Bogotá is a gigantic city of about 8 million people, set
high up on a plateau in the Andes, at 2600 metres above sea level. It is the
largest city at such a high altitude in the world although the larger Mexico
City is only about 200 metres lower. As a result of its high altitude it’s
actually often a little cold, which surprises a lot of people who imagine a hot
humid tropical city due to Colombia’s location completely within the tropics
and near the equator.
Another myth about Bogotá and Colombia in general that I
have to dispel, is that it’s dangerous. Firstly, yes crime is higher here than
in most parts of Europe, but violent crime is lower than in some parts of the
US, and definitely lower than both Brazil and Mexico, countries which people
visit more regularly. Higher crime does mean being more careful, but that is
all, it shouldn’t put you off from going. And unlike some countries in Asia,
Colombians that approach you to help you, truly are being friendly and helpful,
there is no ulterior motive.
Secondly, yes Colombia has had a guerrilla insurgency for
more than 50 years, however in recent years not only does this not effect
Bogotá, but in fact all the major populated areas of the country are generally
free from this problem and safe to travel in. So with those two things out of
the way let’s talk about the city as a place to live.
At 8 million people Bogotá is a big city, the fifth largest
in South America. As all Colombian cities, the streets are organised into
numbered Carreras and Calles, which tries to place a grid like order on a city
that is actually not in a grid shape. Calle numbers increase as you go north,
Carreras as you go west. It is generally split into north, south, west and
central areas. There is no east as the central areas hug a steep north-south
range of mountains which you can see from almost anywhere in the city. The
north is the modern rich area of the city; this is where a new second kind of
centre exists, that includes several business areas of high rises, the biggest
concentration of nightlife and entertainment, and many large modern indoor
shopping centres. People who live in the north often never visit the rest of
the city, most of them think south of Calle 72 is dangerous, although in truth
it isn’t.
The west includes the airport and the city’s biggest park,
Parque Simon Bolivar, and is mainly middle class and mixed suburbs. There are
some modern expensive areas in the west as well as older lower income areas.
The centre is long and thin, and stretches southwards from
the north through the older but expensive neighbourhood of Chapinero, down
through El Centro, the proper centre as well as including La Candalaria, the
historic old town of Bogotá. Here you can find a massive range of shops and
restaurants, as well as the financial skyscrapers in Centro Internacional. This
area is also where tourists visit the most and includes many museums and hotels
too.
Finally, the south is the poorer part of Bogotá. Within the
city it has a reputation as being dangerous and somewhere to avoid, although
there are nice neighbourhoods and parks in the south, but there are also many
no go areas, and on the southern fringe vast shanty towns.
Bogotá is at the centre of Colombia both geographically and
as the capital the major transport hub. Planes and buses leave the city to all
parts of the country, but if you plan on taking a bus be prepared for hours of
narrow winding mountain roads not that long after you leave the city, almost
every other region is down the mountains.
Within the city, public transport is not great, and with
private car ownership on the rise traffic is pretty bad. The main transport
system at the moment is Transmilenio, this is a Latin American phenomenon that
was originally created in Brazil but has spread to many cities throughout the
continent and some other parts of the world, and Bogotá has one of the largest.
The idea is simple it is like a metro, with fixed stations, different coloured
lines, free transfers within the station, turnstiles at the entrance, etc. But,
it uses long bendy buses that travel on special separated lanes on the road.
The system is really good and can move you around the city very quickly, but a
lot of the time the buses are incredibly crowded. The locals call it, "Trans-muy-lleno" which means Trans-very-full. The range of express and all
stopping buses can also make the system a little confusing to first time users.
I could never understand the station maps at first and always used the website
to plan my route for the first few months of use. The other problem is that
although now there are about 10 lines, its nowhere near enough and many areas
of the city are still quite far from the stations.
Other transport options include many old polluting buses or
colectivos (mini buses which operate like normal buses), and taxis, which are
surprisingly cheap at under 1.50 euros minimum fair.
The first thing that I liked about Bogotá, is this is a city
which can look like almost any part of the world. From modern office blocks and
apartment buildings with stunning views to old Spanish colonial houses and
buildings as well as everything else. There are some neighbourhoods where the
houses even look like old English Victorian houses. Also the eastern mountains
are a constant reminder of where you are, almost at the top of a chain of
Andean mountains.
