We really missed fresh air.

It’s always rush hour in Bogota

The traffic is always terrible, regardless of the time of day. This aggravates the pollution problem. Most drivers seem very aggressive, and pedestrians never have the right of way.

The Transmilenio is cheap, runs often, and is a great way to get around Bogota, except for the fact that it just isn’t enough for the millions of people that use it. Every time we rode the Transmilenio it was almost always packed to capacity. The system also has a lot of kinks to work out.

One weekday evening we were trapped on a platform because the buses that came by were already packed and couldn’t pick up more passengers. However, people kept pushing their way into the station, and the Transmilenio staff did not stop people from entering the station even though the platform was filled to capacity. We eventually had to push our way off the platform, and in the process I experienced my first ever panic attack. Someone accidentally elbowed me in the chest, and I felt the wind knocked out of me. It suddenly became really hard for me to breath and I thought I was going to be crushed to death. I lost it and started crying hysterically. Minh was able to push us through and we eventually made it off the platform, but it was truly a terrifying experience for me. Please note that I have ridden mass transit at rush hour in New York, Washington, DC, London, and Manila and have never come remotely close to to experiencing the level of fear I felt that day on the Transmilenio.

Credit card - “No soportada” (Not supported)

Sometimes our credit card will not work for days on end. Some of the credit and ATM support networks (Cirrus, Star, etc.) sometimes go down in Colombia, but you have no way of knowing when this will be. So you must always carry enough cash in case your credit card is rejected, or else you may be forced to depend on the kindness of strangers. Muchisimas gracias to the two gentlemen who helped us out at El Patio!

You call that a beer?

Colombian beer is terrible! They lack flavor, strength and complexity. The only saving grace is Bogota Beer Company, a local microbrewery that produces good beer. Unfortunately, BBC beers are not available everywhere, only at BBC pubs and at a limited number of restaurants and bars. So most of the time our only option was the crappy stuff. I must note that our vacation to Belgium last year spoiled us and left us with a level of beer snobbery that is just a tad above obnoxious.

Also, wine is surprisingly expensive. Aguardiente, a sugar-cane based liquor, is not terrible, and it won’t give you a hangover even if you drink half a bottle by yourself. You just need to make sure to eat some greasy food on the way home.