Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [65]
Mercado de San Alejo (Map; Carrera 7 btwn Calles 24 & 26; 9am-5pm Sun) This City Center classic fills a parking lot, with coca leaves and coca tea available, and a host of yesteryear items (posters, books, knickknacks) that are fun to sift through.
Parque de los Periodistas (Map; cnr Av Jiménez & Carrera 3; 9am-5pm Sun) Facing La Candelaria’s north end, this market is really about junk – old radios, electronics, videotapes, tools and whatnot.
Plaza Central de Usaquén (aka Los Toldos de San Pelayo; Map; Carrera 6A btwn Calles 119 & 119A; 9am-5pm Sun) Just north of the main square in the villagelike Usaquén, you’ll find food, colorful purses, assorted handicrafts and bamboo saxophones – there’s a satellite area a couple of blocks east too.
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Shopping Centers & Malls
One of Bogotá’s biggest shopping areas is San Andresito (Map; Carrera 38 btwn Calles 8 & 9; 9am-6pm), which spreads over several city blocks. It’s packed with a couple of thousand stalls that have almost everything that can be bought in Colombia. It is one of the cheapest places to buy video, hi-fi and TV equipment, computers, film and photographic gear, watches, cassettes and CDs, and clothing and footwear. Urban buses and busetas go there from the center – you can catch them on Calle 19.
An attraction in itself, the Plaza de Mercado de Paloquemao (Map; cnr Calle 19 & Carrera 25; 4am-noon or so) is a real-deal local wholesale market, with livestock, handicrafts and produce. Watch out for animal killings if that’s not your thing; otherwise it’s at its loveliest on Friday and Sunday mornings when it’s filled with flowers (try to get here by 4am or 5am), brought in to stock Bogotá shops.
Other more traditional malls – packed with shops, fast-food outlets, casas de cambio, internet cafes and movie theaters – include the following:
Atlantis Plaza (Map; Calle 81 No 13-05; 10am-8pm Mon-Wed, 10am-9pm Thu-Sat, noon-7pm Sun) Modern mall with ATMs, Hard Rock Café and a multiplex cinema.
Centro Comercial Andino (Map; 621 3111; Carrera 11 No 82-71; 8am-10pm Mon-Sat, 10am-10pm Sun) Most popular Zona Rosa mall.
Hacienda Santa Bárbara (Map; 612 0388; Carrera 7 No 115-60; 10am-11pm Mon-Sat, 10am-8:30pm Sun) Built around a colonial casona (large, old house; 1847), making the place a fine combination of historic and modern architecture, and is quieter than the Zona Rosa scene.
Unicentro (Map; Av 15 No 123-30) Shop like it’s 1976! The city’s first big mall is still a busy scene of daily shopping.
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Electronics
If you’re not finding the electronic accessory you need at a mall, the Centro de Alta Technología (Map; Carrera 15 No 77-05; 9am-7pm Mon-Fri, 10am-7pm Sat), or the adjoining Unilago Mall, is packed with digital camera and computer stands.
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Gold & Emeralds
Mines from around Bogotá bring in plenty of precious stones, such as the gold items sold in joyerías (jewelry shops) on Carrera 6 between Calles 12 and 13.
Mined chiefly from the Muzo area, emeralds, meanwhile, are sold in the flourishing emerald street market at the southwestern corner of Av Jiménez and Carrera 7 and nearby Plaza Rosario, where dozens of negociantes (traders) buy and sell stones – sometimes on the sidewalks.
In years past, the beauty of Colombia’s emeralds had been overshadowed by the dangerous conditions in which they were mined. Some locals compared Colombia’s emerald market with the diamond industry in Africa. In 2005, in an effort to clean up the industry and its questionable labor practices and criminal activity, the government abolished tariffs and taxes associated with mining, effectively ending the power of the black market and associated elements. Travelers can now buy emeralds in good conscience, but should still be cautious about paying too much. Haggle hard.
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Camping & Outdoor Equipment
While imported camping and trekking gear is increasingly available, it can be expensive. Locally produced gear is cheaper and often of reasonable quality.
Amarelo