Colombia 2024, part 7 (Bogotá)
When I returned to Bogotá from Zipaquirá by intercity coach, specifically to the Portal del Norte station, where the city buses of the TransMilenio system depart, the first thing I needed to do was to buy a ticket for that bus.
I had already mentioned before that this was my first day using public transportation in Bogotá and I wasn't sure how it worked at all. However, when I headed to Portal del Norte in the morning, the guard simply let me pass without a ticket. Now I couldn't count on that anymore, while I wasn't sure what to do because the information on the internet was very impractical.
So, while still on the coach from Zipaquirá, I asked a kind woman for help since it turned out she was also catching a bus within the same system. Long story short, because you can't buy a single ride ticket in Bogotá and I didn't have a plastic transport card, I paid this woman for one ride and she scanned her card for both of us, and that was it. Besides that, I realised this wasn't a good system for me and that I needed to buy that plastic transport card, which I did the following day.
For now, I returned to the city centre located in the area known as Santa Fe, which actually surrounds the oldest part of Bogotá, La Candelaria, where I stayed.
I was tired from walking all day, while dealing with a cold or something similar had already left me feeling exhausted from the start. Additionally, being in a tropical zone, the sun sets relatively early, around 6 pm, and I didn't want to be out on the streets after dark. Because of all this, I decided to go straight to the hotel practically as soon as I got back, stopping only to buy some snacks since I wasn't in the mood, nor hungry enough, for a formal dinner. Though I was inspired enough to pick up a local beer which I later enjoyed in my room. The beer wasn't bad, but its packaging was particularly interesting because of the condor on the can.
And yet, even the beer couldn't cheer me up.
I worried whether my backpack would arrive and couldn't shake the question from my head: "What if it doesn't arrive?" I imagined that the next day, instead of continuing to explore the capital of Colombia, I would have to wander around Bogotá looking for a new backpack, clothes and various little things I need when travelling. Even in the best of moods, I don't enjoy shopping unless I know exactly what and where I can buy it. The thought of having to do this in a foreign city that was completely new to me, where I didn't know exactly where the stores I might be interested in were located, filled me with great worry and nervousness. Moreover, I NEVER wear new things that I just bought before washing them. This meant I had to find a laundry service in Bogotá that would properly wash my new items and have everything ready almost within a single day. No, no, no... I was neither calm nor happy at all.
When I returned to the hotel that evening, I told the person at the reception desk that I was still expecting my backpack and hoped it would be delivered that night because I was eagerly awaiting it. Understanding my situation, the woman nodded sympathetically and I went to my room to try to relax and rest. After some time passed since the plane landed from New York, I called the airline's office at the Bogotá airport and they confirmed that my backpack had indeed arrived and would be delivered to my hotel around 11 PM. This reassured me somewhat, though I was still very nervous and just wanted to see my backpack in my room.
Time passed slowly and it reached 11 PM, but my backpack had not arrived yet. I continued to wait anxiously, but nothing happened. At 11:30, I finally went down to the reception, but the woman I had seen a few hours earlier was no longer there; instead, there was someone new. I asked her if anyone had delivered a backpack and she casually said yes, then took me to a storage room where my backpack was neatly placed, but nobody at the reception had informed me about it. Oh, how furious I was!
Still, at least my backpack with all my belongings had arrived and after retrieving some necessary items, I tried to go to sleep as soon as possible.
That night, I still didn't sleep well, partly due to the prolonged nervousness, jet lag and the persistent cough.
However, the next day I planned to continue exploring Bogotá, albeit not in the best shape. So, I first found a cart selling freshly squeezed orange juice, thinking I couldn't go wrong with some extra vitamin C. Knowing about the custom of buying freshly squeezed orange juice on the street, I was prepared – I had my own bottle into which the kind vendor poured the juice "to go."
Now, the first thing I did was to go and buy a city transport card. Along the way, I filmed parts of the city where again I was to catch a bus from the TransMilenio system and I also took a photo of one such bus.
Looking at the top of Monserrate [Hill], which was covered in clouds this time, I thought about how lucky I was on the first day when I went there to enjoy the beautiful view of Bogotá.
In the photo above, you can also see the building of the Colombian central bank, Banco de la República (Bank of the Republic), which is the modern building on the left side of the photograph. It is partially visible in the next photo (on the right), where the foreground features the San Francisco Palace (Palacio San Francisco), which houses the mayor of Santa Fe (which could be considered one of the “municipalities” in Bogotá).
Now I headed towards the Bogotá Botanical Garden (Jardín Botánico de Bogotá). To get there, I first took a TransMilenio bus a few stations north and then walked a bit before boarding a regular bus. Navigating Bogotá's public transportation seemed to be going smoothly for me.
During this walk, as well as the previous day when I travelled towards the Portal del Norte station, I noticed a fairly large number of houses in Bogotá that inevitably gave the impression as if I were in – England!?
Later, I did some research to see what was going on and whether it was just my imagination.
No, it wasn't my imagination at all – this is a well-known fact. During Colombia's fight for independence from Spain, local revolutionaries were aided by a British Legion and after the establishment of the republic in present-day Colombia, this developed into significant trade with Great Britain. By the way, in their desire to break free from Spanish colonial influence, people in Bogotá eagerly embraced not only British, but also French architectural influences.
That is how the increased use of red brick facades began, which until then had been used primarily for industrial purposes and supposedly not for residential buildings. Additionally, since Bogotá's weather is often cloudy, cool, rainy and gray, these red bricks brought a certain contrast and attractiveness to the cityscape.
