From Sun-Up to Pour-Down in Bogotá
Late January found me wrapping up two and a half weeks in Colombia, but instead of heading straight to my next stop in Uruguay, I made a last-minute detour through Bogotá to visit a new friend I’d recently made in Canada. Colombia had already offered up a few curveballs, so this was just one more to add to the list.
A week before I got to Cartagena, I played my first open mic in almost a year in Montreál. As usual, I met a few new people, including a Colombian singer-guitarist named Felipe. My friend Rom introduced us when I first arrived at the close-knit Turbo Haüs in the city’s Latin Quarter, and I had mentioned I’d be traveling to Colombia soon.
Rom (left) and Felipe (right) performing at Turbo Haüs in Montreál | Shot with OM-5 Mark II + 20mm f/1.4 Pro
After we played our short sets, Felipe mentioned he’d be in Bogotá for a few weeks at the end of January, right when I’d be traveling from Cartagena to Montevideo. He offered to show me around if I came through, so I made a note to try to make it happen when it came time to book my flights.
Once I was in Colombia, I found that most cheap flights to Montevideo went through Bogotá, so I decided to spend two nights there to break up the long journey. I’d never been to Bogotá and wasn’t planning to explore it on this trip, since I mostly wanted a beach after freezing days in Montreál. Still, having a friend in a new place is usually reason enough for me to hop on a plane.
After two weeks of sweating in Cartagena and Sincelejo, I arrived in Bogotá to heavy, cool rain. I was curious about the city, but glad the rainy weather would only last a few days. On my first night, Felipe met me after the rain let up and showed me his neighborhood and apartment, which he and his mom still keep even though they now live in Canada. Then we took a taxi to another part of town to find some activity on a Monday night and get a late dinner.
While eating burgers and patatas bravas, we planned our Tuesday adventure and hoped for good weather. The main thing I wanted to do was visit Cerro de Montserrate for a panoramic view of the city, which would probably only be clear in the morning. So we decided to start there and make the rest up as we went.
First views out of the Funicular (rail train) at Montserrate.
Luckily, the morning brought sun and a few clouds, and the good weather lasted while we were on the mountain for the first part of the day.
Up to this point, I hadn’t used my OM-5 with the long-reaching 12-100 f/4 zoom lens much, since it’s bulky and stands out in most big South American cities where theft can be a concern. But I had insurance and bought it for a reason, so I decided to bring it along that day, even though I wasn’t sure exactly where we’d end up.
We spent the morning and early afternoon wandering around Montserrate, exploring every path until we hit a dead end on the rocks behind the food and gift stalls.
After we’d seen everything, dodged all of the gift shop vendors, and started thinking about lunch, we headed back down the mountain.
You won’t see it below, as I made sure to shoot around them to respect their privacy, but a woman was carried onto the rail train on a stretcher, probably because of altitude sickness. Cerro de Montserrate is about 3,152 meters above sea level, which can be tough on the body if you’re visiting for a short time and coming from lower altitudes, as many tourists do.
Back in the city, Felipe then showed me around the university and the popular La Candelaria neighborhood, which isn’t far from Montserrate’s entrance.
I managed to get some good photos of daily life in Bogotá, frequently pulling my camera in and out of my bag to avoid drawing attention. But as we entered the street art-filled La Candelaria, I accidentally switched on the manual focus clutch near the lens’s focus ring. I didn’t realize it at first, so I couldn’t figure out how to focus it effectively on the fly, since I rarely use manual mode. Thus, I put the camera away until I could sit down and look up the problem online. Unfortunately, I missed out on capturing some of La Candelaria’s best sights.
When we found a cafe in the historic Plazoleta Chorro de Quevedo, I looked up the issue on my phone and fixed it, feeling like a total noob in the process.
Felipe and I enjoyed our drinks while watching all of the activity in the square. The weather was perfect—cool mountain air, some clouds, and a bit of sun. It was a welcome break from Cartagena’s heat. These simple travel moments are often my favorite: good company, new places, and a fresh breeze. We both appreciated it and ended up staying in our patio chairs longer than we planned, even as lunch hour zoomed by.
As serene as our time in the square was, the weather turned quickly, and the street vendors rushed to cover their displays and carts with plastic as rain started to fall. Soon, almost everyone had left the streets, and Felipe and I took shelter inside the cafe’s entrance, watching the rain soak the patio where we’d just been basking in the calm afternoon.
We waited inside the cafe, with empty stomachs and full bladders, as the time dragged on. After about half an hour, we decided to face the rain, use the bathroom next door, and then keep going to find lunch.
From there, we had a 10-15-minute walk ahead, and it was still raining. Since I had my OM-5, I thought it was a good chance to test its IP53 weather sealing for a few shots.
Once we reached our destination, we entered a small, unassuming seafood restaurant with only the kitchen visible upon entry. Upstairs, however, it opened into a sprawling, low-ceilinged establishment with numerous separate dining areas. Most people there were dressed in business attire, and it was fancier than I had expected, not to mention our jackets and pants were completely soaked through.
While our clothes dripped and made puddles on the floor, we enjoyed some of the best seafood stew I’ve ever tasted. I also went slightly overboard with the generously priced seafood platter, which left me in a near-food-coma by the end.
After resolving our hunger, I needed to move or I’d fall asleep, so we headed back out to the wet streets to visit Plaza de Bolívar nearby. There, we mostly saw people feeding pigeons and trying to take photos with them while enjoying the view.
It was still drizzling, and we were beginning to grow weary after wandering most of the day and a heavy lunch, but it was too early to call a taxi. We agreed to finish off the afternoon by walking back to our places in Chapinero, roughly 4 km away. This would allow us to digest our lunch, and I could experience the main road, Carrera 7, through the heart of Bogotá. We first zigzagged through some of the side streets to see a few cool spots and hide under overhangs while the rain lingered, before eventually reaching Carrera 7 where things cleared up.
Felipe and I reached my street with sore feet, which is the sign of a good day in my book. There we parted ways, and I told him I’d see him at the open mic in Montreál once the snow and ice are gone.
I’m not sure when I’ll be back in Bogotá next, but upon my first visit, the city felt like a street photographer’s dream—with some caution, of course. I’d love to return to La Candelaria when I know my gear better and explore more of the sprawling metropolis with a camera in my bag. There is a grungy side to the city that I didn’t see in Cartagena or Medellín, offering a different side of Colombia and one I am curious to know.
GEAR USED:
OM-5 Mark II + M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4 IS PRO Lens
If you’d like to support this work, buy me a coffee below:
