Bogotá, Colombia 🇨🇴 

Plaza Foch parties all night, particularly on a Friday night, so I didn’t get much sleep before my 6am departure for the airport.   The taxi is actually a good ride, the dawn is beautiful and we get great views of Cotopaxi without clouds. My flight is brilliant and quick, the landscapes surprisingly different from the air.  When I land at Bogotá I manage to navigate taxis with the new currency and safely arrive at my hostel. 

 I am so excited to catch up with Liam and Nicki, already here chilling out after their night bus, it’s great to see them and catch up on our latest adventures. We are sat in the lounge, when Helen from my Galápagos boat tour wanders past. I can’t believe that her and Manuel are booked in to the same hostel, loads of friends together.

We wander out for lunch at a local place serving a huge soup followed by chicken and rice for around £3. Totally full, we go to the Plaza to join a walking tour of the area. It is interesting walking the historic centre and learning about the violent history this country has experienced. I find the Pablo Escobar/corrupt government/ USA influence period fascinating and wonder if the truth will ever be known. I find the fact that Pablo agreed to a jail term as long as he could serve it in the jail (castle) he built just incredible. Liked the tour a lot, the guide was really passionate and positive about the future for his generation in Colombia.

Once back at the hostel, we chill in front of the open fire on these huge floor cushions they have and then crash early.