Voyage to Colombia and a nasty surprise in the airport [Part 2]

A story about flying from Dominican Republic to Colombia despite all the efforts of airlines to prevent me from doing it.

Continued from: Voyage to Colombia and a nasty surprise in the airport [Part 1]

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Registration and security checks went smooth this time, everything seemed to be alright.
But no, before the gates I was approached by an Avianca employee who told me they can't confirm my return ticket.
I had to find it in databases myself and insist on it being sufficient. After 5 minutes they had to retreat. And it still wasn't over.

15 minutes before departure they call my by airport loudspeaker. This time security could not x-ray my luggage.
Or so they claimed, it's the first time I encounter this issue. Then they brought my backpack and searched it so thoroughly as it has never been searched before.

They gutted every bag, put their noses everywhere they could.
And I couldn't do much, except having them to inspect my dirty clothes and making caustic remarks all the while as my time was running out.
I expected them to have problems with the kukri, but they never looked at it twice, probably looking for drugs.
But I ain't no fool to put my drugs in checked luggage.
Remember, kids, always put your drugs in the carry-on.

And finally, 2 minutes before departure, I boarded the damn plane.
Since then everything went smoothly, even Colombian migration who didn't even care for my return ticket.

In the airport of Bogota I met our Couchsurfing host, who drove me to his home where I reunited with my buddy Florian.

I liked Bogota a lot, and not solely because I have been dreaming of travelling South America for a long time.
The city is rich with history and is alive with contemporary culture, a lot of splendid street-art around.

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A real art, not some half-assed wall-staining.

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Right now Bogota enjoys a cultural renaissance, grafiteros are allowed to practice their art and both govt and private companies sometimes commission artists to decorate buildings in the capital.
Many artists are still work in underground, though. They maintain their non-conformity and liberty of expression by creating paintings at night in places that were not supposed to be decorated.

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And even as the city infested with cops and police dogs, when walking around you will inevitably smell unmistakable smoke of marijuana.
Especially near universities and parks. Near Universidad de los Andes there is a lawn where smoking pot is kinda legal, and it is actively used by students who chill there every afternoon, consuming profound amounts of pot which is next to free here.
The police looks the other way. But to really miss this place you should also close your nose.

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It is also important to note that it's quite cheap here, especially in comparison with Dominican Republic where hostel prices start at 15$ and in Bogota they are around 6$.
And it applies to everything else as well.

I realized right away that I want to stay there longer, to take some rest and live in that atmosphere for a while.
That, however, was against what Flo was planning, so I chose to part ways with him for a while.
Thus I stayed in Bogota and he went to Peru.

And so ends my story about travelling from the Caribbean to South America, which cost me a lot of time, money and was a terrible experience all around.
Now what?

More photos:

^{Bolivar Plaza}

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^{Just 4$}

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^{View from my hostel terrace}

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^{Panorama view from Monserrate mountain}

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Previous posts:
Stylish water faucet in an ancient Persian bathhouse
Voyage to Colombia and a nasty surprise in the airport [Part 1]
Japanese aesthetics in Dominican Republic
Architectural Photography: Ornate Bazaar ceiling in Kashan, Iran