Colombia is picking up more and more steam as a tourist destination as of late; as it should. This week's article will describe two of Bogota's best attractions: Museo de
Colombia as a tourist destination has been getting a lot more play lately in major publications and I couldn't agree more. I spent a month in the country in early 2005 and was absolutely blown away. There are a hundred different sights I could write upon for this, but for now, I am going to mention two of the best sights in and around Bogota: the Museo del Oro and the Zipaquira Salt Cathedral.
Museo del Oro
The Gold Museum, right in the heart of downtown Bogota, is quite simply the best gold museum in the world. There is another in Lima, Peru but it isn't as vast and a few years ago many of the artifacts were actually accused of being fakes. The collection in Bogota is set out in the country's most modern museums. The collection has some of the best pieces found in the new world from many different Pre-Hispanic cultures such as the Incas, Tairona, Uraba, Choco, Muisca, Tumaco, and others. There is one room where the staff will close you in and turn off the highlights. Music begins to play. Then in the complete dark soft lights appear that highlight different pieces along the walls. Then comes the signature piece on the floor: that of a small boat with figurines from the Muisca culture; one of the most cherished pieces in the collection. It should be noted as one of the best museum features found anywhere. It is quite stirring. Check out their website for more info: www.banrep.gov.co/museo/eng/home.htm.
Zipaquira Salt Cathedral,
Built in an underground rock salt mine where salt is still being extracted. There are what appear to be miles of tunnels from where the salt has been extracted. The grayish hue of the salt is accented by soft blue lights and stunning carvings. The 14 stages of the cross are lined up en route to the deeper sections, each created by a different artist. In one area a cathedral was built into a cave like area in the mine in 1954, however due to deterioration it was closed. A new cathedral opened in late 1995, 180 meters below the surface, and is simply gorgeous. The cathedral itself is quite austere with very high ceilings, carved pillars, and stunning acoustics. It resembles some sort of fairy tale cathedral. You could almost say it glows. Mass is held there each Sunday, as is the occasional concert. It is about 50 kilometers from Bogota, but easily accessed by direct buses, which leave frequently from the north of the city. Visit their website: www.catedraldesal.gov.co.
