Surprising as it may seem, the city of Bogotá in Columbia is actually a great place to visit. This amazing city is historic, culturally significant and also one of the highest cities in the world!

Being the capital city of Columbia, Bogotá has become a fusion of old and new, with towering skyscrapers gothic cathedrals as well as huge mountains. This makes for some inspiring views and the city of Bogotá really does inspire.

Bogotá is a rapidly changing and constantly developing city. It’s also extremely safe despite what people say and its crime rate is significantly less than for example, the United States. It’s a country where Spanish is the most popular language spoken however, the majority of young city dwellers are bi-lingual in english too.

The city of Bogotá has a lot going for it as a holiday destination, not only because it’s a relaxing place to stay but because there are countless things to do. Want to see a real soccer game? Visit an underground Cathedral, or perhaps visit the hundred-year-old Bogotá Street? It’s all in the capital and just a stone’s throw away.

When it comes to relaxing and having a good night out, there is great food and drink to be had in Bogotá. Everything is affordable in this Columbian city and most importantly, delicious. Local food is great, but be warned that oriental cuisine in Bogotá is nothing like the real thing.

On the subject of food and drink, Bogotá is also home to some of the best water supplies in the world. Its water is clean and safe to drink however tourists should start by mixing it with bottled water until they get used to the differences.

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You’ve drank the water, ate the food and you’re ready to party. Where to go in Bogotá? With night clubs in abandoned buildings, rooftop parties and even a brewery that’s open for drinks, you can have unforgettable experiences in Bogotá. Safety is not a major issue when you’re going for a night out, generally the best advice people give is to stay out of poor areas, don’t flaunt wealth and get someone to call you a taxi instead of stopping one on the street.

For a while Columbia has been a tricky subject, but thanks to efforts by the Columbian government, Bogotá and Columbia in general is a relatively safe place to visit. It’s certainly not the war zone of drug runners and paramilitaries that we have been led to believe.

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A trip to Bogotá is a trip to remember!

Well after a few tough days of lying on the beach, we continued our journey north to Hanoi where we arrived this morning.

This stage introduced us to sleeper buses, which are a Vietnamese term for sitting in the most uncomfortable seats you can imagine while the driver takes the bus around corners at full speed, into the ditch and up bouncing around on the pavement, while beeping his horn, talking loudly, playing incredibly bad music, putting the lights on full and generaly doing anything to stop you sleeping. So the day after is spent walking around in a zombie like state.

But it was worth it. After the first bus ride we made it to Hoi An, the town of 200 tailor stores. Most people get suits or dresses made for formal occasions but seeing as we have no formal occasions for the next year we decided shorts were the better option. It was lots of fun and they ended up being exactly how we wanted, not like some other stories we heard.

Hoi An is the most beautiful town we have visited but there is not an awful lot to do. We spent half a day touring the My Son Cham ruins and the other half hiring bikes to take to the beach, but felt there was not much left to do… other than go to a beach party in the night.

The next day we tiredly got a car to the Marble Mountains, where there are Buddist temples inside the natural caves, beautiful but the paths were very steep and it was about the hottest day.

From there we took the train to Hue because it was supposed to be picturesque, but unfortunately all the locals shut their curtains and we couldn’t see a thing.

After a day in Hue it was time to get into the night bus again and head to Hanoi. We’ve had a day here and will go to Halong Bay for 3 nights tomorrow.