Today we spent the day in Bogata with a plan to do our own thing, that went very well.
Firstly it was a Sunday, so locals were out in force. We took a hotel-recommended cab driver, in an un-marked taxi to the Museo del Oro (Gold Museum) that is run by the Reserve Bank of Colombia! They had started a small collection of gold items from the Inca and pre- Spanish period and this has grown to over 35,000 pieces. They are more than spectacular. The world was at the multi-level Museum so it was very busy but still spectacular.
One special room with a closed door, was circular. The walls contained thousands of gold items arranged in patterns that were almost overwhelming. I think the best thing about the museum, is that the government has made a determined and deliberate attempt to collect as many ancient pieces as possible into one safe place for the future. The display is also very professional, with all items marked and described in both Spanish and English.
After that we had tried to get our driver to wait and take us to the Simon Bolivar Plaza, but in the end he turned up slightly late and took has to the funicular at Monserat, however the sunday crowds and queues were overwhelming, so we went straight to El Chato Restaurant, which is currently number 33 in the World, via taxi. It is number two in Latin America and the food and presentation was exceptional. We had an extraordinary meal. I had the tasting menu which was fourteen courses. Sheryle took a-la-carte. The big difference in South America is that they do a lot more things with plants, such as maize and corn and this makes for more interesting meals that are frankly better for us! Of course there is fish and meat, but the emphasis is on plants, making for more colour and wider flavours. We also were very impressed with the wines from South America. I had a reisling that was great, as were the reds we know from here as well such as the Malbecs.
We then took a regular taxi back to the hotel to sleep it off!
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