[This message has been edited by wizard]
Since there has been a request for trip reports, I thought I'd write up my last trip to LA...
I just returned from a week in Bogota with my novia... Since finding my girl last year, I've been going to Bogota once a month for 5 - 6 days... I guess I'm lucky in that I have a single segment, 4.5 hours flight direct to Bogota from my home town... Makes it real convenient to slip away from the office on a Wednesday and fly to Bogota for a long weekend... It's difficult enough trying to nuture a long distance relationship, but being apart 2 - 3 months at a time is impossible, for me anyway... No matter how many times you talk on the phone or email, there's no substitute for "face time"... Once you find the "one", ya do whatchya gotta do...
As usual, we had a wonderful time in Bogota seeing the sights, dining out, clubbing, shopping, visiting with her friends/family and just being together... As we spend more time together, we are finding that we have more and more in common... Big things, little things, the things that make a couple... As with any relationship, there must be a thread of commonanility between two people for any chance of success... We just smile every time we realize just how much we have in common...FYI, my girl speaks excellent Ingles and my Espanol is improving, so communications is not an issue... BIG plus...
My trip to Bogota was only a few days after the bombing at el club Nogal... So I was a little concerned about saftey... Once I arrived, it was business as usual... I believe that Colombians have lived with this type of violence for so long, that they see it as inevitable... But life goes on... The malls, stores, parks, clubs, etc. were all full and no one seemed very nervous... The story I heard was that the FARC had targeted el club Nogal as a top member of the ELN was supposed to be there that night, after having talks with the government that day... But who knows, just street talk... Anyway, I did notice an increase in security at the malls and on the street... Especially at the entrances to parking areas under buildings... We rode past the site where el club Nogal is/was located and it was a real mess... The building will have to be razed the damage is so bad... The things people will do in the name of freedom...
We seem to spend alot of time in Zona Rosa when I'm in town... There's always something going on in Zona Rosa... This is the area of North Bogota where the nicest malls are located; Andino and Atlantis, where there are many clubs and lots of Boutiques... To a degree it reminds me of the French Quarter in New Orleans, but not so touristy... Actually, we found a little restaurant called "Bourbon Street" just down the street from Andino... Just a little 10 top bistro that specializes in french cuisine... Very good food and a great atmosphere... The owner is a frenchman, with an American passport, living in Colombia... Imagine that!!! He lived in New Orleans for many years and as I have to, we talked about the Vieux Carre... Good food, good music and good company... I recommend it...
The only Harley Davidson shop in all of Colombia is in Zona Rosa too... I always stop in just to see what going on... Here's a tip... If you have any friends in the states that are "biker trash", buy them a Harley Davidson Bogota T-shirt... This is like the holy grail of biker trash T-shirts... Makes a great gift...
Of course we had to visit our favorite club in town, Mr. Babilla... Yes, it's in Zona Rosa too... Always a great atmosphere, good music and a lively crowd... One thing to note, I've never seen ANY unattached women in this club... Now that I think about it, I've never really seen many unattached ladies in any club in Bogota... Most senoritas have escorts when they go clubbing... Something to think about if you're trying to hookup in clubs... Like most clubs in town, it doesn't really start cookin' until after 10:00pm... Then it rocks until 3:00am... There's not much of a dance floor, but that doesn't stop anyone... They dance on the chairs, on the tables and of course on the bar... The DJ usually starts the night off with mostly latin music, then moves to more mainstream top 100 dance tunes as the night progresses... Hint: Eminem is hot in Bogota right now... Always lots of fun...
After a night of clubbing in the "zone", we always grab a bite to eat before heading home... There's this little restaurant in the "zone" that stays open 24/7... It's called La esquina de la Mona, or Mona's on the corner... I HAVE to eat at this place at least once every trip... The food is absolutely killer... You can get a plato mixto, which is grilled beef & chicken, with potatos and something that resembles bread for about two bucks...
We like to spend time in the parks around town too... There's a little park on Calle 93 that is very nice... Many families, couples and students frequent this park... It's a great place to just sit and talk with your novia... No distractions and a great place to get to know each other... Plus, just across the street from the park is a string of clubs/restaurants where you can get everything from a killer dessert to a capuccino and everything in between... There's a TGIF just down the street too if that's your thing... We actually did eat in TGIF once during my last stay... We took my novia's mother and another friend there on Sunday... I wanted to catch a little of the Daytona 500, but alas, all they were showing was world cup... The whole meal, which included appetizers, entree, dessert and drinks was less than $30US for all four of us..
We spent an afternoon at the Panaca Animal Reserve also... This is an animal park similar to Busch Gardens in Tampa, where the main attraction is the indigenous animals of the region... There are shows for everything from racing pigs to a wild west cowboy show... Plus exibits for many other animals found to Colombia... The equestrian show was worth the trip alone... It's well worth an afternoon...
Right next to the Panaca Animal Reserve is an amusement park... My novia calls it the "Parque de Electronica", but I don't think that's the real name... Again, great place to spend a day with your novia... All the usual rides you would expect at an amusement park... Inexpensive and lots of fun with your novia...
I had wanted to travel to Chia, which is just north of Bogota... From what I have been told, Chia rocks... Clubs and top-shelf restaurants are the order of the day... My novia did not want us to go though as she was not sure how safe it was... She said that if we could have found another couple to go with, then it would be better... But to no avail, we never hooked up with another couple, so I can't reliably comment on the action there... Maybe on my next trip...
We did spend an afternoon at Andino doing a little shopping... Everytime I go to Andino I have to focus very hard... Andino is to Bogota as ChipiChapi is to Cali... The shear volume of gorgeous women is unfathomable... Big ones, little ones, light ones, dark ones... Bombas all... Sheesh... Just thinking about makes the hair raise up on my neck... Never have I seen a more concentrated group of beautiful women in my life... It's simply amazing... For you guys who like the mall action, this is the place... Unlike the clubs, the malls are FULL of single women... So practice your "poor lost gringo" look and brush up on your espanol... Hunting chicas in this place is like shooting fish in a barrel...
We caught a movie in Andino too... The only reason I mention this is that going to the movies in Bogota is nothing like the states... First, you purchase assigned seats in the theater... Plus, you can purchase "preferential" seating... There are ushers that escort you to your seat... Then there are staff walking the isles taking orders for food/beverages... The theaters are all of a much better quality than in the states... Most films are shown in Ingles with Espanol subtitles... We saw "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and laughed our azz off...
During this past trip, I felt the time was right... On Valentine's Day I popped the question and placed a ring on my girl's finger... We are getting married in Bogota as soon as we pull our paperwork together... I will document the EXACT paperwork requirements for doing a DCF in Bogota as we go through the process...
For you guys who have already been through the process, my hat is off to you...
For you guys who are still in the process, just keep kickin'... There's a light at the end of the tunnel and it's not a train...
For you guys that have been burned, suck it up and start over... And no, the rest of us are NOT idiots begging to get scammed...
For you guys still on the fence, what are you waiting for???
I have learned alot from this forum... I probably would not be where I am today without it, as I learned about the agency where I met my novia from this forum...
I thought I'd share some photos with the forum...
www.micronetics.net/mdp
Buen suerte...
wizard
