If ever there were a city in the clouds, Bogotá would fit the description aptly. Situated at a dizzying 8646 feet above sea level in the center of Colombia, Bogotá receives its fair share of clouds. The city is a beautiful collage of sky scrapers standing cheek and jowl with colonial churches, universities, theatre buildings and shanty townships. Diverse influences by the original Indian residents, Spanish and English settles give the city its unique flavor.
Abject poverty co-exists with fabulous wealth. Chaotic traffic scenarios and quiet boulevards evocative of a bygone era are both to be found here. It is also a modern and pulsating city with futuristic architecture and its fair share of graffiti. The markets of this Colombian city, pulsate with restaurants, bookstores, street vendors, thieves, beggars, et’ al.
Bogotá traditionally has been renowned for its wet and cold weather, and people have been known to take recourse to the umbrella at literally the drop of a hat. Much like one might do in London, waiting for the rain to stop while watching it beat on the window panes, while one contemplates eternity over a cup of coffee is something you might just as easily do in Bogotá. It however has none of the dreary brooding character of London and is in fact very Latin in its joi de verve.
A visitor is spoiled for choice in so far as things to do are concerned. From the classical music, aficionado to the pub crawler, from the culture connoisseur to the casual tourist Bogotá offers the best options truly representative of the classical South American experience- awe inspiring, soul stirring and on an epic scale.