bogota

Gender equality in Bogota: double standards?

November 9, 2014 // 0 Comments

The other day, I was on the TransMilenio bus going down the séptima (7th Avenue) on my way to the Museum of Modern Art on my day off, when something happened which got me thinking about gender equality in Bogota, and in Colombia generally. A common scene on the TransMilenio bus The bus was full, as usual, so I was standing. To give you some context, in Bogota, [more]

Banks in Bogota

November 7, 2014 // 3 Comments

Banks in Bogota are somewhat of a culture-shock in themselves, for a number of reasons. Here, I tell of my experience of opening and having a bank account in Colombia. Firstly, you will need your cédula (Colombian ID card) to open a bank account; the cédula is the main form of ID here, and if you think that your internationally-recognised passport should [more]

Sundays and Ciclovía: The Calm Between the Storms

November 3, 2014 // 0 Comments

Sundays are something that Bogota does really REALLY well. I love Sunday in Bogota. I live close to 7th Avenue, near the mountains, and this is closed to traffic on Sundays and bank holidays. This means a brief escape from the noise and pollution, and opens the road for walkers, cyclists, skaters and skateboarders: From where we live, we can either walk north towards [more]

Bogota Skies: every cloud has a silver lining

October 30, 2014 // 1 Comment

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’ve found the transition to life in Bogota a challenge at the best of times, but one of the things that makes me very happy are pretty skies; and Bogota (and Colombia in general) has these in abundance. I therefore thought I’d start focusing on some of the things I truly do like about Bogota, and share with [more]

The Bogota Transmilenio bus system: problems and solutions

October 29, 2014 // 0 Comments

It’s rush-hour. I’m on a Transmilenio bus and it’s busy. People are standing elbow to elbow and as usual the driver is driving like a maniac over pot-holes and cracks in the road; the standing passengers are swung from side to side, trying to grab onto anything they can as they fight to keep their balance; the seated passengers hold on tightly to [more]

10 Smartphone apps I couldn’t live without in Bogota

October 27, 2014 // 5 Comments

When people move to a new country, they’ll often buy a cheap phone with a local SIM card to use while they’re there. This is fine if you’re just visiting for a short time, but if you’re in Colombia for the long-haul, a smartphone will be a really useful tool. Here are the (Android) smartphone apps that I use regularly, which I really [more]

The 5 Stages of Culture Shock in Bogota

October 26, 2014 // 6 Comments

Reading through my blog, I feel conscious of a generally negative undertone as I’ve been writing about my experience in Bogota. I initially assumed that this was due to my general dislike of Bogota as a city. I often feel that if I were given the opportunity, I’d leave Bogota for somewhere else in a heart-beat. Then the other day, I was looking for [more]

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