One day when I was in Parque Virrey, here in Bogota, there was a lady selling mini apple pies. Each pie costs 5,000 each ($1.70). The pies are delicious. The pie lady makes other flavors of pie including blackberry.
I like that the pies are perfect miniatures just perfect to eat in one bite.
Happy 4th of July!
I can’t leave Bogota without mentioning coffee. Coffee shops are very popular here. Some of the famous brands of coffee are Juan Valdez, Oma, Amor Perfecto, and lesser know is Bourbon, but it gets confusing because some of the coffee shops use other brands but make the coffee so well that your experience will be changed! One of those places is in the Hilton on 7th Avenue. The barista certainly takes a long time to make your coffee (including asking you how you want it – percolated, drip, etc. etc.) and it is nice. But not good if you actually just need a cup of coffee. The cafe looks like a 1920s location so the decor is appealing as well. I like Bourbon, both for their coffee and their cafe. And the fact that they make coffee with almond milk, for those who care about that sort of thing.
But, the best bakery is Arbol del Pan (Calle 66 Bis, #4-63: they are located up near Gordo and La Fama, on a street parallel to La Fama). Their coffee is okay but it’s their breads that are the best. Plus, they are open for breakfast. They make a poached egg, asparagus and prosciutto croissant that is delectable. This is not to say that I don’t still enjoy Eric Kaiser and Masa’s products. But, I think I like Arbol’s almond croissant best. On top of which, the staff speak English and the owner has one of those great back stories (architect decides to become baker… and it’s a woman-owned business, for those who care about that sort of thing!).
Some things are difficult to find in Bogota. Thai massage is one of them. The closest one gets is from Alvaro Silva. His phone number is 314-357-6656. Email address is sinergia79@gmail.com. His massages are 90 minutes long and cost 150,000 pesos. (Massage therapists don’t usually receive tips, and some refuse, so that’s the set price.)Â Alvaro does Thai-, hot rock-, pressure point-, oil-, and Swedish massage. Plus, he also offers other wellness products like personal training sessions and exercise classes.
His massages are usually done on the floor on yoga mats (so he can pretzel your legs and arms) but he also uses a massage table if you have one. Only caveat with Alvaro is that he doesn’t speak English. It’s still easy to communicate with him and he can usually tell where you are in pain. Another thing that I like about him is that he doesn’t talk during the massage (unless you want to) and he doesn’t keep checking on how you like the session (I usually play music from a relaxation app on my phone so I tend to zone out and concentrate). Sometimes I wish that I had booked more than one massage because he’s spent the whole 90 minutes unknotting my back.
Most hotels have spas so one can get massages in fancy environments. I’ve only tried a few massage therapists and spas in Colombia. As this is Bogota, you can get the massage therapist to come to your house. The style of massage in Colombia seems to be mainly “Swedish.” I prefer pressure point and deep tissue. The other massages I’ve had here cost about half the price of Alvaro’s, but they were also only half as good. Most of the other massages involved lots of oil and Swedish style (light sweeping strokes). But, some people don’t agree with me and tell me that they get strong massages from other therapists (but each person has a different level of pressure that they like — one person’s pain is another person’s so-so).
My advice is to try them out and see which one you like.
Times have changed here in Bogota. Now you can find lemons (and not just lemon shaped limes — although, they call them yellow limes)! The lemons were sweet and juicy. I found this bunch at Jumbo. The price was about $1.25 per pound.
It was a surprise to me to learn that Colombia has a class system. They call them strata, with strata six at the top. Apparently, the strata system determines the cost of utilities etc. and has nothing to do with class.
Expats are considered strata six. This makes me think that there is a strata seven — as I’ve seen many “strata seven” types out and about in my neighborhood. 
May 1 is not such a big deal here in Colombia. Neither as international workers’ day nor as a spring festival.
There is an organic farmers market in Bogota. Every Sunday from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. The address is Calle 69, 6-20, up from Carrera 7 (up the street from the gas station). The google location will show Impact Hub Bogota. The farmers market is located in the courtyard. From the street, you will see the white tents above the brick wall.
