El Bogotazo: Bars in Bogota, Colombia. 5: Colombian Beer

Colombian Beer
calle 19 # 437

If the WC should be dirty, it's not because of a lack of cleaning utensils.

Colombian beer is a chain with several bars in Bogotá. This one, downtown, was a good place to watch football. The beer was good, too; they offer imported beer, including Erdinger, and what appears to be their own brand: Colon. Not bad, but way more expensive than other bars in the area.

El Bogotazo: Restaurants in Bogota, Colombia : Sanalejo

Restaurant Sanalejo

Avenida Jimenez #3-73

We ususally prefer the hole-in-the-wall kind of establishments, but this one has such a lovely door, so we accept it.

Good food and excellent service, but a little expensive. A good place to chill out at lunchtime, gets more hectic at night.

El Bogotazo: Bars in Bogota, Colombia. 4: Bullitas del Callejon

Bullitas del Callejon

Cuadra 2 # 13A–42, La Candelaria

Someone has written the name of the bar in the filth on top of the wc.
A nice touch.

Scary alley seen from within the safety only a bar can offer.

Bullitas del Callejon was our favourite bar in this dark, slightly frightening alley. Good rock music, really cheap beer and less panic than outside.

El Bogotazo: Bars in Bogota, Colombia. 3: Rock And Chicha

Rock and Chicha
Cuadra 2N #13-56, La Candelarianot too many people present when the IWCRP visited

The urinal. Small, yet functional. A bamboo curtain separates it from the bar

Another decent bar in Bogotá, very small and in a dark, narrow, punk-filled street with several other tiny, dark bars. We do not give our Family Friendly award to any of these bars, but will reconsider if they paint the walls in jolly colours.

El Bogotazo: Bars in Bogota, Colombia. 2: Chirquox

Bar Chirquox - La guanda de todos
Cuadra 4 # 19-70

The bar seen from the outside, through beer glasses

Chirquox, or possibly Chimox, is hereby officially recommended by the IWCRP. It's a small place with decent music and cheap beer, three necessary elements in a good bar. The friendly Administrador, Ricardo Urrea, invited us to come back later for what we understood to be a bagpipe-concert. We appreciated the invitation, but mysteriously failed to show up later.

El Bogotazo: Bars in Bogota, Colombia. 1: Lymbo, Candelaria

Lymbo Rock Bar

Cra 4 #15-64, Candelaria

You must choose one, and only one.

Lymbo is a good place to hide if you feel that you are being followed, a common feeling in this area at night. Good rock music, decent prices, friendly and efficient service.

El Bogotazo: Accommodation in Bogota, Colombia

Where to stay and where not to stay in Bogotá? That is the question, and the IWCRP soon found out where not to stay.

Where not to stay: Platypus Hostel
Calle 16 N. 2-43, Candelaria
www.platypusbogota.com

This was not a good place at all. First of all, there were problems with the (confirmed) reservation. I don't know what the problem was, but after a while the lady concluded that I must have accidentally given her a name other than my own, for she claimed she now found my reservation, but under another name. Instead of pointing out to her the unlikeliness of me having forgotten my own name and the likeliness of her having made a mistake, I took the other guy's room and hoped he had a plan B. In retrospect, I should have left right away, as the room was cold, not very clean, uncomfortable, noisy, unsafe (both the rooms and the area), generally horrible. Free coffee tasted like soap. Our delegation left after the first night, walked 100 m and found a cheaper, cleaner and warmer option without german stoners screaming in the common area untill 5 am, namely the Cacique Sugamuxi

Platypus bathroom. Cold water in the shower, no towels.

Platypus single room.

Platypus slug (Laevicaulis Ornithorhynchus) , discovered next to the bed at bedtime.

Where to stay: Hospedaje Cacique Sugamuxi
Calle 15a #2-19, Candelaria
www.caciquesugamuxi.com/

Although this part of la Candelaria is dodgy, Cacique Sugamuxi is a safe place to stay. Eight rooms or so lets the people at the reception know who belongs there and who not. A single room with bath cost 35.000 pesos, slightly cheaper than the Platypus. Dorms are considerably cheaper than singles; from 17.000/ pers. Good, friendly service.

Clean bathroom, some problems getting hot water after 10 a.m