Tag: Bogota

What to Work

April 29, 2026 by Cassandra Johnson

My Venezuelan friend gave me permission she did not realize she was giving me. She okayed my desire to get a lot of work in and feel thoroughly as if I had gotten my day’s work done before I went down the street from our co-living space in Bogota, Colombia to the nearby mall.

She had given me permission to do what I really wanted to do, while most everyone else was touring. She had given me the permission to get work done and relax and maybe tour later, or not tour at all, but rather just live the local moments. She had given me permission, not literally, but by being my friend, she had given me permission to do what I wanted authentically.

Heading to the mall or store (I would see), I was remembering the options they had in the food court and heck, maybe even stopping off earlier at the store that very much reminded me of Trader Joe’s back in my country. Should I cook something simple from the place we are sharing with other travelers today or should I get some ready-prepared casual food to go? I had a chance to do a mix of both.

I cannot adequately attribute the details of the entire moments to each day. Over the variety of times, I grabbed some snacks and easy options to cook in the shared kitchen. One of my favorite restaurants, Qbano (a cute play on Cubano) was a frequent stop in the mall. I recall getting the mixed veggie bowl and crispy thick fries. I added some churros to offer my friend once I returned.

I had booked my stay in the area for several days. yet was extending my days little by little at the end, considering whether I should go to Cartagena or an entirely different country. As we sat there in the evening, in my comfort of working across from her at the large, shared desk, she was asking me if I had decided to go the next day, disappointed when I said yes and visibly relieved when I said I was staying a little longer.

She gave me the permission, without her knowing, she gave me the permission to be myself, not only comfortable as a workaholic, ticking things down off my list, but also there for the exploring, wandering, and fun.

I sat there, peaceful in having this time and being in the not-so-familiar position of following up to see when she would be free to grab a coffee, not happy hour, in this instance. Coffee-shop mood was the matching backdrop for our dynamic. She had introduced me to Varietale, when she could not join and was still working from our temporary place and I was looking forward to going to Liberatario with her, not too far from our place. She had good taste. Liberatario was within walking distance and Varietale had been within exercise-walking distance for me.

One night she did not seem too entirely into working, although I assumed she was, but yet as she invited me to the other side of the table to see what captured her, I was pleased to see she was enjoying the Miss Universe 2024 Pageant. She was rooting for Miss Venezuela as we gathered around her computer, I rooted for several contestants. Miss Venezuela, Miss Mexico and Miss Nigeria. Miss Nigeria, was so gorgeous. We were impressed by many, interested in all the contestants’ performances, category by category. Miss Denmark had some inspiring answers.

Another guest, also her friend was rooting for Miss Nigeria only. (Nee- her-ia) he lingeringly enunciated, lingering especially in the middle (as if in those moments, he was within momentary dreams). I giggled to myself. He was from Venezuela too, waiting for a consulate appointment in Colombia. He was always so friendly, genuinely interested in all the people circulating around this bit of office space and in and out of the adjacent kitchen.

My friend. Glad to have her for the time, if not every time. I returned to the same place months later. She had gone. I thought of her often while I conversed with others in our old space. She and I had settled into safety in everything: food, giggles, chats over romantic prospects, geopolitics, Making easy work of work, It was a need for us both, I like to think.

I remembered the story she told me of dangerously crossing the Venezuelan-Colombian border. I was impressed by the business she had grown and how social media savvy she was. I watched one of her many video presentations. I was excited when she received another new client, while we were together. Her eyes filled with happy tears from the excitement I expressed.

We sat in Liberatario the last night, shortly before I would finally be leaving. We had mentioned discussing in detail, some romantic disappointment I had recently experienced, but then, I no longer had the desire to spend those moments lamenting a jilted relationship. We could just enjoy ourselves. There is a time for venting but it dissipated in the ambience.

I just wanted the space and the time that we always made. She told me of one downside to her business experience to which I relayed some comforting advice in Spanish, that felt more as if it was being delivered through me than by me. Mostly our laughter mixed, we appreciated the artwork around us and a simple break from working – a break from trying.

