Lolomiina: 09.12.2017
We took it slow today but ended it with a bang 🥤🍸😜
This morning, we took the great public transportation of Bogota from our accommodation to the city center. One of the few interesting neighborhoods is La Candelaria. We wandered around and explored the area. At 2:00 PM, we had a graffiti tour booked. Colombia - especially Bogota - is one of the hotspots of the international graffiti and street art scene. We didn't know this until two days ago, but as they say, you learn something new every day. So, we booked a free tour (although a tip is expected, which is completely okay) and spent two and a half hours admiring wall paintings and learning a lot of background information. There's not much to describe, so just take a look at a selection of our photos.
After a quick coffee break, we endured one hour of Uber through Bogota's rush hour traffic. The infrastructure here is catastrophic for a city of this size. There's no subway, just a bus rapid transit system on its own lane. However, the buses are hopelessly overcrowded. Freeways or highways - few and far between! Like in most big cities, there's absolute traffic chaos here.
The goal of our trip was the rooftop bar Apache in the office district. It's a better area where we didn't have to keep our phones tightly in our pockets. Cool location with prices that are quite high for local standards. But it didn't matter, we still treated ourselves to some 🥤🥃. Today was a candle festival (fiesta en la candela) in the city, and fireworks were being set off everywhere. It was pure coincidence that we ended up at the bar on the 30th floor, but it was definitely worth it.
Because not much happened today, we'll introduce the next traveler type. He's not as "spectacular" as SZ or Type 3 (coming soon), but he represents the largest group, and here he is...
Type 2 - The Globetrotter
The Globetrotter is usually between 20 and 30 years old. So, young people who want to see the world, usually the Globetrotter has either studied or completed his studies. There are also people my age in Type 2, but they are rare. Probably because upscale or luxury accommodations are not available. Either you simply sleep in a hostel, on a park bench (not recommended), or not at all. Apart from big cities, there are no hotels as we know them in Europe, but let's continue with the description...
The Globetrotter often travels alone, as a couple, or with a friend. Rarely do you see larger groups out in the wild. The Globetrotter wants to see as much as possible, but also takes phases to relax. You meet this type everywhere, and you find them in all nationalities.
Type 2 likes to share information with like-minded people. They usually travel for one to several months and have clear ideas about what they want to see.
However, some representatives of Type 2 appear more worldly than they actually are. They are the ones who consider a long trip abroad as one of the "must-haves" of this world because it's hip. If your best friend has already posted her amazing journey on Instagram, you certainly can't be left behind.
That's why some - especially female representatives of this type - are very insecure, to say the least naive (sorry ladies, don't take it personally - it's a subjective report). You can also tell that they don't actually enjoy traveling in this form and would rather be at home with mommy. After 2 months in South America, some still ask questions that I wouldn't ask after 2 hours. It may sound arrogant, but it's true! However, the majority of Type 2 manages well, partly because they speak languages.
One thing that NO representative of Type 2 can do is survive without a smartphone and internet. Searching for free WiFi is more important to them than searching for food. The opposite is true for us 😊🌮🌶🍍🍤 😊
Overall, it's fun to communicate with Type 2, and that's what it's all about when traveling. The majority of Globetrotters are very nice, laid-back, very open, and you can easily spend an evening talking to them - tomorrow, there will be new ones 🤣