96 Hours in Cundinamarca

After a two year hiatus from traveling, I feel like I'm finally back in the groove. I went to Hawaii back in November and that was a great start but I feel like I needed to go abroad to feel back to my normal holiday-going self. And even though I technically went to Canada a month ago, I feel like this trip was my first foray back into international travel.

Instead of attempting to explore someplace new, I thought it made sense to visit somewhere familiar and also to visit someone I missed. So, a few months back, I booked flights to Bogota to see L. I hadn't seen her since my last visit to Colombia, which was almost exactly three years ago. Three years is way too long to go without seeing a really good friend. Last time, we hung out around her hometown of Tabio and took a jaunt to Medellin. This trip's itinerary was similar, except our jaunt was to the coastal town of Cartagena.

I packed relatively light, as always:

And as always, I also made a map:

This trip was extra exciting for a couple of reasons. Firstly, since I'd already met L's family on the last trip, I was super anxious and happy to see them (and they had similar sentiments, as they made several plans for hosting me as well). Secondly, I was bringing a friend along and I was excited to show him around some of my favorite spots. Lastly, I got to meet L's beau and he is awesome.

Our flight was majorly delayed due to thunderstorms and possible tornado in Newark. The original takeoff time was around 5PM but we didn't actually leave until after 8PM which meant we didn't land in Bogota until around 1:30 in the morning. L and D were good sports though and they came to pick us up.

We stayed up late talking and catching up but finally put ourselves to bed around 4 in the morning. We got up somewhat leisurely, though we were all still pretty sleepy, and got ourselves ready. D cut up some papaya and L cooked some scrambled eggs so we could have breakfast before hitting the road.

Tabio

We drove to Tabio, L's hometown, to hang out with her family for a barbecue, which was being thrown for her uncle's 60th birthday party. L's family welcome us so warmly and they were so happy for the celebration so everyone was in a great mood. Honestly, they feel like another family to me; my Colombian family. L's mom again insisted that one week is never enough and that next time, I need to make plans to come for three weeks.

I got to meet L's dogs: Vito and Leah. Leah is in the photo above and she's a total sweetheart who's wicked smart and can 'sit' and 'shake hands.' Vito is in the photo below and he's an attention-seeker who just wants cuddles and love.

D had toted his awesome grill to the party and quickly got busy prepping his contribution: the chicharron (crispy pork belly). J and I got to just sit and relax while L's mom offered us some of the already prepared food (including sausage, steak, yuca, and plantain) and L's dad offered us beers.

We all mixed up the afternoon with a little eating then a little dancing and then a little chatting. L's mom dragged J onto the dancefloor while L's dad and I cut a rug.

All of the meat was delicious but the chicharron in particular was exquisite.

And as a special surprise for L's uncle, her family hired a band to come and play live music for an hour. It was pretty awesome and never in my life have I had an opportunity to describe an accordion player as "cool."

We finished the evening with cake and then headed back to Bogota.

Bogota

The next morning, we got up, packed, and then went to get breakfast. (The organization of my posts for this trip are going to be geographical instead of chronological so I'm going to share about Baru and Cartagena in separate entries, but that's where we ended up flying after breakfast.)

Crepes & Waffles

We ate breakfast at 'Crepes y Waffles' which is an awesome business that employs mostly women (mainly single mothers). I had a crepe because I wanted to get at least one namesake from the company's title and it was crispy and chewy and delicious and totally hit the spot.

When we got back from our trip to the coast, we decided to tour around the center of Bogota. Unfortunately, because it was raining, we couldn't go to Monserrate but we made do.

Olivo y Lienzo

For lunch, we went to one of L's favorite places to go during the workweek. She said it wasn't famous or well-known but a neighborhood favorite amongst locals and that during the week, the line was always way out the door even though the street is lined with eateries. Apparently the Colombian chef studied in Italy and specializes in a slight fusion between his culture and his education. It was such an unassuming little place but the food was spectacular. We were brought these little chip appetizers as a courtesy to start. They were topped with a marinara, a crema, and a guacamole.

