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Travel: See amazing bling while brushing up on your Spanish in Bogota, Colombia

March 12, 2025

¡El museo es fantastico! In Colombia’s bling-bathed hallways, I gaped at sacred gold funerary masks once stacked atop ashen faces of ancient dead chieftains; if only my español would come alive.

My 10 more proficient Spanish immersion classmates moved alongside me in Bogota’s world-famous four-story Gold Museum (Museo del Oro), which houses more glittery pre-Hispanic gold artifacts — the elaborate 2,000-year-old nose ornaments are to die for — than anywhere else on Earth.

An ancient mask, on display at Bogota's Gold Museum, is made from hammered gold and embossed with facial decorations. (Photo by Norma Meyer) — An ancient mask, on display at Bogota’s Gold Museum, is made from hammered gold and embossed with facial decorations. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

Eons ago, capturing an enemy’s skull meant bonus points for tribal warriors tricked out in gold splendor; a king in the mythical gilded city of El Dorado routinely slathered himself in gold dust; and indigenous priests sported lavish gold headdresses after being religiously trained while locked in caves and deprived of chilis and salt.

I lapped up that info from our engaging docent, who thankfully gave an English tour during our private, after-hours class visit that screamed to be another Netflix heist movie. As for my limited new language skills, if our museum guide wanted me to order her un cafe — even with almond milk and sugar — I’m her gal.

Sprawling Bogota, seen here from Mount Monserrate, is Colombia's bustling capital and most populous city. (Photo by Norma Meyer) — Sprawling Bogota, seen here from Mount Monserrate, is Colombia’s bustling capital and most populous city. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

This was my second intriguing “school day” in Colombia’s capital with Fluenz, a luxury on-site Spanish immersion program (not to be confused with Fluenz nasal spray flu vaccine for kids). I figured since Fluenz boasts about teaching Spanish to members of the U.S. Naval Special Warfare Command, I could roll my r’s as cleverly as those stealthy SEALs.

Paloquemao Market is Bogota's giant traditional food market and a cultural experience. "All of Colombia in one place," reads the entryway greeting in Spanish. (Photo by Norma Meyer) — Paloquemao Market is Bogota’s giant traditional food market and a cultural experience. “All of Colombia in one place,” reads the entryway greeting in Spanish. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

Aimed at English speakers, Fluenz launched in 2007 as an online digital platform to learn, of all uphill battles Mandarin Chinese, and then branched out to Spanish, French, Italian, German and Portuguese. Spanish is the most requested course and the only one offering a six-day individualized study abroad, largely in Mexico but also in other Latin American countries and Spain.

From Mount Monserrate, a colonial mansion-turned restaurant is seen in the foreground, and in the far distance, the 50-foot-tall statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe rises from Guadalupe Hill. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

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I knew un poquito Spanish, so to prepare, at home in Los Angeles, I crammed the first 11 Fluenz app lessons (of 150) before arriving in Bogota flaunting my longtime talent to ask for una cerveza and the john. However, after being picked up at Bogota’s airport, I did enjoy a nice Spanglish conversation with my SUV chauffeur, who revealed he’d been a national policeman in Medellin. “Narcos?” I inquired. “Sí,” he replied.

Although she's a talented Spanish speaker, Phoenix immigration lawyer Amanda Hammond studies up with coach Marianna Dominguez at Casa Legado in Bogota. (Photo by Norma Meyer) — Although she’s a talented Spanish speaker, Phoenix immigration lawyer Amanda Hammond studies up with coach Marianna Dominguez at Casa Legado in Bogota. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

Even though they ran Spanish circles around kindergarten me, I quickly bonded with my fellow students: six women including a retired judge from Canada, a recently retired neonatologist from Kansas, a Phoenix immigration lawyer who helps asylum-seeking minors, and a Bay Area anesthesiologist/Stanford professor, along with four men including a Northern California cardio nurse and a Houston guy who works on oil fields in Iraq.

Most impressively rattled off Spanish but wanted to improve. Work, travel and sheer love of another language all played a role. A few pupils had previously attended a Fluenz immersion in Mexico City, the company’s in-person flagship locale.

Fluenz's Bogota immersion program takes place in hotel Casa Legado, which means "House of Legacy" and has a family feel. (Photo by Norma Meyer) — Fluenz’s Bogota immersion program takes place in hotel Casa Legado, which means “House of Legacy” and has a family feel. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

School was cool. It took place in our stylish boutique accommodations, the 13-room Casa Legado hotel consisting of two mid-century family homes joined by a small courtyard and including an “open kitchen” you could freely raid for drinks, chips, cookies and other snacks. First off, owner and interior designer Helena Davila introduced the “real host,” her fluffy 4-year-old Biewer terrier, Eugenio.

Davila had named the serene guest rooms after her siblings, nieces and nephews — The Tito, fashioned after youngest brother Tito who likes to fix things, had a saw, hammer, wrenches and other tools on a wall and a bicycle holding up the bathroom vanity. I slept in The Maria, dedicated to Davila’s grown niece Maria who sponsors a charity to boost confidence in child cancer patients by giving them bald dolls. From a photograph on my nightstand, Maria sipped a cup of coffee and kindly gazed at me.

New Jersey resident Sarah Farkas, an advanced Spanish student, hones her skills with Fluenz coach Ilya Semo in the breakfast room of Casa Legado. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

Classes occurred twice daily for five straight days — two hours 1-on-1 with a coach and two hours 2-on-1 with another comparable student, always in different spots of the homes — on a terrace, in a garden, under the whimsical white teapot pendants above our communal lunch table, in “grandpa’s bar” stocked with premium booze.