They have quinoa in multiple variations, and acai food stand (move aside ice cream!), other ready-made foods, vegetables, soaps, and organic cleaning products.
This place is small and hard to find. There are only about seven stalls. The market has been there every Sunday for three years. Many of the vendors supply some of the restaurants in Bogota.
Check it out. It’s like a secret garden market.
My bike shop in Bogota is Rolling Bicicletas con Estilo. The address is Carrera 7 # 47-91. Telephone: 285 2151. Biking is a big deal here in Bogota. Both during ciclovia and because Mike’s Bogota Bike Tours is one of the most popular tourist activities here.Â
I don’t get a discount for referring people to this shop, despite the number of folks I’ve sent their way. It’s not fancy but it’s less expensive than some of the other shops I’ve been to. They do not speak English so bring someone who speaks Spanish when you go shopping. I’m not sure what their opening hours are but they are open on some Sundays. Apparently, they are quite responsive via Whatsapp.
People told me to buy my bike before coming to Bogota. I’m glad that I waited. My bike with helmet, lights, custom paint job and so on cost around $300. Not bad, eh?
On a sunny Saturday, Mike of Gringo Cantina, told us where he eats. I was going to try all his recommendations but I’m not sure that I’m that motivated. So here is his list.
Salvo patria, Calle 54A, #4-13
El Chato, Diagonal 68, #11 a-29
Bandido, Calle 79B, #7-12
Bruto, Carrera 10A, #70-50: I’ve been here and it was so so. But, many other people like it.
Tomodachi, Diagonal 70A, No. 4-66: This place is so cute, like an authentic ramen shop in Tokyo. If only they had Tokyo Ramen’s broth and the other guy’s noodles.
La condessa, Calle 85 (and other location): I hoped it would be great. They have fancy beer… But, the Florentine salad was a revelation. The lettuce was delicious. Completely undressed.
Les Amis – 86 – 14. A bakery.
(in La Candelaria) only open at lunch. I can’t recall the name but it’s also owned by an American.
There’s TexMex, or what I call Texican, and then there’s Mexican. Gringos/Americans are obsessed with TexMex. It’s not my favorite cuisine. But, I keep getting asked about it. So here are the places that I’ve heard about in Bogota.
Agave Azul: I haven’t been there yet but I hear it’s good.
Cantina y Punto: It is a place to “be seen” and the food flavors are closer to American Mexican food. 
Museo de Tequila: Very touristy. Very burrito-land.
Gringo Cantina: Fancy drinks. More Mexican than Texican. Order the Morillo and the al pastor. This is where I’d go if I wanted to eat Mexican. Everyone will probably go to Agave Azul or Cantina y Punto.
El Techi (in Atlantis Mall): I haven’t been but I will go as I have heard that this is the best from a Mexican…
Taqueria: Again, haven’t been. Tell me what you think.
In my cultural classes about Colombia, it was made clear that “American” applied to everyone in this hemisphere, so the proper term for someone from the U.S.A. was “unitedstatesian.” Of course, here in Bogota, if you say that you are from New York, then the Colombians will say that you are an “American” or a “gringo” … so… so much for that.
Bogota has many “American” grocery items but some of them are very hard to find. But, most of the main grocery stores (like Carulla, Jumbo, and Exito) carry “American” goods. The specialized produce store, Surtifruver, has a meat counter and a cheese store, Cava de Queso, inside their stores. Also many items can be found at the Carulla on Calle 84 is what I call the “expat” Carulla as they carry pickled herring from Sweden and other items that expats look for.
The following are some of the items that I have found hard to find, and where to find them:
Sweet potato: sometimes called the “Peruvian camote” as the orange fleshed American sweet potato is used in Peruvian ceviche dishes (like the one in the photo above). This can be found in Paloquemao, not just at Peter’s Chinese vegetable stall, but at more and more places. They can’t be found every time I visit, but with more and more frequency.
Kale: Now it’s even available in styrofoam containers at Paloquemao. Also can be bought at the organic shop on Calle 72, and more and more, at the mainstream grocery shops.
