We were welcomed to Bogota in torrential rain! Fortunately, there were plenty of taxis and it wasn’t long before Clo and Dominique had disappeared behind the tinted sliding glass doors of their eagerly anticipated 5* hotel – a little luxury very well deserved after two nights at Casa Elemento in Minca!

We headed to Cristina and Nando’s apartment (our Latin American friends who had recently moved to Bogota from London). We were greeted by their energetic young beagle puppy, called Guaro, who was named after Ed’s favorite Latin American drink, “aguardiente” (which he’d got to know so well in Cartagena!). The views from the top-floor apartment were stunning and Cris and Nando were amazing hosts.

That evening, we joined Clo and Dominique at a local restaurant, where we had diner with Dani Q, Lucrecia, Tom and Paul – it was a little Cartagena reunion, so for old time’s sake we headed out to “Andres DC”, the city center version of Andres Carne de Res, which we’ll speak about later. As it was Clo’s last night, Nando and Cris wanted to show her this amazing restaurant, spread over 7 flours, serving excellent cocktails and a “must” for anyone passing through Bogota. We then shuffled across  town to the opening of a new club, which was being organized by some of Nando’s old school friends. We did not last long as Cris was nearly 5 months pregnant and the walls were vibrating because the music was so loud!

On Saturday, we joined Clo and Dominique and some friends of Cris and Nando’s from London for a guided tour of the Modern Art museum. After lunch we bid a sad farewell to Clo and Dominique, since their trips had come to an end and they were due to fly back home later that evening. Sadly, for them, they were going to miss out on the best possible night-out that Bogota has to offer – Andres Carne de Res.

Andres is an institution in Bogota, and you can’t leave this city without paying it a visit on a Friday or Saturday night. It started as a tiny roadside grill restaurant, which Nando remembers visiting with his family when he was a young boy. At the time it was a single building but since then it has blossomed into a huge entertainment venue, occupying 3 enormous buildings, which span across 2 roads.

At the weekends they will serve dinner to 3,000 covers and have been at full capacity for over 30 years! The draw of the place comes down to two things. Firstly, the décor – it’s a rabbit warren of low-ceilinged wooden beams, flashing lights and random bits of furniture pinned to just about every single square inch or space. Secondly, the food – the restaurant is in the top-50 of Latin American restaurants and described as the “king of beef”. It’s a remarkable achievement given the scale of the operation. There are over 1,000 cooks and watiers!!

We had booked two tables for a group of 20 and had the most amazing time! Not long after our food arrived – huge sharing plates of perfectly cooked steak – the music was booming, people were on their feet and the whole place had become a carnival. Cocktails were being served in enormous wooden bowls and people had dressed-up using all of the surrounding props – the fragile wooden structure was literally rocking to the sound of 3,000 people dancing the Latin American “reggaeton”.

At some point the party ended and we ventured outside, mildly peckish. The clever owner had thought of this and we crossed the road to find a full street food extravaganza. Ed jumped straight in under the wise guidance of Nando and soon afterwards arrived back at the car with bags of hot empanadas.

Poor Cris – who had very kindly offered to drive – was forced to put up with some drunken singing all he way home. Fortunately for her, she did not have to drive all the way back to Bogota and we soon arrived at Nando’s parents’ house in Chia. This is where Cris and Nando had hosted one of their huge parties for their wedding a few years ago – Lolo was delighted to be back!

On Sunday morning, we enjoyed a restorative breakfast sitting in the sun and piecing together the gossip and the fun of the night before. We then hopped in the car and drove to Sisga, where Nando’s family has a farm, equipped with a lovely cabin with a view of the lake. We bought a picnic and spent the afternoon chilling with Cris, Nando, Lucre and Dani Q.

As if our hangovers needed more drama, Nando then saddled-up a horse and insisted we all take turns. Ed and Lolo certainly let the side down here and only managed an amateur pose, or two. Lucre and Dani Q both looked impressively natural on a horse but Nando eclipsed the lot of us – despite his belly (!) he’s an excellent horseman (as the trophy room in Chia would attest) and he set about showing us how it should be done!

On Monday, we convinced Dani Q and Maria Clara (Mac) not to work but to instead accompany us on a road trip to Villa de Lleyva, a charming colonial city located 2h30 away from Bogota.

We set off in Mac’s jeep, munching cup cakes (delivered to Dani Q that morning, as a Birthday present, by a secret admirer – very kind and greatly appreciated by all!). Dani Q had told us not to worry about accommodation, informing us that we would be staying with a friend of hers.

True to her word, later that evening, we arrived at a beautiful walled house, equipped with courtyard, landscaped garden and its very own pub, full of fun décor (Andres-style!). The house was a little gem, beautifully decorated and had a door, granting direct access to the main square.

 

That evening, we found a bar, where we celebrated Dani Q’s birthday and she even had a song dedicated to her by some adoring waiter. We then hit the main square for dinner, where we were joined by our generous host, Ricardo. By that stage we were all pretty tired and the free shots offered by the restaurant practically finished us off. What a pity since Ricardo’s private bar was ripe for an after-party!

After a lovely night, we woke up to have breakfast outside and ventured to explore the city by day. We also visited two of the local attractions: the dinosaur’s park and the ostrich farm where we tried (and often failed) to feed them. As you can see from the pictures, Lolo was not particularly at ease doing this and a lot of the pricey bird food found itself being scattered over her shoulder while she made a hasty retreat! A delicious lunch later in Mercado Municipal and a trip to the baker to buy their trademark bread and we were off, back to Bogota.

Bogota’s answer to traffic decongestion is to limit the days you can drive depending on the last number of your number plate. It’s called “pico y placa” and it’s apparently very common in Latin American cities, although this wass the first time we’d come across it. Sadly, this was one such day when we would not be allowed to drive into Bogota, so we were forced to wait 20 minutes in a petrol station on the boarder of the city until the curfew had passed.

Our last couple of days in Bogota were spent exploring the city. We took a cable car to the top of Monserrate, which offered stunning views of the enormous city below. We also took in the Botero Foundation and his collection of very recognizable paintings and sculptures.

Highlights:

• The extremely generous and enjoyable hospitality offered by Cris and Nando
• Our mini road trip with Dani Q and Mac to Villa de Lleyva
• Andres Carne de Res – Ed swears he’ll do it again as a long-weekend trip from London – it’s that enjoyable!

Gastro Highlights:

• Food at 3am always tastes good but those hot empanadas post Andres were quite exquisite!
• Mercado Municipal (restaurant in Villa de Lleyva)