In true J+L fashion we had planned a full morning knowing full well that it was unlikely we could achieve it all before heading to the airport for our flight south early this afternoon. But yesterday it dawned on us that we had not yet visited the main plaza - Plaza Bolivar or the surrounding area. So bright and early we are packed and check out of our hostel the Crazy Croc. A couple days ago we moved from Hostal Fatima - friendly staff but we started in the midget room and moved to the spray-paint fumes room facing the vast interior courtyard aka party central with booming acoustics from the all night party -- too much for us, so we moved into the Crazy Croc which is great. Only negative is they ripped us off when we were leaving by asking for an outrageous fee for using the wifi. With the fee charged we could have been on their computer for over 5 hours a day! Anyway, first stop - Juan Valdez coffee. The spitting image of a Starbucks except the color scheme is cranberry rather than green. They even had a "no-photo" policy (which we violated) just like Starbucks. Possibly afraid someone might steal their iimage...
Plaza Bolivar is really the heart of the historic part of town and we were glad we had not missed it. The plaza is bordered by a collection of different architectural styles - massive stone buildings in Greek style are the Placio de Justicia, and the Capitolio Nacional is where Congress is located. Then there is the French styled Alcaldia and the neo-classical Catedral Primada - which is also Bogota's largest church. The only colonial building is Capilla del Sagrario next door to the Catedral. Just to the east of the Plaza is the La Candelaria area which is where we have been staying. The biggest audience here however are the millions of pigeons. Most everyone, tourists and locals alike, seem to love to feed these creatures. Thereby attracting more of them.
Gotta admit it is pretty entertaining to watch the small kids try to feed them - they stretch out their hands full of seeds and the pack comes in and instantly they are surrounded. Then if they make a quick move (or some playful puppy comes running through) - the flock is up, scattering in a flurry - little kid giddy at the commotion.
With less than 2 hours to spare, we head back down through La Candelaria to see if we can catch an art exhibit. Across the street from the Iglesia de Candelariais, the Biblioteca Luis Angel Arango not only has a Juan Valdez coffeeshop on the bottom floor but also houses the Museo de Arte's current exhibit of Andy Warhohl pieces. A collection of iconic American symbols - Campbell Soup, Hollywood stars, and self-portraits of Andy himself. It was a unique experience to see the exhibit in Colombia where North American values are not always so admired. But everyone loves Hollywood, right?
With a few minutes to spare we head back to the hostal for our bags and catch a cab to the airport. Next stop - Pasto, Columbia border town with Ecuador.
