A few days ago a friend asked me to recommend a good Colombian breakfast and a lot of things immediately came to mind: caldo de costilla, tamal, changua, huevos pericos and hot chocolate, but in the end I suggested calentado and he loved it - now he's on a mission to hunt down the best calentado in town.

Usaquén's colonial district has always been one of my favorite places in Bogotá, especially during the popular flea market held on every Sunday and holiday. In addition to the market, this area has several great restaurants, a large beautiful plaza, and a lot more history than you'd imagine.

Recipe: Oatmeal Banana energy bars

There's a natural park just 30 minutes outside of Bogotá where you can enjoy one of Colombia's most beautiful ecosystems. It's called Chicaque and it was founded in 1990 thanks to private conservation efforts. The most suprising (and saddest) fact is that only 4% of Colombia's "Andean Cloud Forest", like this one, still exists. Over the years people have destroyed it to clear land for grazing and growing potatoes.