Beat in Bogota

I have arrived safely in Bogota. Everyone can relax and breathe easy, even though I´m not (the 2600m elevation makes even a little stroll slightly tiring). I´m sure the last 24 exhausting hours of travel aren´t helping matters much either.
I started by leaving the island at 330pm yesterday. After crossing, I decided to sit and have one more Mexican beer before departing the country. I also wanted to ensure that I didn´t have a single peso left when I got on the plane either. After the beer I hopped a cab to the bus station and took the shuttle to the Cancun airport- which happens to cost a lot less than taking a cab solo. The one and a half hour flight to Miami was a breeze, but trying to catch some sleep was not. Unlike the Minneapolis airport, there is no area in the Miami airport that isn´t lit up with super high voltage fluorescent lights. The benches are also all separated with armrests, so it´s impossible to stretch out. After failing to get comfortable on the benches I said screw it and curled up on the floor. Sleep however did not come, it was way too cold with the AC pumping, even though I had many layers of clothes on and covered myself with my towel.
At 4am I went to check into my flight to Bogota. I caught a bit of sleep on that flight, and I´m actually really impressed with LAN airlines- much better service than any US flight I´ve been on lately. We arrived on time at 10am. The attendant announced the weather to be 14c and cloudy. Good thing I was already bundled up.
I cleared customs no problem and exchanged a bit of cash into Colombian pesos- about 2100pesos to one USD. This currency will be difficult to get used to. I was determined to use the bus to get downtown and to the hostel- it´s all part of the adventure after all. Why pay $7 for the door to door service of a cab and miss all the fun and excitement?
So far my impression of Colombian people has far exceeded any expectation. A man from the tourist booth walked me 3 streets outside the airport over to the bus stop and asked the driver to tell me where to get off when it was time. When I got on the bus however, I was quickly befriended by a girl and guy my age who offered to help me out. We spent the bus ride chatting, the guy explaining that he wants to practice his English so he can travel to Australia in the summer. They both played tour guides, pointing out buildings, parks, important streets, etc. After 45mins or so, we arrived in the neighborhood of the hostel. My new friends both got off with me, the guy carrying my heavy backpack. We wandered around the confusing streets awhile until they found the address of the hostel and they waited while I made sure there was a room. They left me their contact information and offered to show me around whenever I like. What an awesome welcome to the country!! So I wasn´t greeted by guerilla fighters, cocaine dealers, and street hustlers like everyone thought after all!
My brief impression of Bogota is that it is a typical, big and bustling capital city. There is a bit of pollution that you can see and feel in the air, but not quite like that of Mexico City or Bangkok, as there seems to be a lot of parks and green space. Despite the smog and that it´s a cloudy day, you can still see the mountains looming in the North. I´m staying in the central part of the city where I hear there are many other foreigners and lots to do and see. I think I´m really going to like it here.