Sunday Morning in Bogota

Breakfast at Bakers.

There really is no point to waking up early in Bogota on a Sunday.

There's no place you can go.

Waking up at 6:15, I forced myself to lie in bed another 15 minutes. But being completely awake, that was it.

After doing some things on my computer until 7:30, I went out for a walk in the Zona Rosa, looking for someplace to have a coffee.

But no such place exists at that hour on a Sunday in Bogota.

This is not North America, where we always have a Denny's or Starbucks or McDonalds open at almost any hour of the day.

What I did find open at this hour was a 24-hour Oxxo convenience store. At least I could buy a newspaper. My copy of El Tiempo in hand, I was off in search of something.

I walked to the nearest Juan Valdez Café, a couple blocks away. Nope – opens at 10 am.

The walk continued.

At 8:08 am, I found a Burger King with the doors open. Success.

Walked inside, only to discover that they were not really open. Technically, maybe, but operationally, nope.

I asked for a coffee. Somebody who looked like the maintenance man was just setting up the coffee pot. So actually getting a cup was going to take some time. Thank god I didn't want breakfast, because the coffee pot was the only machine that had any sign of life!

I took a stroll in the Zona T, just outside the Andino shopping plaza. This place is loaded with restaurants. Surely at least one or two would be open for breakfast.

The precise number turned out to be zero.

Fortunately, I did know of one place close by that would be open. An excellent place called Bakers.

Bakers is good anytime of day. And I recalled seeing on their sign outside mentioning that they're open for breakfast at 7 am daily.

Now that's more like it.

So, I finally had a place to not just have a coffee and read my newspaper, but also to have a tasty breakfast.

And as I know from a previous visit, this café knows how to do bacon – crisp! Pancakes are pretty good too.