Leo restaurant in Bogota offers a tasting menu creatively served and promising a "sensory journey" through Colombia's biodiverse regions. (Photo by Norma Meyer) — Leo restaurant in Bogota offers a tasting menu creatively served and promising a “sensory journey” through Colombia’s biodiverse regions. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

But we weren’t always cracking the books. One evening, our group dined at hot-list Leo restaurant, which even sources “big-butt ants” in Colombian mountain forests for an exotic tasting menu delivered on sculpted rocks. Another morning, we strolled through Bogota’s massive Paloquemao mercado and sampled guanábana and lulo fruits.

With vivid murals and hanging umbrellas, a street in Bogota's La Candelaria is an eye-catching attraction. (Photo by Norma Meyer) — With vivid murals and hanging umbrellas, a street in Bogota’s La Candelaria is an eye-catching attraction. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

Also, during a a class break, three of us grabbed an Uber to experience two iconic Colombian sights — the eye-popping, colonial-era, street art-lined La Candelaria neighborhood and revered 10,341-foot-high Mount Monserrate, which we reached by a steep funicular.

Members of the clergy are among spectators taking in the sweeping view of Bogota from Mount Monserrate. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

On the summit, there’s an old white-washed pilgrimage church, a hallowed Black Madonna, a panoramic city view, and for-sale T-shirts featuring narcoterrorist Pablo Escobar. By the way, I didn’t know how to ask a souvenir vendor if a decanter was made from a cow, so I just held it up to her and bellowed, “Moo-oooo-ooo?” She burst out laughing.

Sonia Gil, who co-created Fluenz language programs, delivers a pep talk at the on-site Spanish immersion in Casa Legado, Bogota. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

“It’s good to struggle, it’s good to be lost a little bit. It’s part of the process of learning a language,” Fluenz co-founder Sonia Gil assured on day one during a gathering in our fireplace-warmed living room. Venezuelan-born Gil, who splits her time between Miami and Mexico City, studied plant science at New York’s Cornell University and was a popular travel vlogger when she first attempted to master Mandarin in Shanghai.

I must gush about the eight exuberant uplifting instructors — all from Mexico City, Colombia and Venezuela and clad in maroon V-neck sweaters and radiant smiles. OK, so I finally got it: for an Italian meal I could order una copa de vino tinto (a glass of red wine) but not with pasta de dientes (toothpaste).

Fluenz instructor Lina Bolivar holds Spanish class with Ken Duncan in an upstairs nook of the homey Casa Legado hotel in Bogota. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

Each tutor was like a cultural exchange pal — Mexican architect Karen designed sets on location in Colombia for Netflix’s “One Hundred Years of Solitude;” Marianna lives in Venezuela, once did biology research on alligators and crocodiles in Florida, and is creating a pajama line that will showcase Venezuelan endangered animals; Michu owns a bar with her DJ husband in Caracas, Venezuela, and delights in dancing with their customers.

In touristed Mount Monserrate, Pablo Escobar souvenirs are plentiful even though most Colombians find such admiration disgusting. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

Colombia, of course, is notoriously known for the late murderous, horrific cocaine kingpin Escobar, although parts of the country are safer today. “Colombians do not appreciate tourists and others glorifying Pablo Escobar,” said art historian Christian Padilla, when he came to lecture us about Fernando Botero, Colombia’s most illustrious artist. One of Botero’s acclaimed paintings depicts the 1993 police killing of Escobar in a hail of bullets atop a Medellin rooftop.

Colombian art historian Christian Padilla visits Fluenz students to lecture about acclaimed Colombian artist Fernando Botero. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

On day four, I joined Michu and my beginner study-buddy (a retired Wisconsin finance expert) to er, uhh… chat with local shopkeepers in the native tongue. Inside a New Age crystal emporium dotted with Buddhas, Michu had me ask in Spanish how much an elephant figurine cost. I blanked out when the saleswoman began an unexpected long answer, although with Michu’s assist, I managed to spit out in Spanish, credit cards or only cash?

Teacher Michelle Lazzari (nicknamed Michu) points to merchandise so a student will ask for prices in Spanish during an outing to a Bogota shop. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

Next, we visited a bookstore where I told an employee in Spanish that I lived in Los Angeles, and he cheerily replied something about L.A. having great flores (flowers). Then he mimed smoking weed.

Philippe pastry shop in Bogota is a great place for pistachio croissants and trying out your Spanish. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

Finally, at a pastry shop, a baker excitedly informed us, “¡Es el dia internacional del croissant!’’ Yep, it was International Croissant Day. At our table, in Spanish I ordered un capuchino y un croissant de pistacho. The amused waitress applauded my linguistics: “10 out of 10!”

Fluenz means “fluent” in Spanish, and although I progressed some — and had loads of fun — I’ve got gobs more studying to do. Personally, I keep thinking of what co-founder Gil said about speaking Spanish: “You’d be unlocking the ability to communicate with 500 million people.”

Assuming mi cabeza cooperates, that’s my plan.

If you go

Fluenz’s on-site Spanish immersion courses start at $4,100 specials and include six nights accommodations, most meals, excursions, airport transfers, and access to the 150-lesson app; fluenz.com

Travel: See amazing bling while brushing up on your Spanish in Bogota, Colombia Orange County Register

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Travel: See amazing bling while brushing up on your Spanish in Bogota, Colombia

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