Monserrate

Well, this Sunday I decided it was time to scale one of the mountains around Bogota! I called all my friends, Colombian and US, and invited them to join me on my trek up Monserrate. All of my Colombian friends politely bowed out, leaving me with 5 fearless Gringos outfitted in blue jeans, walking shoes, and carrying water bottles.

First a bit of background.... Cerro de Monserrate is one of the mountains that borders the eastern side of the city. At the top is a church, built around 1640, which has been the destination for pilgrims since it's founding. You see Monserrate in just about every photo of Bogota as it pretty much dominates the landscape. The church at Monserrate sits at about 3,200 meters above sea level. Bogota is at around 2,650 meters. This information will take on more meaning later.....

So, the six of us climb into cabs at around 10 on a cloudy but beautifully clear Sunday morning and ride to the base of the pilgrimage climb. Eagerly we jump from the taxis, ready to start our journey to the top of the mountain.

We had been warned of the crowds. In fact, one of the reasons we chose Sunday is because the crowds make the trip up the mountainside safer from muggers.....







What we don't expect were the many vendors on the side of the path selling everything from water to fruit, rosaries to rings.




Luckily the path was pretty wide at this point, mostly stairs made from time-worn stones. We started our ascent but slowed quickly. Partly because of the crowds, partly because of the vendors, but mostly because of the angle of ascent! Our group quickly split in two, the faster and the slower. I easily could have hung with the 'big boys' but, not wanting anyone to feel left behind, I graciously stayed behind .... (wink, wink)

Actually, despite the altitude (which I swear I am still not used to when it comes to physical exersion!) I did pretty well. The only time I really struggled, was about halfway up, when the path had narrowed and the vendors disappeared, where the angle took a sharp upturn! Impossible, I know, but it did!!! Man, was that tough!! I had to stop and catch my breath for real!!!!!



Finally, though, we did all make it. It took me about an hour. That seemed to impress my Colombian friends when I told them after my return. (Oh, I should mention that I suddenly realized, about halfway up, why they all "had other plans"!!!!)



The view from the top was soooooo worth the climb. Bogota is a HUGE city and seeing it from about 1000 meters was breathtaking.











In addition to the church, there is a beautifully laid out path amidst flowers and trees, where you can admire statues that depict the last walk of Christ.



There are also a couple of very nice restaurants. We didn't exactly feel appropriately dressed to dine in one of the most expensive restaurants in Bogota (all the food has to be carted up the mountain!), but the maitre de assured us we were fine. So, we ate in the lovely Restaurante Santa Clara and enjoyed the magnificent view together.




One view is that of a neighboring mountain, Cerro de Guadeloupe:




We decided to take the cable car down - oh, did I forget to mention that they had a cable car? Yeah, I know.... we asked ourselves that same question, about three quarters of the way up!