Colombia

Colombia April 12- May 5, 2007

BOGOTA

We were glad to arrive in Colombia to get back in touch with the outside world! Cuba has isolated us from the rest of the world for one month as we could barely use emails or phones due to their very slow speed and outrageous costs.

The history of Colombia has been known for its constant struggles among the military, guerilla and paramilitary. The latter are known to be "sponsored" by the government to counteract the guerilla. However, we all know that this form of "counteraction", which is usually violent, is "forbidden" according to the international community's standards. In the last days, President Uribe has been omnipresent in the newspapers and on TV since he has been accused of being in "contact" with the paramilitary. It is hard to imagine a reconciliation of all these groups in the coming years...

However, my first impressions of Colombia have been rapidly determined by the openness and friendliness of its people. Conversing with Colombians is easy and stimulating. We stayed one week in the Colombian capital in the pleasant neighbourhood of La Candelaria. Walking throughout the city felt safe depending at what time of the day and in which neighborhood. Despite Colombia's reputation as a dangerous country, I did not feel threathened at any moment. However, I was impressed by the military presence in the capital and the enormous weapons carried by the omnipresent soldiers and police force. As a Canadian, I never got used to see so many guns in public! One interesting "military anecdote" was the midnight military/drug police check at our hostal on a Friday night. They came in, asked for our passport, and searched our beds and bags. Let's say that I pitied the one traveller who may have a bag of drugs with him...Colombian prisons are probably very different from the Canadian ones!

One morning, we took the funicular to get at the top of the mountain and admire the entire city. This height provided us with a great view of the city: a small but condense business center with a widespread space for residents. The city is located at more than 2000 meters and the climate is temperate all year long. After spending several weeks in the Andes, the altitude did not affect us anymore!

My visit to the Gold Museum was a highlight of my stay in Bogota. The multitude of gold artefacts were beautifully displayed in a well-designed museum. These piece of arts were impressive by their beauty and historical value. It is no surprise that the Gold Museum of Bogota is arguably the most important gold collection in the world. We also visited the Botero Museum which displayed the paintings of the famous Colombian painter Fernando Botero. He is easily recognized by his peculiar painting style: everything he draws is "swollen" in disproportions. After two hours of watching his paintings and sculptures, I have to admit that his style grew on me.

VILLA DE LEYVA (SAN GIL)

Villa de Leyva is known to be the weekend retreat for the rich "Bogotans". Located two hours out of Bogota, this pleasant colonial town with uneven paved roads is quiet during the week but very busy as the weekend approaches. On Saturdays, the local and colourful market full of fruits and vegetables takes place at the plaza. We spent few hours wandering around this small market to buy some delicious fresh fruits. After three days, we decided to continue our road up North and went to San Gil for a night as a one-day stop before Santa Marta.

SANTA MARTA - TAGANGA

Travellers have warned us about the unpleasant vibes of Santa Marta but praised the tranquility of Taganga, a small village located at few kilometers from the busy town. We therefore deciced to aim at Taganga knowing that we could always visit Santa Marta for a day. Taganga is a very small village located in the bay and it can be filled with tourists. The latter invade the beach and the touristic restaurants built along the water. Fortunately, we found a local pizza place owned by a Quebecer who lives with his Colombian girlfriend in the small village. The food was delicious and cheap...and it allowed us to be away from the touristic crowd!

Unfortunately, both Santa Marta and Taganga are known for their prostitutes, especially young ones. As a male, you cannot go out at night without being ask with a strong accent "Eh amigo, you want girls?". After arriving in Cartagena, I became aware that this situation was also prevailing in this city.

CARTAGENA

This colonial town surrounded by fortified walls is known as one of the most beautiful cities of South America. Flowered patios look over the narrow streets and buildings display impressive colonial architecture. However, after visiting La Havana, walking within the walls of Cartagena did not impress me...there was a clear lack of authenticity. But it was still pleasant to enjoy the delicious Colombian coffee in the old center while reading a great book...

Next and last destination: Caracas, Venezuela

P.S. For those who are interested, I will be back in Vancouver, Canada on May 10 for the entire summer before returning to Washington DC to complete my master's.

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