Blogs from Bogota, Colombia, South America - page 8

Set off up the hill at the top of Salento at about 8 am in the hope that I might get to see the snow on top of the peaks in the Parque Nevada but as usual they were covered in cloud. Came across by accident one of the cafes I had been looking for a couple of days ago. As I have noticed on several occasions, the address that Lonely Planet had given was just plain wrong. Have found loads of inaccuracies in their Colombia Guide plus am irritated by their tailoring of information to the needs of the young backpacker crowd. We need a new series of guide books that are suitable for older people but don't assume you want to go everywhere in a chauffeur driven car and stay in expensive hotels. My ... read more

Hi everybody. Thought I would just write a few lines to let you all know that I am still alive! This is also by way of being a record of my trip so don't feel obliged to read it all. Sorry there are no photos - will have to wait till I get home to upload these. I decided not to take my smart phone for security reasons, now wish that I had. My other ancient mobile doesn't seem to accept Colombian Sim Cards. The journey was fine apart from the transfer in Miami which was very tedious because of the time, a couple of hours, it took to get through Customs and Immigration, which we seemed to have to do about three times. It appears that America is such a poor country it provides fewer ... read more

Looking back at my blogs, and my thoughts of travelling through Colombia my pre-conceived knowledge of this vast country has changed forever. Furthermore my mindset has changed. My view on my life choices since retirement reinforced. Facing my 3rd winter in Ibiza I recognised in myself what one might call 'cabin fever,' or what my brother calls 'island blues'. It was the strangest of feelings. Having been at the bottom once before, I recognised I had opportunity to do something about it. I negotiated time off work and bought a plane ticket. I seized the moment. I live on a relatively small island. It's paradise, but as it was described to me a few days before I left, also a paradise prison. I needed to step off, look back and reconfirm the decisions I've made. Where ... read more

After leaving Barlovento, it was about an hour and a half along the highway to the airport, which is outside of Santa Marta on the opposite side. Fortunately we took a highway around the city and missed all the traffic. The airport itself was, well, unique. It was completely open air. Our check in for Avianca was on the main level, all the while looking out at the ocean and feeling the near 30 degree morning heat. Also, yeah, the airport is right on the ocean. Like feet from the water. It seems like an odd use of such prime real estate, but there are mountains pretty much everywhere else, so I guess this gives pilots a nice easy approach. Through the open air security, we once again brought all of our liquids without even having ... read more

Bogota Bike Tours is run by Mike. a journalist from California. Having spent most of his life reporting from every country in a South America for newspapers , he lost out to the power of the internet. Needing something to do he combined his vast wealth of knowledge and two wheels to start his company. We set off around the city to explore areas where normally you'd fear to tread. Mike gave us background to to Colombian Conflict, and took the street where the peoples hero Gaitan was assassinated in 1948. His murder was the turning point for Colombia, riots on the streets, and political disenfranchisement of the far left and right, the ramifications of which are still being felt today. Other assassination places of politicians, comedians and those who did not conform or were thought ... read more