Taking Taxis in Bogota

Taxis in Bogota are a bit more complicated than in other parts of the world. For the most part, they are quite safe, but it's worth taking the proper precautions in order to arrive at your destination in one piece.

First of all, don't hail taxis off the street, always call for one. If you are calling from a landline, the phone service will give you a security code (usually the last two digits of the phone number you are calling from) and will tell you the license plate number of the taxi they are sending. This is for the safety of both you and the driver, and the driver will almost always ask you for the security code.

A few numbers for taxis are:

222-2222
311-1111
211-1111

If you absolutely must hail a taxi on the street (many Colombians do it), first of all have someone who is not getting in the taxi (a friend, a security guard from the restaurant or bar you are at, etc) visibly write down the license plate number of the taxi you get into. I would also recommend knowing the route to your destination so the driver doesn't take you for a ride and over-charge.

Tipping: Taxi drivers do not expect tips, but if they are particularly friendly some extra coins or 1,000 generally puts a big smile on their face.

Two things to look out for that I have been warned about by Colombian friends (I have never had a problem taking taxis, but it's better to be safe than sorry...):

Taxi drivers often drive with the front passenger seat folded over so people on the street can see that it is free. One friend getting dropped off at home when someone popped out from under the folded-down passenger seat and proceeded to rob him with the help of the driver. It's worth asking the driver to put up the seat normally, or taking a second look before you get into the car.

Secondly, I recently heard a story about a college professor who flagged a taxi to work at 8am. The driver asked her if she wanted to read some magazines that he had in the taxi, and she said no. He became more insistent, which began to scare her. It turns out that he had placed escopolamine** in the pages of the magazine and attempted to violate her.

**If you don't know about escopolamine (usually called burundanga), it is worth learning about. It is a drug made from a common tree in Colombia and used by thieves to render victims unconscious-even a small dose will make one lose their will, even though they appear completely normal. It is often put into drinks or cigarettes, and sometimes blown on the victim from a sheet of paper (hence the magazine in the taxi).

How to Find an Apartment or Room in Bogotá

Upon arriving in Bogotá, one of my biggest conundrums was how to find a long-term apartment in Bogotá. In a city as big as this one, there is a huge variety of options for all price ranges, lifestyles and periods of time. Here are some tips to help you find the right living situation:

Sharing a house or apartment with locals: The cheaper option for living in Bogotá would be to rent out a room in someone´s house or apartment. This is often more practical for a number of reasons besides generally being more affordable, namely not having to sign a lease for a set amount of time and not having to find a Colombian co-signer to vouch for you. To do this, use the website http://www.compartoapto.com . This is a website where people come together who are looking to rent out, or rent into, a room and is mostly used by students and young professionals all over the city. Here you will find rooms, usually furnished, anywhere from COP 200,000 (about $100 USD) to over COP 1,500,000 (about $750).

• Buscar Avisos: Look for ads people have posted by neighborhood and price. If you only wish to see furnished rooms, click ¨amueblada¨ in the busqueda avanzada (advanced search) section. Here you can also narrow the search by gender, age, sexual orientation, etc. of your new roommate(s).
• When you find a posting that interests you, you can enviar email either through the website or through your own e-mail account if the owner´s e-mail is posted. Either way, I recommend asking the poster to respond to you at your personal e-mail account because in order to view e-mails sent to you through the site you have to pay an inscription fee.
• Alternatively, you can publicar un aviso, or create your own posting advertising yourself as a new roommate. You post your stats and a basic note of what you are looking for (in Spanish or English), and then the people who are interested in you will contact you directly.

Renting your own apartment (furnished or not): Whether you would like to live alone, or with other recently arrived friends, you can also search for your own apartment online. The most useful site I found to do this online is www.metrocuadrado.com . Here you can look for apartments in Bogotá based on area and price (make sure you click on arrienda-rent-in the box instead of compra, unless you are looking to buy a place!).

• Here you can also filter your search by price, square meters, number of rooms (habitaciones), furnished (con muebles or sin muebles), etc. You will find many more apartments here that are unfurnished.
• Prices on this site tend to be a little higher as these are the apartments represented by real estate agencies. They generally have the set price, which is shown on the ad, as well as a valor administrativo, or monthly building fee, as well as monthly servicios (usually water, gas, cable, internet, energy).
• When you contact an ad, include your email or phone number and the realtor will usually respond to you promptly if the apartment is still available in order to set up an apointment to see it. The realtors tend to be on-time for appointments (a rarity in Colombia!), so make sure you are too!
• Keep in mind that for many of these apartments, you will need a Colombian co-signer to vouch for you and sometimes need to sign a lease for six months or one year.