Secondly a city this big has a bit of everything. Its
culture and restaurant scene is really varied, full of museums, theatres and
universities, it has long had the nickname the Athens of south America. And
although people may argue that Latin America is a more conservative or
traditional part of the world, Bogotá is a city where counterculture and more
liberal attitudes thrive.
Bogotá has many universities, but perhaps the three most
famous are, Universidad de los Andes, Universidad Nacional, and Pontificia
Universidad Javeriana. These 3 are renowned not just in Colombia, but
throughout Latin America. Los Andes was ranked in the top ten universities in
Latin America recently.
As for cost of living, it is not as cheap as you might hope.
The basics, meat and vegetables, public transport, and rent are quite cheap,
but any luxuries are not only expensive for Colombia, they are often expensive
even for the UK. Baby products, nappies, toys, even pre packed baby food, and
formula milk are more than in Valencia, and possibly more than in London too. A
night out in the city’s Zona T nightlife district is comparable to London’s
west end in cost. Beer is a great example; a local bottle of beer in a little
bar goes for under a Euro, where as that same beer is almost 4 euros in Zona T,
and an imported beer can be 10.
In general anything bought from an international chain is
more expensive in Bogotá than in the USA or Europe. This is why Colombians with
some money often fly to Florida to go shopping!!!
But of course with rent being relatively cheap you can find
some amazing apartments you would never dream of renting at home. Once we were
shown a place that was a massive two bedroom apartment, modern, with a giant
kitchen and living room, views across the city, balcony, and free use of a gym
in the complex, for about 750 euros a month.
Such a large city has a real choice of neighbourhoods to
live in, but I would let your work help you to make that decision, you don’t
want a long commute if you can help it. Most modern apartments with good
amenities are in the north, but of course the southern part of the north is the
most expensive part of the city, and if you live in the far north you are a
long way from everywhere else. The west has some nice neighbourhoods and is
more centrally located. But you may find with either of these options you don’t
have much on your doorstep.
Chapinero has good apartments around and you have lots on
your doorstep, but you could have the added problem of being up the mountain
side slightly, and if you ever walk it you’ll realise that the altitude makes a
big difference when walking uphill.
As for job options, with good Spanish you could work for a
big or international company. If you are a good English speaker you could teach
English, work is easy to find, but be prepared for lots of travel around the
city, and lots of cancellations too. Another option is start your own business,
tourism is growing in Colombia and most people spend a few days here. The
budget and backpacker industry has exploded in the city, with hostels, tour
companies and other things.
The main thing is at the moment Colombia feels little
problems from the general economic crisis around the world, and there are jobs
and successful entrepreneurs too. Of course being a Spanish speaking country,
not speaking any of the language can make the simplest of things difficult. But
Colombians are friendly and helpful, and if they speak some English they will
want to try it out on you. I found English schools in Colombia don’t expect
their teachers to speak any Spanish and are often ran by people with good
English themselves. So knowing zero Spanish is no problem in this line of work.
But, of course if you don’t know any Spanish and have some
time and money, you can learn it here. Bogotá is supposed to have the clearest
Spanish in the world, so the locals are good people to practice with.
If you know Spanish from Spain you will find many
differences, but not enough to cause a problem. The biggest difference is
everyone uses `usted` here; `tu` is almost never used. Also a lot of vocabulary
especially food is different from Spain.
Apart from transport the biggest downside about life in
Bogotá is the weather, although you could say the temperature range is great,
never really cold, never hot, you don’t need aircon or heating. It rains a lot,
and remember I come from England so that’s saying a lot, but my first year
there, it rained almost everyday for an hour or so, apart from in January. It
is really changeable though, so many days it rains in the afternoon following
bright sunshine in the morning. Of course if the colder weather is too much for
you, remember just a couple of hours down the mountain is tropical heat, all
year long.
So depending on your situation Bogotá can be a great city to
live in. There are plenty of job opportunities, great entertainment, and you’re
surrounded by one of the great mountain ranges of the world. You can buy fresh
food from a market or a restaurant, and it’s a great place to learn Spanish, or
if your Spanish is good already, study something else at one of the
universities.
The downsides would be the weather and public transport, and
perhaps crime levels, but that was never an issue for me. So if don’t mind the
weather, and don’t need to travel around the city much, there is no reason to
stop you moving there.