While walking around the streets of La Candelaria it's hard not to notice Monserrate. Peeking over the tops of multi-colored buildings and red roofs, its green canopy seems luscious and inviting. The white church located at the very top of the mountain gleams in the sunlight. And the Fallen Christ glows when lit from below at night.

When you fly out of a country, you generally have to pay an "exit tax" for the privilege. (If you never knew this, it's because the US, the UK, and a number of other countries have arranged with the airlines to include it in with the cost of your ticket.) But why on earth would you do it if you don't have to?

The sights and sounds found along the numerous calles and carreras were the most intoxicating. Whether it was vendors selling fresh fruit, brightly painted buildings, or beautiful graffiti, colors as varied as the rainbow tied Bogota together.

One of the things that struck me most about the thriving, optimistic, marvelously warm and open nature of the place was how profoundly it conflicts with the usual image it has in the wider world.

Going through customs in Colombia, exploring the Bogota airport, getting cash out of the ATM machine, and hopping on the local bus all seemed familiar, despite the fact we had never visited Colombia before.