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God! What did I do!? Did I really just leave for 3 months of #solotraveling. I mean it all sounded so great on paper, but now I am kind of panicking. Maybe it’s just the sleep deprivation getting to me.
Look how happy and excited I was outside of terminal 3!
I spent the last few hours getting horrible sleep on a red eye from #MexicoCity, Mexico to #Bogota, Colombia. Usually, I LOVE taking a red eye flight, but there was a toddler in the row in front of me playing a video game on extra EXTRA loud. I don’t know how my best friend Danielle does it! Not to mention the lady next to me kept farting. Why did I Have to order so many Mezcalitas and amazing fish from Loma Linda Grill!? l Why couldn’t I just enjoy my 7-hour #layover like any other person. I could have drunk water, ate the snacks I packed, and watched the rest of season one of the House of Dragons. NOPE! I had to be extra, take myself on a date and buy myself Hella DRINKS. Can you say MISTAKE!!
Then to top it all off, my hotel would not let me check in as early as I requested. I showed them how my plane ticket got in at 6am. But they were not messing with me. THANK GOODNESS, I discovered the company BYHOURS. I was able to book 6 hours in this futuristic sleeping pod/capsule thingy. Normally I am against foolishness like this, but I don’t play about my sleep. After hanging out in an airport café for three hours, I knew I wouldn’t last much longer, so I immediately booked my pod and called a taxi… And let me tell you, it was the BEST $12 I’ve spent. I was safe, dry (it was raining) and I got the best sleep of my life hahaha.
The best Mescalita a girl can ask for!
"...Normally I am against foolishness like this,"
After catching up on my Z’s, I eventually headed to one of my favorite hotels in Bogota for my reservation (Yes! I am gatekeeping)! I figured since I had a rough couple of hours, I deserved a hot shower, spa treatment and room services (don’t worry, I didn’t blow my 3-month budget). Seeing that my layover in Bogota was only 36 hours, I prioritized the things I wanted to do.
Catch a taxi to my favorite Mexican empanada stand (Yes! A Mexican stand in Colombia
Buy a ring from my favorite artisan (@telonius.store on Instagram)
Eat the best buttery, salty grilled corn.
Walk around Plaza De Bolivar
You see the joy! You can't by this glow anywhere!
Eventually it was time to head back to the airport to catch my next flight to Cartagena. I was a bit worried when checking my luggage because they were giving me such a hard time. They made me go from kiosk to kiosk, take all the things out my luggage, then they took away simple things like my nail file kit. At that point I had flashbacks from when I was dragged of the plane during my first trip to Cartagena. 5 minutes before we were to fly to the LAX, they took my off the plan and said I, “SLID,” through security. I was scared shitless. I just knew the corrupt airport security was going to force me to transport drugs into the US. Luckily for me, they made me strip, take my things out my bag, then they allowed me back on the plane. BUT…you can see why I had a PTSD moment right.
.."The people are amazing; the culture is rich."
Anyway. Colombia has changed so much from the 1980/1990 drug reputation. They people are amazing; the culture is rich, and I’d like to consider myself and advocate (no that I am educated). Any who, after fighting of the many taxi drivers, I found one that I trusted to get me to my Airbnb, and he even took my bags up the ridiculous spiral staircase.
The most ridiculous staircase ever!
Don’t forget to check back in each night for my daily diary, follow me on Instagram for my Friday Food Finds, and watch me Sundays on YouTube for my series called, “Saucy Sundays.”
Your friend,
BrookeLynn the friendly blogger
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