Cali, Colombia

November 30, 2025 BY CASSANDRA JOHNSON

Cali. I had a feeling I would really like this major Colombian city. Nice and warm, I found myself taking a stroll each day looking for a particular food spot or coffee shop. From a variety of points, I could work/chill with a little dessert and a warm variation of a sweet beverage. Cafe mocha, cappuccino, etc and by now, I had also developed a taste for Colombian coffee. The only factors slowing me down were the hills and the steep drop offs, some occasional rain. I was continuously walking up, reminding myself that it was going to be so much easier coming back, but honestly the steep downslopes were something one should brace for as well.

Well, I made it and I notice that once I know there is a spot within reach, no matter how far, I am compelled to get there, even foolhardily. I laughingly remember a friend getting lost from his hostel in Cochabamba, Bolivia and he said something to the effect that if you are going to wander off, don’t do it downhill, seeing as how he had to return at the opposite angle, righting himself up a steep incline.😊

I leaned into Cali’s ambience. People were friendly, not too particularly focused on what my story might be, but still engaging, treating me as if I could be from there or aptly treating me like a welcome guest. Cartagena would later prove similar, though the weather was much hotter.

Cali had left me curious. It was a place where more people looked like me and previously, I had just spent a day or less there. Fortunately, I was able to stay for about 12 days this latter time, since I could be flexible with my bus tickets from there back to Bogota. I liked purchasing them in person on the day of my trip, leaving my bags in the bus terminal luggage storage, so I could be free to walk about and eat in the city, leaving any weight behind. I also left them behind when arriving before accommodation check-in times.

I knew the bus station well by now. I had taken to the budget travel option over the flight I took into Colombia primarily when I arrived the very first time in Colombia and stayed in Medellin.   

Cali is a place I could have stayed for a majority of my 90-day Visa but I was also ready to get back to the chillier Bogota for a work minus distraction strategy that Bogota was more suitable to me for, and what I needed to fit in before stopping in Cartagena and getting out a somewhat underrated country, before I was required to leave altogether.

I knew.

September 29, 2025 By Cassandra Johnson

The weather in Bogota, Colombia was chilly, so I was not particularly sure about enjoying a long time there. Sometimes the weather was even cooler and the nerve I had, on certain days, to also get caught in the rain! I tend to get cold easily.

I was missing the Medellin weather truly, for a beat, but had a strong feeling that Bogota would be more enjoyable for me. How is that? I knew it would not be as pricey as Medellin. I knew I could have more of a casual working life while I was abroad versus my days and nights in Medellin. It would feed my more pressing focus to earn a living and enjoy myself in my spare time. My notion stuck with me.

Tourism, nightlife and ideal weather was ripe in Medellin, in my opinion, nice but seriously distracting from my everyday routine. I was in a similar boat in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Bogota filtered in some sun as well. I was pleasantly surprised by the welcoming spaces and the absence of feeling watched or out of place, but due to my good time in other parts of Latin America, I was also not surprised. I was so affirmed by my encounters and surroundings, that this would be my trip 1 of 2 to the capital city.

I started the first trip with some mediocrity. I did not especially care for the hotel I had chosen. To my relief, I had only booked one day and decided to try a nice hostel for the remaining few days. I had flexibility and could stay or leave early. I was considering Cartagena for the next stop or leaving Colombia completely. I did not feel hurried, only limited by which way I wanted to invest my money.

Leaving the Bogota hotel, I thought this would perhaps be one of those times in which the hostel was nicer than the hotel. I was right.

Indeed, I was able to secure a nicer place by checking into a new, spacious hostel. Though a shared space, I opted for one of the all-ladies room leading to a new friendship with a Venezuelan businesswoman.

The hotel had nice amenities and a receptive staff, but the hostel was more conducive to my goals, more aesthetically appealing and the staff and other travelers proved even more receptive. How interesting that staying at the hotel, in this instance would have painted a less pleasant picture of my stay there.

Returning to Bogota about a month later, I specifically wanted to run out my 90-day Visa and I opted to treat myself. I picked the Calendario neighborhood this time and an AirBnB that also served as an upscale local high-rise. The view was amazing, the front desk reminded me of my space in DC and at the time, I felt this was the closest to the experience I would want if I chose to live in Colombia instead of Peru, so it was good to try it out. I don’t know if I would stay there for longer than 3 months. There is warmth there, but maybe I still need more. Searching.

