Don’t trust everything you read. About a half hour north of Bogota is a very famous restaurant called Andrés Carne de Res, considered one of the many recommended things to do in Bogota. Yet, because of its distance from the city, we determined was too far for us to go. We resigned ourselves to missing this one. Well, last night we were having a beer at a local breweryin a Bogotá barrio called Zona Rosa and noticed that Andrés DC, an outpost of this famous restaurant, was right around the corner from us. Lonely Planet said it wasn’t worth it if you couldn’t go to the original. We threw aside our fears and ignored Lonely Planet. Good choice. We had a great time and a true Bogotá experience at Andrés DC!
So I got to Cali late last night – too late for me to go out, I was beat – and woke up early today to see the town. From my searches online and with my trusty Lonely Planet guidebook, I found a lot of good things to see and do! Here’s a travelogue of my first day here and why I am loving Cali Colombia.
The Hostel
I started with a taxi from my hostel, Pelican Larry. I have a private room and access to a shared bathroom, which is all I need. Clean and with hot water! My room has a fan which had the dual purpose of keeping me cool and drowning out outside noise.
Getting Out of the Hostel
The taxi to downtown was quick and cheap and I got dropped off at the Modern Art Museum, which wasn’t open until 10am (it was 9:30am) so I went in search of a café. I found a good one thanks to Google Maps!
Downtown Cali
Let me explain downtown Cali first. It’s dominated by the Rio Cali, which has walkways on both sides, and a lot of the tourist sites are there or nearby. This walking route is great with lots of scenery, and compared to Cartagena, the weather here is GORGEOUS! Warm but with little humidity. Heaven after almost two weeks of non-stop sweating.
Cute Cafe in Cali
Cute Cafe Mulato was on a side street and full of locals. I was the only tourist and it was nice and homey. The waitress had a list with everyone’s name on it and what they ordered, that’s how local a joint this was.
I leave tomorrow so now is the time to pack. Those who’ve travelled with me know I like to pack light. This is a long trip, though: I’ll be gone for 5 1/2 weeks and I want to have workout clothes, working clothes, beach clothes and going out clothes! Plus shoes! You ladies know what I mean.
Want Versus Need For Packing Light
I am trying to only take one roller bag and a backpack. On top of clothes and shoes, I need toiletries, meds (hello Gravol for seasickness!), computer, phone, chargers, Lonely Planet Colombia, Spanish/English dictionary, sunblock and bug spray, of course!
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