Bogota, Colombia
I arrived in Bogota late at night at around 9PM on June 3rd, 2010. Normally I do not pre-book a room since it is nice to see the place and it is much easier to bargain on the price, but when getting into a city at night when security can be an issue (really any big city in the world) I do not really want to be wandering the streets looking for a place to stay and become a huge target for trouble. Thus I had pre-booked a private room in the hostel (many which have both dorm and private rooms) and I arrived there easily without getting too ripped off by the taxi driver (Bogota has fixed prices to/from the Airport to deter the normal shady practices of drivers the world over).
I found Bogota to be a huge, charming city with impressive Spanish Colonial architecture in the central historic district called La Calendria. This is also strangely a lower class/poorer area with more crime/danger so it also tends to be the places where adventure travelers (backpackers and flashpackers – I fall into the latter category for sure) find cheap accommodation, food options, services and camaraderie with fellow travelers) congregate. I quickly met a group of travelers in the hostel and the lively attached bar and spent six days living it up in Bogota. At nearly 10,000 feet (3150 m), Bogota is quite high in elevation and the temperature can often plummet in the night despite having been mild or even warm in the day time. The first few nights I was nearly freezing and slept with pants, jacket and beanie hat plus two blankets. But the days were warm and soon the nights turned less chilly.
Most travelers stay in the Colonial old town / historic district known as La Candelaria. This area has the great 16th Century architecture, many cool streets and alleyways and a ton of restaurants and bars that serve the 3 colleges in this area. While it can be a bit dangerous at night (like in any city throughout the world) it is very safe in the light of day. I enjoyed walking the streets and trying the local food in many of the area restaurants but I was pleasantly surprised at how great the night life in that area is as well. I spent 6 days there and was out nearly every night until the wee hours of the morning. The hostels there were quite lively and I arranged to rent a bedroom in a 2 bed apartment owned by the hostel owners around the corner so I got the best of both worlds (comfort and solitude vs. convenience and services). After 5 full days there (6 nights) I reluctantly left the hostel and was ready to continue my adventures.