You are welcome here

April 30, 2025 by Cassandra Johnson

A person needs time to get her bearings, more at certain times than others. Sometimes, this is barely at all, as it was arriving at the Guatemala City Airport a few days ago. Sometimes this is a lot, as it was trying to fly out of Cartagena to Panama City (more on this in a May post).

I was happy to easily be able to navigate through La Aurora Airport and access all the things I needed like free public Wi-Fi and the options to choose between Uber or taxis. At the moment, taxis won in convenience and easy immediate access.  I told myself I would make up the cost using Uber for my departure. Perhaps. When it comes to airport drop offs and when I am not walking within the city, Uber has been a good choice in Colombia, Peru and Mexico. I imagine Guatemala will be too.

Before leaving the airport however, I just needed a place to sit with my computer, I needed a coffee shop (aka hot chocolate and/or cappuchino shop) with snacks where I could gather my thoughts and my tummy. Oh yeah, also notable: I would need an ATM to take out local cash to pay the taxi driver and or nearby vendors as well as prepare for places which may only take cash/efectivo. The independent coffee shop was along the way, right alongside the exit outside of the airport. I would work on my freelance translation work while waiting a bit longer for check-in time.

A few local people stopped by, asking If I needed various items, such as a car rental or a Sim card. A car rental salesman left me with his card. I was straight forward with some others about already having a place to stay and not actually needing a ride at this very moment, but maybe a little later. We smiled and they complimented my Spanish.

I lost the attention of a few other tourists, (European or American, I believe), who had been looking at me from the time I went through customs. As I settled into my drink and chips, I briefly thought, now how boring my calmness and comfort must have become. One smiled, but more to himself.

It was also nice to simply have a little small talk with the Guatemalan people at the airport, perhaps getting to know a little more about the place and chatting some before heading over to my rental.

The baristas had waited on me so quickly and did not know how ready I was not to have a lid on my cup and to chill and eat in. I have become accustomed to things being a little different and being able to expect or welcome these things has brought a smile to many of the people I get to meet. Being chill, patient and accepting is a foundational vibe in Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Panama and Guatemala. The vibe is contagious.

A Long Journey’s Vacation

April 28, 2023 (April 18, 2025 memory) by Cassandra Johnson

I landed in Cartagena, Colombia and I tried to make my trip more daunting, but things pretty much went off without a hitch, from my Uber from my last nice, rented apartment in Bogota, Colombia to the airport to the Uber from the airport to my cost efficient, hospitable hostel. I had only booked four days in Cartagena, and I decided to stick to this rather than my other extensions or trying out a different location/neighborhood and different hostel, hotel or AirBnB in the same city.

So, I speak to this daunting in the way of realism versus self-sabotage, not in the sense that I wanted that but in the sense that I was bracing myself for any hiccups, say for instance, like I had in Merida, Mexico. I did not want them but sometimes expectations meet preparedness meets “waiting for the other shoe to drop”.

This was the beginning and continuing on, I enjoyed Cartagena more so in the way that my 3 shifting bunkmates and other guests throughout the hostel were enjoying it rather than my digging into the more everyday living and nomadic work I do and had been doing in more extended stays. I did my work intermittently. In my walking trip around, I was greeted by a lot of local people in Cartagena that share my dark complexion and greeted by many who do not. There is a friendliness – overarching –  in South America, Mexico and Central America that I inexplicably cannot compare to a friendliness I have ever felt before. I have been treated nice throughout all my years (not always well, of course), but many times abroad, there has been this experience of being a welcomed guest in a private home.

In my short time, I experienced more than I expected. The heat was simmering but the vibe was ideally immeasurable. Getsemani neighborhood was my hyped up, yet chill place (about 40 minutes from my lodging). I was surrounded by art and rounded out with traditional food while intermittently chatting with the guests from Mexico, Colombia, Canada, England, Sweden, France and the local owners, intertwining the moments, sharing each day.

Thank You So Much For Today

February 27, 2025 by Cassandra Johnson

Thank you so much for a lovely day, seems like with each passing year, my birthday gets better, whether I am learning more about myself or just basking in all the generosity I receive.

Thank you.

I am overwhelmed by the wishes, gifts and love. If the day evolves into tears of joy, it’s only right, because I am beyond moved. Thank you friends and family for being my community always. I will always be yours😊