All this time I thought Zona Rosa automatically meant Gay Area, because “Pink Zone” right? Apparently, Bogotá’s is not, but it is a dangerous place. I was robbed there in broad daylight. By Lacoste. There I was entering the shop and minding my own business when suddenly I found myself swiping my credit card at one of the POS terminals. Next thing I knew, I was heading out of the store with a paper bag containing two overpriced shirts. So, yeah. Bogotá’s Zona Rosa is dangerous. Lots of voluntary daylight robberies happening there. Gosh.
Joking aside, I haven’t been to this part of town. My first time in Bogotá was spent sightseeing so it’s only now on the second visit that I get to just chillax and go malling or watching movies. In fact, I saw two films during this stay of mine here. And you know, cinemas tend to be incorporated in malls nowadays, which means malling and moviegoing are usually done in tandem. In my case, the choice of malls had to do more with the schedule of the movies I wanted to watch. Since I went to see them during last full show, it meant seeing the malls very late at night when most of the shops are already closed.
I didn’t know that Galerias was within walking distance from where my Airbnb was in Chapinero. I took an Uber and was surprised when the car was already stopping in front of the mall five minutes later. Oh well, Uber is cheap here so whatevs. Galerias does not look upscale at all. Most of the shops are unknown to me, although there was a standalone McDonalds at the corner of the parking lot. The cinema was fine. It was small and not too crowded for a last full show screening.
Unicentro was a bit farther north and looked more upscale. It had a good mix of known and unknown brands, but I wasn’t able to explore further because I arrived there at past 9 PM just in time for the movie. The cinema was bigger and housed more theaters. As is the norm now in Colombia, watching a movie in a cinema means having to present your proof of vaccination. My CDC card was accepted without much scrutiny. All in all, the experience was just fine.
My short excursion to Zona Rosa’s Lacoste shop where I got robbed in exchange for two overpriced shirts happened by accident. You see, my next destination, Brazil, accepts both Antigen and PCR for entry. Cheapskate me wanted to get the Antigen because it’s cheaper, but paranoid me wanted a PCR test so I can be done with it earlier. Since it has a 72-hr validity, at least I wouldn’t be that paranoid anymore whether I contract COVID a day or two before the trip. Surprisingly, a PCR test at Synlab only costs COP200,000 (~PHP2,600), which is half the price of what they cost in the US. Sweet.
The test turned out negative and I got the result just before the 24-hr promised turnaround time the next day. As for the post-test gallivanting, Google Maps suggested I check out a mall called Centro Comercial Andino, which I didn’t know happens to be located at Zona Rosa itself. I didn’t really enter the mall per se, but rather just took a pleasant stroll within the vicinity full of shops and restos. After getting held up at Lacoste, I called it a day by feasting on Tonkatsu and rice at Wok. I assume more voluntary robberies would have followed had I gone inside that mall. All of the shops on its windows are signature brands. Scary.
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