Chili: It is possible to find chilis in Carulla, Surtifruver, etc. but the Chile Lady of Paloquemao has a wide assortment, both fresh and dried.
Lemons: seen sometimes in Pricesmart (Costco) and I’ve heard, in Exito.
Spring onions: Oh, you can find them, but they aren’t the succulent tender kind that I’m looking for.
Asian vegetables: read about it here.
Thai basil: It can be had once in a while in the Surtifruver on Calle 85. But, if you ask at the herb stalls at Paloquemao…. you will get some other herb with tight small leaves.
Mint: Also, if you ask for “menthe” you will get handed something that doesn’t quite smell like you imagined. If you want biggish mint leaves, then ask for “yerbabuena” and it’ll be good in your summer rolls.
Fresh milk: At Carulla on Tuesdays (and other days but Tuesday seems to be delivery day). Also, can be had from some organic grocery delivery companies.
Fresh cream: Nope.
Mexican food in Bogota? This is one of the most common questions I get. Americans (gringos) are obsessed with “Mexican food” and cry about how they miss Chipotle (an American fast food chain specializing in large burritos etc.). Well, too bad. Or take yourself to Gringo Cantina on Calle 80, 12A-29 (behind the Atlantis mall — or go south on Carrera 11, turn right on Calle 80, and it will be on your left.) The facade is painted in pale pink and blue with large letters that declare: NO MAMES.
This Mexican cantina that has been open for a month now and it doesn’t suck (This is a reference for those who speak Mexican slang). The owner is an Californian with some Colombian roots. He started La Xarcuteria but has sold that concept and no longer has a connection to it. This cantina is his third concept in Bogota. Way to go, entrepreneur!
The owner, Mike, came over to talk to us. His tacos, both corn and flour, are made in house. He is excited to be in Bogota for the start of its culinary revolution (and education). His dishes are small, refined, and fresh. The best dishes are the taco al pastor, the tongue taco (get over it, it’s delicious! Look up, as it is the first one shown in this posting) which he serves so it looks nothing like a tongue for the queasy. Make his day and ask for the taco al pastor without the pineapple (it is too sweet and overpowers the meat).
The sauces are interesting with one made from eggplant/aubergine. The warm tacos are served on warm Colombian pottery which helps keep the freshness. The cold smoked scallop dish was subtle and fresh for those who do not like tacos (and those that do). I would not order the shrimp salad again and the owner admits that this dish is only there to cater to local tastes. I liked the quesadillas with their crunchy fried exteriors and greasy, cheesy, and REAL steak inside (no ground beef, no shredded beef). I enjoyed when Mike and I commiserated about the difference between hard and crunchy as I told him that I like his chicharone/pork rind tostada (an open tortilla that is toasted). Ah, the thrills of foodie geeks!
Dishes came out at a heady speed and Mike left us to eat before coming back for a chat about flavor, sous vide, freshness, seafood, and where to eat in Bogota (so I have a few more to try!). He also kept sending out free dishes for us to try (full disclosure — although this didn’t influence my opinions — it just let me try even more of the menu).
This is a new place so let’s hope it does well. And, yes, he does make a chipotle sauce.
Also: I apologize for the blurriness (and awfulness — the one above which I took quickly as I waited for tacos — to show where the restaurant is situated) of some of the photos… it’s hard to aim and eat at the same time. But, I wanted to post this as soon as possible for the masses… all 37 of you, my readers…
When I arrived in Panama City airport, I saw lots of people but no signs for an immigration or arrivals. Almost like an afterthought. 
Of course, I visited the canal. It’s a fairly easy 20 minute ride from Panama City. Some folks told me that it wasn’t worth it. I found it more entertaining than I expected. It took three hours to watch the film (an interesting version of history) which was fortunately short, and then to watch the huge container ship pass through the canal at some infinitesimally slow rate. I kept looking at the containers and imagined my worldly possessions passing through the canal while I watched from the side. For an hour.
During the passage, there were informational announcements including the nugget that it costs $350,000 (or more) in CASH per ship to pass through the canal!