Three of us ordered the ribs and though L knew how they'd be presented, J and I did not and we were both so tickled. The sauce was bang on and the ribs themselves were well cooked. Even the little side salad was a stunner. I also had jugo de mango (mango juice) and it was super refreshing.

For dessert, we went to La Casa de Los Postres (the house of desserts) just a few steps down the street and got repollas con arequipe, which were essentially cream puffs sliced in half with a smear of a Colombian-style caramelized milk (similar to dulce de leche). We were all stuffed so we shared one for every two people.

Plaza  de  Bolivar

A visit to Bogota isn't complete without a walk through Plaza Bolivar and Candelaria. Since J hadn't been before, it was extra compulsory.

Señor Buñuelos

And again, even though we were stuffed, I had been whining about wanting buñuelos all trip, we took this opportunity to grab some while we were walking past a Sr. Buñuelo. J and I just shared one and I requested it with arequipe because that's the best kind. J had never had one before and he loved it. I described it as a Colombian donut but I feel like that doesn't do it justice. A good buñuelo has a crispy exterior with a simultaenously chewy and fluffy interior and it is incredibly moreish.

Centro Artesenal Plaza Bolivar

La Calera

Since we couldn't climb Monserrate due to the weather, D suggested we drive up towards the north to La Calera, which is a neighborhood known for its restaurants, clubs, and views. It's a hotspot on weekends and there is really only one road up the steep mountain so it was slow going but worthwhile. We saw awesome views on the way up and also got to enjoy the city at night from a cafe.

I had a chocolate completo, which is hot chocolate with accompaniments. In this particular case, the restaurant gave me a pandebono, pan de maiz, and a chunk of cheese, which is meant to be melted into the hot chocolate. It was rather chilly out so the hot chocolate hit the spot.

Tabio & Cajica & Sopo & Subachoque

On our final day in Colombia, we woke up on the earlier side so J and I could go get covid tests (which came back negative, otherwise we wouldn't have been allowed to board the plane). D had woken up extra early to hit up a nearby bakery for delicious bread and buñuelos, which we devoured for breakfast before hitting the road to Tabio once again. It was actually election day so J and I walked around the town square while L was voting.

Planeta Tierra

We stumbled upon this little artsy store across the street from the church in the main square and it was such a gem. Everything was gorgeous and precious. J ended up purchasing a gorgeous framed piece made with fibers. I was too enamored to take photos. Actually this whole trip, I wasn't too great at photography; I think maybe because I felt super comfortable and almost forgot that I was supposed to be documenting my time.

After shopping, we met up with L's family to drive to lunch.

Villa Quezada

L's parents wanted to take me to this place because it serves v. typical Colombian food: fritanga. Fritanga is a type of barbecue where you're served just piles of food and you dig in family style.

The food was fantastic. We had veal ribs and sausage and blood pudding and potatoes and yuca and arepa and corn; it was endless. I had to as for ahi (hot sauce) and I washed it all down with jugo de lulo, which is a South American citrus fruit.

Cuchipanda

Even though we were stuffed after fritanga, I still wanted to go to Cuchipanda, which I grew to love on my last visit. I had fresas y crema (strawberries with cream) and a delicious cheesecake. I also bought a few obleas kits to take home.

After we said bye to L's family, we headed up the mountain towards Subachoque, at my insistence. I wanted J to see the gorgeous views from the higher altitudes.

Sarandonga

As a final little hoorah for the end of the trip, we stopped by L's cousins' gourmet eatery, Sarandonga (her cousin's name is Sara so it's named after her) for some beers. She also makes her own chorizo and arepas and microbrew!

We actually got to taste one of her beers and it was so delicious.

And that was basically our time in Cundinamarca. We took it pretty easy this time around, making sure not to jam too much into our days but at the same time, it felt really productive and fun. As we were leaving, we were already making plans to come back. L's mom asked me when I would be coming back and I said maybe in two years and she demanded I make this an annual trip. I love Colombia so much, I can definitely imagine making an effort to do so.

xoxo.