As the See Colombia intern I’m still new to Colombia. One of the reasons I love living here is getting to discover a place so different to my home in England. Every day is full of (mostly good) surprises. Here are my top five things that have surprised me about living in Colombia.
The scale of Bogota
In general the global image of Colombia is a little behind the times. It’s been quite hard to even convince my English grandmother that Colombia has roads. Now I wasn’t quite that far gone but I was not prepared for the bustling modern city that is Bogota. Yes, I knew it was a capital city, but I was still surprised by the glittering malls, wonderful museums, tree lined avenues and sweeping green parks. The Zona G has an array of upmarket eateries whereas Zona Rosa is full of an amazing variety of clubs and bars. There are restaurants here from every corner of the globe, world class museums with culture cluttering up every corner. Bogota has all this as well as being within walking distance of towering green mountains. Within thirty minutes you can be up and out of Bogota exploring the Andes. Definitely not quite what I was expecting.
Cheese, cheese everywhere!
I was not expecting to love Colombian food as much as I do. Soups, arepas, empanadas, arequipe obleas and bandeja paisa have become integral parts of my stable diet. The coffee here is cheap, amazing and keeps me alive for 6am starts. The one thing though about Colombian gastronomy I am still not used to is the cheese, more precisely, the cheese everywhere. Lurking at the bottom of a hot chocolate, languishing atop an ice cream, hidden among the doughy folds of a caramel crepe. Cheese is invading all of my food. I wasn’t expecting this weird turn of culinary events, but strangely, I think I am beginning to like it.
The vast and varied landscape of Colombia
Ok, what do you want? Beaches? Ok how about beautiful Tayrona or the dramatic shoreline of La Guajira? Not your thing? How about some towering mountains, dense jungle or shaded forests? Too green, really? OK do you fancy some desert? Why not head to Tatacoa.
How did I not know before I arrived that Colombia had all of this to offer? My travel list in Colombia expands by the day, there are so many options and incredible places to visit!
The Weather
I live in Bogota, where the weather is, lets say, unpredictable. I was warned about this of course but I just didn’t grasp the extent of having four seasons thrown at you in the course of just 24 hours. My friends at home seem continually confused when they see photos of me in a scarf and hat, “isn’t Colombia hot?” Well yes it is, sometimes.
As they say If you don’t like the weather in Bogota. . . just wait five minutes.
Guinea pig racing.
Because, well, guinea pig racing.
Betting on guinea pigs going into little plastic houses, in the middle of a busy part of downtown. How could I fail to be surprised?
Seeing these cute little guys huddling together on the streets of downtown Bogota was one of the most open-mouthed-confused-staring of my moments in the city. And now I totally have a business plan for when I return to the UK.
Its not in my top five but of course working for the wonderful See Colombia Travel.
I arrived here with a job as a teacher and now through some lucky break I am working for an incredible company, exploring Colombia and helping to promote a more realistic view of this wonderful country.
Jess
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