🇨🇴 Bogotá & Medellín Travel Cheat Sheet

🔐 Safety First • Safer than São Paulo! Homeless presence ≠ danger, but avoid walking in La Candelaria at night (Uber drivers' advice). ☀️ Weather Whims • April = random showers 🌦️ (last 10min). Always pack a foldable umbrella! 💰 Budget Bliss • Crazy affordable vs. Chile/Brazil (even Peru!): Lavish lunch: 30,000-40,000 COP (~$7-10) Avocados: 5,000 COP/kg (¥8!) at supermarkets 🍽️ Food Warning • Portions are HUGE! A 60,000 COP fried chicken platter fed 3 people two meals 😂 • Soups are elite—try Mondongo (tripe) & Ajiaco (chicken/potato). Zero misses! ⛪️ Skip These (IMO) • Salt Cathedral: Overpriced salt mine turned "spiritual" influencer bait 💸 • Comuna 13 (Medellín): Too commercialized now 🚌 Medellín Side Trips • Guatapé Rock: 30,000 COP to climb 740 steps—not for acrophobes! (I quit after 20 steps 😅) • Bus to Guatapé: Motion-sickness alert! 🌀 Twisty mountain roads—sit front row + bring meds. 💳 Payment Hacks • Chip cards only (many places reject magnetic strips!) • Museum Hours: Botero: Closed Tuesdays Gold Museum: Closed Mondays ✈️ Airport Tip • Luggage storage: Only in Terminal 1 (not Terminal 2!) 🐾 Pet Paradise Dogs ride buses, enter restaurants, even visit museums—Colombia = pet-parent heaven! #ColombiaTravel #BogotaTips #MedellinGuide #BudgetTravel #SouthAmerica