Turistas in Monserrate, Colombia

Turistas in Monserrate, Colombia

One thing I didn’t expect from my first trip to Latin America? Eating arepas on top of a mountain. (For the record, Colombian arepas are rico).

Rewind a week from now. Palm trees and beaches were a nudge closer to what I had in mind for my study abroad trip in Colombia, but I couldn’t have been farther from reality. (Actually, I am farther from the beaches. The closest one is more or less 6 hours away by Uber). My home for two weeks is Bogota: a mountain city in north Colombia. Coming from upstate New York, I am used to family hiking trips to the Adirondacks mountains. The Adirondacks are roughly 5,000 feet above sea level. Bogota is 8,860 feet. (And that’s not even the top of the mountain).

Monserrate, Bogota, Colombia

It might be summer in New York but here in Bogota, there is only one season for the entire year -- and it isn’t summer as New Yorkers know it. Bogota exists in an eternal blend of summer and fall. This means the weather is never predictable. Mornings are cold and cloudy, calling for a leather jacket to protect against the mountain chill. It isn’t strange for a rain shower to break through the clouds before 12:00… or to get a sunburn at midday.

This Saturday, I found myself on top of the famous Monserrate. Monserrate is the mountain range overlooking all of Bogota. At 3,127 meters above sea level, Monserrate looms over the capital from a dizzying height. This translates to roughly 10,260 feet or 8 Empire State Buildings.

A church on the peak of Monserrate is a regular hotspot for joggers to catch their breath after running up the mountain. (We cheated and took a 5-minute ride in the Funicular; a cable car that conveniently toted us via tunnel to Monserrate).

According to a La Salle Universidad student, Andres Buitrago, the statue of Jesus in the church is believed to possess divine power. The most religious believers climb the mountain on their knees to reach this famous statue and ask for a miracle.

 

Religious symbols cover Monserrate from the food market to vendor stalls. Rosary beads, tiny Marys and Jesus can be purchased at turisto prices, so do your wallet a favor and buy souvenirs at the markets below in Bogota.

Coca tea is sweet and delicious at 3,000COP per cup. That’s less than 1$USD!

From arepas to empanadas and plantains, Colombia is fried food paradise.

Jaspers and LSU students at the Monserrate summit! (Not pictured, our sunburns. The sun is strong this high in the mountains).

<Quien soy? Autumn Herndon, International Studies Major, rising senior at Manhattan College 2020. Check back in for the next stop, Panama!