Day 23: Forresters Make Trek to Monserrate

View photos from Monserrate Trip by clicking here: Photos from Monserrate Trip.



Seconds after hailing a taxi we were en route to Monserrate and witnessing the inner-workings of Colombia's capital city through the side windows of our cab.

The skies were clear and the sun was out. Our reservations about taking Daniel on a day trip were finally gone.

Bogota's population is 7.4 million; with many more people coming into the city daily for basic needs, work and other activities. The city has the critical mass so people appear as an ant colony; multiple ants popping out of different holes and traveling down pathways on various missions. It's a city of activity. One of the best places to get the scope of the city is from the peak of Monserrate, a mountain that dominates central and southern Bogota and peaks at 10,314 feet above sea level.

Monserrate is a special attraction for the capital city. At its peak sits a 17th century church devoted to "El Senor Caido" or The Fallen Lord. The church is a pilgrim destination for people from around the world. The church is surrounded by restaurants, local artisans selling souvenirs and gardens.

Locals say if you bring your boyfriend or girlfriend to Monserrate, then either you will break up soon after or the person is the one you're meant to marry.

As we drove toward the mountain, Shakira sang Rabiosa from the taxi radio. Various tiendas were a blur. Auto mechanic shops. Plastic surgery clinics. Offices. Numerous locally-owned restaurants and small grocery stores. On the sidewalk, individuals selling empanadas, arepas and fresh squeezed juices sat waiting for their next customers.

We passed several pedestrian bridges overhead. The bridges zig-zag from one side of the road to the middle where pick-up and drop-off points for the city's mass transit system, Transmilenio, wait for them. The bright red buses have a dedicated lane to move thousands of people a day efficiently. There is a constant file of people coming and going from Transmilenio like ants filing to and from the colony.

When we got to La Circunvalar street we began our ascent to Monserrate. La Circunvalar snakes around the foot of the mountain from north to south. The small hodge-podge of local shops slowly transforms into residential towers. Small avenues going back to the city's heart are narrow and steep.

It becomes clear the residential area is high-end. In fact, it’s one of the more exclusive sections of the city with great views of Bogota below. Families who live here are wealthy enough to afford owning original paintings from Colombian artist Fernando Botero. We pass by Colegio Nueva Granada, a private school for Bogota's elite.

"Look at all of those bodyguards waiting outside the gate," says Claudia. "This is a really high-end school. The children have bodyguards. The fathers have bodyguards and the wives have bodyguards."

"This is where the president's kids go to school and they arrive on helicopter," she adds.

Within a few minutes, the residential towers begin to disappear behind us and we are surrounded by an obviously poorer area. Buildings made of worn-out brick have clothes hanging from windows and on clothes lines outside. Portions of the buildings expose the skeletal structure supporting the building.

People can be seen in the open grass areas. It's unclear if they are workers taking a break from the various road projects, or if they are so poor they don't have a house. Both are there, we just can't tell which one is which.

The desperately poor and opulently wealthy live very close to each other. It's hard for the people who have everything to ignore the people who have nothing.

Finally we arrive at the foot of Monserrate after a 40 minute taxi ride. The peak can be accessed by train, cable car or foot. If you take the footpath then you're at risk of one of the poor people robbing you. Despite the risk, many people ascend the mountain on their knees praying for something specific during Easter week.

We took the cable car.

At the top, the view of Bogota is very impressive. The entire city has been developed to support its population density. The buildings are developed so close to each other that it's hard to tell them apart. Cars are barely visible and people have completely melted into the urban landscape.

The Catholic Church perched on top of Monserrate is best known for El Senor Caido, or The Fallen Lord. Where a cross or representation of Christ on the cross would normally be in the sanctuary there is a statue depicted the moment Christ collapsed with the cross en route to Calvary.

We took several photos of Daniel with either Claudia or I and Bogota in the background. We were able to take a few photos together thanks to a couple from Bogota. Daniel enjoyed a bottle while we took in the scenery.

While we were showing Daniel the city below, he put his hands to each side of his head as though he couldn't comprehend how large his city was.


We visited the artisan shops. They were small 100 square feet tiendas with locals inviting us inside as we walked by. One shop caught our attention. Daniel was looking for presents for his friends in the United States.

The owner would quote a price per item. "Thirteen thousand pesos, but for you I'll sell them for $10,000 pesos," the owner said with a smile. "But don't tell anyone."

"Eight thousand pesos," offered Claudia. "I'm going to buy five or six of them."

The owner paused to think about the potential sale.

"Okay," he said, "But don't tell anyone."

"It's a secret between you, us and God," I joked.

After a couple of hours enjoying the mountain top and iglesia, we headed back home. It was special to take Daniel. Even though he didn't understand what he saw, we have pictures and one day we will show them and explain where he came from.