Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, is a wonderful city despite its problems with insecurity, traffic, and the lack of civic-mindedness among some of its residents. It is a city full of contrasts, different landscapes, activities, and completely different settings. Thanks to the progress the country has made in terms of security and foreign investment, Bogotá has also become an extremely multicultural city, where you can easily find Koreans eating bandeja paisa and Americans and Europeans fascinated by Ajiaco.
The City
Bogotá has also become one of Latin America’s major capitals when it comes to cultural and gastronomic offerings. There are venues, performances, and restaurants for every taste and palate.
A good example is the recent opening in Usaquén, a traditional colonial neighborhood, of a branch of the world-renowned restaurant Le Relais de l’Entrecôte, which also has locations in Paris, Geneva, Dubai, New York, and Tokyo.
The branch in the cool Colombian capital is, for now, the first and only one in Latin America.
The city’s broad cultural and gastronomic offerings are just some of the many things that attract foreigners who come here. They discover a city that is much more developed, pleasant, and internationally competitive than they had imagined when, perhaps with some apprehension, they decided to come for one reason or another.
It is probably not entirely their fault. The media, cinema, and literature often portray a rather “Macondian” Bogotá: backward, tropical, isolated from the rest of the world, and located in the middle of the jungle. This has little to do with the reality visitors encounter when they arrive.
It is worth remembering that Hollywood films such as Mr. & Mrs. Smith have shown a jungle setting filled with trees and deserted roads while a sign appears indicating that this part of the story takes place in Bogotá, Colombia.
Beautiful Mountains and Stars Close By
One of the things visitors like most is that the city is surrounded by beautiful mountains. This is not particularly common in urban areas. In Bogotá, you have access, or at least a close view, to an impressive expanse of nature.
It is true that looking at the mountains—or rather, looking toward the horizon and coming across their silhouette—is relaxing and pleasant. At the same time, this means that the city’s climate is theoretically somewhat mountainous. Bogotá is supposedly a cool city at high altitude, which can sometimes be overwhelming.
Those of us who live here are already used to it, and it barely affects us. For visitors, however, adjusting can be somewhat difficult during the first few days. Sometimes, it can even cause health problems. At 2,600 meters above sea level, the altitude is certainly no small matter.
In fact, if you look at photos of Bogotá from the first half of the 20th century, you can see that the city’s cold climate and regularly low temperatures made trench coats, wool jackets, and other winter clothing necessary.
Today, when temperatures of 25°C (77°F) in the shade have been recorded in recent days, that seems almost impossible. But that is how it was.
It is true that global warming and other external factors, such as overurbanization and population growth, have made cities warmer. However, summer temperatures and the kind of heat associated with tropical regions are not normal in Bogotá either. They are linked to climatic phenomena such as La Niña, which can be characterized by long periods of drought and high temperatures.
Of course, we Bogotanos enjoy these periods when it does not rain and the weather is warm. We take out the tropical clothes we rarely get to wear, go to parks and streets, and enjoy the sunshine.
You see people outside drinking smoothies and all kinds of cold beverages. For a moment, we even dream that we live in a country with four seasons and imagine ourselves enjoying summer.
With a Climate of Its Own
The reality, however, is different. We do not have distinct seasons, and therefore each city has its own characteristic climate. When a city goes from being relatively cool to extremely hot, it means that something is not quite right with the forces of nature.
At the moment, for example, there is a strong possibility that the country could face mandatory and scheduled power rationing because of the drought and the low water levels in the reservoirs used to generate electricity. Suddenly, everyone starts hoping for the rainy season to return.
Another problem that arises when heat and summer arrive is that, since Bogotá is theoretically a cool-climate city, we are not prepared for heat waves like those that occurred at the beginning of this year.
Many public places do not have air conditioning. Buildings tend to be enclosed and poorly ventilated. Since Colombia is not a country with distinct seasons, homes generally do not have heating or air-conditioning systems either.
At home, we simply have to adapt to whatever temperature it is outside because, theoretically, the temperature indoors should be more or less the same.
Although we are all hoping for the rain to return because this summer has been extreme and has caused considerable damage, it is no secret that the rainy seasons in Bogotá tend to be particularly chaotic. And Bogotá is not the only city in the country affected by this.
Not to mention rural communities, which are often flooded and usually face serious supply problems. These situations are even worse because of structural and construction issues.
Barranquilla is one example. During heavy rain, enormous streams form in the streets. Vehicles have to remain wherever they happen to be when the downpour begins because moving through the water is impossible and dangerous.
A Crazy and Changing Climate
Although Bogotá does not reach such extremes, the city also experiences flooding and many problems caused by heavy rain.
There is one particular characteristic of Bogotá’s rainfall: it rarely rains for just a short time. It can rain for three, four, or even more hours. And when it rains, it often pours.
Heavy hailstorms frequently accompany these downpours, transporting us mentally to the coldest snowstorms of winter in the Northern Hemisphere.
It is precisely when we leave our umbrellas at home that a downpour arrives and leaves us completely soaked.
Citizens and pedestrians may be better prepared for rain than for heat. They have more appropriate clothing and, without a doubt, one or more umbrellas with them.
The problem is that the weather is so unpredictable. Murphy seems to be an omnipresent force, always working against us.
But the problem goes far beyond a few—or even hundreds—of people getting soaked. When it starts raining in Bogotá, chaos follows.
Traffic becomes almost impossible. The already insufficient public transportation system collapses. Taxis stop picking up passengers because dealing with the resulting traffic is simply not worthwhile for drivers.
Traffic on the city’s main roads becomes unbearable, and the entire city seems to go on strike for as long as the downpour lasts, which is usually several hours.
A Bipolar City
This crazy and unpredictable climate in Bogotá is one of the things that never ceases to surprise foreigners. They cannot understand how, on the same day—or even within a matter of hours—you can go from low temperatures at night and in the early morning, when you need warm blankets and even socks to sleep, to intense heat during the day and finally to a heavy downpour in the afternoon.
And yes, it is absurd. The weather is so unpredictable that even the most accurate weather channels and temperature forecasts often get it wrong.
As a result, you never really know how to dress or what kind of weather to expect throughout the day.
People living in Lima probably miss the rain, while those living in London would probably love to see the sun more often.
We are used to it and know how to prepare. That is not the case elsewhere, because here you can experience practically every possible type of weather and temperature in a single day.
That is why in Colombia you have to dress like an onion: in layers. You can take clothes off or put them back on depending on the weather at that particular moment.
At the same time, you have to adapt to the heat we are not prepared for, or to the chaotic rain that throws the entire city into disarray.
