30 Reasons Why Living In Bogota Rocks

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To celebrate my one year anniversary of me no longer working in Luxembourg, I wanted to reflect on all the reasons why living in Bogota rocks. This city has been so good to me, and although some find the chaos unbearable, I find that it’s part of Bogota’s personality and what makes it special. It’s also probably also a large part due to the fact that I have always lived in perfect cities and the newness of this chaos still seems exotic to me. I’ll check back in a few years and see if I still feel the same!

In the meantime, Bogotá has captured me and caught me by surprise with its beauty. It might not be obvious at first sight, but once you spend a bit of time here, the capital of Colombia has much more than meets the eye.

Why Living In Bogota Rocks

Here is my list of reasons why living in Bogota is so refreshing to me:

1. Because mangoes only cost a few cents (and passionfruit doesn’t cost 16 euros/kilo)
2. Because it does not snow
3. ..and if you do not like the weather just wait 30 minutes and it will change.
4. And for some reason, even if it’s rainy and cloudy all week, it’s guaranteed the sun will shine EVERY SINGLE weekend.
5. Because expats and immigrants are most welcome and greeted with kindness by locals.
6. and strangers will call you ‘amor’ and ‘princesa’.

7. Because your taxi driver will always play salsa or reggaeton.

8. Because people look forward to celebrating every day and not just the weekends.
9. Every region has incredible specialties: hello coconut rice, fried fish and ‘patacon pisado’ with ‘hogao’ and drizzled with a bit of lime!
10. Curuba, lulo, guanabana, guayaba, tomate de árbol, etc. Need I say more?
11. Because the country is growing and everyone you meet is working to push it forward.
12. Because if you have ideas, Bogota is the new South American hub for entrepreneurs.
13. Because the international gastronomical offer is spectacular.
14. You vacation to Miami, the Bahamas and if you feel like it, the Amazon.
15. Because in Colombia, the customer is king. Period.
16. Because there is a cool bohemian scene in La Candelaria.

17. If it gets too cold, simply drive 2 hours to ‘tierra caliente’

18. Because everyone has a ‘finca’ and parties there on weekends.
19. Because there’s a vibrant graffiti street art all over the city that depicts political and social struggles.
20. Because you can have a BBQ ANYTIME of the year (and not just during the 6 weeks of sunshine)
21. You will never run into your boss, manager, or colleagues outside of work unless you want to.

22. Because Bogotá is flexible: Rules, meeting times, people. Use it to your advantage!

23. ‘A Domicilio’ Everything and at no extra cost: Medicine, Mariachis, Manicures, and everything else in between.
24. You can wear all style seasons in the same week! Wear your summer dress by day and your wool coat by night.
25. Buses pick you up wherever you are and drop you off anywhere you want. (No shutting doors in your face and leaving you outside in the snow and rain with a gazillion grocery bags.)
26. Because people content themselves with the simple things in life.

27. Because you can find absolutely everything you need in the streets all in one single block.

28. Because there’s nothing like eating an arepa or empanada on the side of the street.
29. There is a colorful variety of people in all different domains and sectors. (Not just finance and banking.)
30. ..and all these people are so open and friendly.

The list goes on and I intend to keep on adding and editing my ‘Why Bogota Living Rocks’ list as I continue discovering the hidden gems of this capital.

 

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