Thus, at the beginning of the 20th century, a trend emerged to build houses with gardens (in front and behind the property), inspired by British style. In the next photograph, you can see a house built in the Tudor style. Among other details, this can be observed in the decorative laths on the windows, which are crafted in accordance with the Elizabethan style (this is reference to Queen Elizabeth I). This detail goes far beyond my usual interest in architecture seen during travels, but it reflects the fact that long ago, during my studies of the English language and literature in Belgrade, I spent several months in England working as an au pair. Since I earned little with my host family, I found an additional job in telemarketing for windows. It was during this time that I learned the difference between Elizabethan and Georgian-style windows. There you have it.
In any case, the trend of building houses in Bogotá in British style persisted until the emergence of modern architectural trends in the mid-20th century. Interestingly, the use of red brick facades continued beyond that period and today numerous buildings, including high-rises, are designed with this architectural element. Moreover, as I’ve read, this architectural feature is now used in Colombian cities with warmer climates and warmer colours than Bogotá, and it has spread to some neighbouring countries, too.
As for me, I found a bus stop where I had to wait a bit for the right bus, but eventually everything worked out well and soon I was at the Bogotá Botanical Garden (Jardín Botánico de Bogotá). My plan was simply to stroll around there for a couple of hours.
There was an option here to join a tour group formed ad hoc, but I must admit I usually prefer to explore alone because that way I can go where I want and at a pace that suits me. On this occasion, my pace demanded right from the start that I sit somewhere for coffee to wake up a bit more and a café within the garden was perfect for that. While enjoying my coffee and waking up, I spotted and took a photo of a beautiful bird called a rufous-collared sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis).
After finishing my coffee, which was indeed refreshing, I started a leisurely stroll through the botanical garden.
Actually, I don't have much to write about here because it was just a stroll and I'm not very knowledgeable about plants. So, I'll just occasionally comment on this visit primarily through photos of certain plants that caught my attention for various reasons, while having a designation exhibited beside them. For instance, the camellia bush (Camellia japonica).
Some parts of the botanical garden are designed to appear more "wild," while others are highly cultivated.
The Bogotá Botanical Garden has several distinct sections and one of them is dedicated to medicinal and edible plants, as well as herbs.
There was sage, rosemary and thyme, and even wild strawberries, for example. However, I would like to highlight another plant, the lantana (Lantana camara), which was noted here for its use in treating malaria, fever, colds and coughs. What intrigued me was recalling that I had seen this plant in Madagascar as well, where it was said to be used for treating stomach pain (see: https://svudapodji.com/en/madagascar-9/). Clearly, lantana is a universally medicinal plant, regardless of what it treats.
Continuing with my stroll, I explored other parts of the botanical garden.
At one point, I came across several plants with numerous brightly coloured flowers and it was fascinating to see their coexistence with various insects – because where there are plants, there are bugs. At least that's how it goes in nature.
At one point, I approached the large glasshouses that had been built here, passing through vegetable patches along the way.
When I reached the entrance to the large greenhouses within the Bogotá Botanical Garden, I noticed a line, so I realised I needed to wait for a group to form on-site.
So, at one point, I joined a tour led by a guide. However, I quickly realised that the whole experience was more geared towards children who were there with their parents and that the gardens could actually be explored individually. Therefore, I decided to break away from the group and continued exploring on my own.
One of the greenhouses is quite tall, although not tall enough for a tree whose trunk was there to fit in with its canopy. I believe the tree or rather the trunk is there mainly to host other plants.
But at one point, I saw a young tree that in nature can grow quite tall. This is the kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra), also known as the silk-cotton tree. I've mentioned it before when writing about my stay in Martinique and also in Zanzibar (see: https://www.svudapodji.com/en/new-york-martinique-11/ and https://www.svudapodji.com/en/zanzibar-4/).
The greenhouses within the Bogotá Botanical Garden are organised in such a way that each one showcases different types of habitats.
Thus I got to a section dedicated to "Useful plants." Right at the entrance, it was emphasised that there is no plant that isn't useful – whether it serves as food, produces the oxygen we breathe, provides shade, offers intoxicating scents or is used in medicinal treatments, etc. Nevertheless, I found it particularly interesting to capture images of specific plants.
As for bananas, I didn't delve into the specific species; I simply took photos.
I walked some more through the greenhouses and then I went back outside again.
Right across from the main entrance to the greenhouses, there is a large rose garden.
Continuing my stroll around the botanical garden, I came across a small grove. Perhaps I wouldn't have paid much attention to the trees growing there if I hadn't seen a group of visitors hugging them. Being someone who also enjoys hugging trees, it was a lovely scene for me to witness.
As it turned out, these trees belong to the species of pine known to grow in limited areas in a few countries in north-western South America (Retrophyllum rospigliosii). Moreover, as indicated on a plaque displayed here, this species is endangered and at risk of extinction.
When those people left, after taking photos of the grove, I felt compelled to hug a beautiful tree myself. With my hands occupied in the embrace, I couldn't take a photo of that moment.
Towards the end of my visit to the Bogotá Botanical Garden, I also came across another small lake that had been constructed here.
There, I spotted an interesting bird. As I later found out, it was a juvenile purple gallinule (Porphyrio martinica). A few days later, I would take a photo of an adult bird, which, unlike the young one, exhibits incredible colours.
Since I'm mentioning birds, during my walk through the botanical garden, I took photos of a few more species.
Since the Bogotá Botanical Garden is quite far from the part of the city where I spent most of my time (10-11 km), I probably wouldn't have come here if I hadn't planned to visit a few other interesting places nearby. So, after leaving the botanical garden, I walked out onto the street and headed towards Simon Bolivar Metropolitan Park (Parque Metropolitano Simón Bolívar).