Ok, so Bogota isn't that bad after all...

Braving the rain I headed out for a little tour with a lovely Canadian guy from my hostel who is travelling around Colombia by bicycle! Bogota is 2,500 feet up so that is no mean feat.. We took in the sights of the Plaza Bolivar, a stunning cathedral which looks as though it is made out of candy canes, and the heavily-policed parliamentary buildings. I also had my first traditional Colombian meal! Sopa (soup) is very popular here, I had one made with potatoes, chicken and sweetcorn, marinaded in tasty stock and servied with rice, avocado and rice pudding. Of course.

This afternoon I took in some more culture at the Museum of Santa Clara (a stunning old church with a very ornate ceiling), the Musuem of the Military, the Police Museum, the Museum of Colonial Art and the Gold Museum. Enough culture to keep me going for a while. The Godl museum was my favourite; I learnt a lot about goldsmithery (have I just made up a new word there?), saw examples of ancient gold from the Mayans, Incas and all over South America. The best bit though was when, walking along a corridor minding my own business, I was stopped and told to "Wait here. Special room!". Ok.. um... if it's a talk though I won't be able to understand it, but ok, I'll wait... Suddenly, a section of the wall skides away, revealing a curved (and very dark) room. I toddled in, along with some other bemused museum-goers. We waited in pitch-black darkness, it was a bit like at Alton Towers when you know something scary is going to happen but you're trying not to sqeal... then this spooky music plays, and spotlights move around the room, illuminating sections of a wall display of (you guessed it) - gold. In the centre of the room was a glass section of the floor, which was illuminated so you could see more gold. A Special Room indeed!

Shatted now, I decided to spend one more night here (the hostel bunk beds are really big and cosy, and the water is back on so I had a nice hot shower) - tomorrow I'm headed to Villa de Leiva. Hopefully it will be warm...

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