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Colombia Travel Blogs

Background: Colombia was one of the three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others are Ecuador and Venezuela). A 40-year insurgent campaign to overthrow the Colombian Government escalated during the 1990s, undergirded in part by funds from the drug trade. Although the violence is deadly and large swaths of the countryside are under guerrilla influence, the movement lacks the military strength or popular support necessary to overthrow the government. An anti-insurgent army of paramilitaries has grown to several thousand strong in recent years, challenging the insurgents for control of territory and the drug trade, and also the government's ability to exert its dominion over rural areas. While Bogota steps up efforts to reassert government control throughout the country, neighboring countries worry about the violence spilling over their borders.

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By Bellini
June 17th 2008

A Layover in Bogota

South America » Colombia » Bogota

Me from Colombia University...

After a washout in Miami (but a stellar tour of the city -- thanks Zac), I left the states Thursday morning and arrived in Bogota at around 10AM. Since my flight for Quito wasn´t scheduled to leave until 4:30, after some research and some courage-building (note: some have complained about this comment, but I don´t think I´m going out on a limb to say that the world´s perception of Colombia is that it is dangerous. Perceptions are often wrong (as they are in this case), but check out this website for stats: http://www.nationmaster.com/red/graph/cri_mur_percap-crime-murders-per-capita&int=-1. [View Full Entry]

By Tyrone
June 15th 2008

A ship in a harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for.

South America » Colombia » Santa Marta

Baracuda and I
Turns out I'm an amazing fisherman.

Last weekend we went to Barranquilla to bid farewell to the saintly Chris Davies. He will be missed, and not just by the under aged underprivileged youth of the BQ. Saturday I went to pick up the esteemed Timothy Healy from the airport, I was of course late (transportation strike or something) and had failed to give Tim any information such as local address, phone number, etc. This gave him ample time to stew over the possibility that he had flown into the wrong airport. I left my cell phone on the bus, making it like #8 I’ve lost in my [View Full Entry]

By SquirrelandKittykat
June 15th 2008

photo time

South America » Colombia » Salento

catching a free ride
Alsleep on mum

Its very hot here in Columbia and Very beautiful, palm trees and coffee plantations...sigh.....text to follow, i promise! love to you all Kate and Gav xxx [View Full Entry]

By mjist
June 14th 2008

Cali and Bogota

South America » Colombia

Cali's Museum
One of Cali's museums, located next to the oldest church in Cali.

Colombia has been rico. Countless days ago I caught a bus from Otovalo to Ibarra, and from there on to the Ecuadorian border town of Tulcán. I caught a collectivo to the border crossing, a bridge over a deep gorge and a river. After waiting for quite some time to get my exit stamps from Ecuador I walked over the bridge to Colombia, waiting for a while more while the man at the immigration office talked on his phone before finally getting my stamps for Colombia. Grabbing a collectivo I headed straight to the bus terminal, from where I caught an [View Full Entry]

By mjist
June 14th 2008

Santa Marta and Taganga

South America » Colombia » Santa Marta » Taganga

Taganga Bay

Warning: This blog is about me doing nothing for a couple of days on the Colombian Carribean. After a pretty tiring 18 hour drive from Bogota, we arrived in Santa Marta to be greeted by heat and humidity. With the temperature in the mid 30s, and humidity pretty high, the dusty city of Santa Marta was a bit of a shock after coming from Bogota, in the mountains, and off the air conditioned bus. At least it wasn´t as bad as a story I heard from a man who had been to Venezuela, who said that he had woken up one [View Full Entry]

By El Scook Y Natalia
June 13th 2008

Pass the Soap

South America » Colombia » Bogota

International gringo shipping magnate Mr Bean
Si said he overheard someone saying 'ok, we need the gringo now'...and check out that pink tie!

Thursday 12th of June. In the central atrium of the Bogotá country club a luxury pool snakes it´s way under bridges, in and out of the geodesic dome. A young english wife sits anxiously in a deck chair, awaiting the return of her high flying husband, the inscrutable Mr Bean (not that one). Inside the conference facility, Señor Bean is engaged in a lengthy and somewhat heated discussion, pertaining to a large shipment. His business needs this deal, so much is obvious from the sums involved... and yet he appears dispassionate and stoic in his ill fitting suit. He barely nods [View Full Entry]

In the Yumi Yumi sandwich bar with Leah and Iain

By longshorty
June 13th 2008

Escobar laesst gruessen

South America » Colombia » Medellin

Ruedi mit dem Ameisensnack

Am Dienstag fuhren wir mit dem Bus in einigen Stunden nach Tunja, einer Unistadt auf 2800 m und von dort aus mit einem kleineren Bus in einer Stunde ins verschlafene Villa de Leyva das 700 m tiefer liegt. Die Hitze hatte uns verlassen, es regnete und war nur noch 18 Grad war (kalt) - puh, das waren wir uns nicht mehr gewohnt! Am naechsten Tag besuchten wir mangels Alternativen mit einem Taxi die umliegenden Sehenswuerdigkeiten; unter anderem das Fosil eines 120 Mio Jahre alten Kronosaurus (sieht aus wie ein ueberdimensioniertes Krokodil mit Schwimmflossen), ein Dorf welches fuer seine Toepfer [View Full Entry]

By Ruth from Wales
June 13th 2008

A surprisingly gentle introduction to Colombia: Ipiales, Pasto & Bogotá

South America » Colombia » Bogota

Santuario de las Lajas

When we first came to South America back in September of last year Colombia was not even on our list of countries to visit. Why would anyone visit a place known for terrorist guerrillas, kidnappings and drug trafficking? But, the more people we met during our travels the more we heard that Colombia is seriously mis-represented by the rest of the world and that it is actually a country worth getting to know. So, it got added to the list... From Ecuador to Colombia The first decision we had to make was whether to fly into Colombia or to cross by [View Full Entry]

By shuriken22
June 12th 2008

Colombia Continues: Tayrona National Park

South America » Colombia » Magdalena » Tayrona National Park

Floral beauty

Still feeling fairly inhuman and rather tired, I was most thankful when our bus arrived in the scorching heat of Santa Marta, a big port town and the pit stop for our next destination of Tayrona National Park. Stopping for an hour to leave bags in the hotel, we shot down to the beach for a supposedly speedy lunch from a local fast food restaurant. In true South American/Caribbean style this was slightly misleading as several others went elsewhere, ate and came back before we had even received our food! Eventually getting served, we wolfed it down and scarpered back to [View Full Entry]

By Pitxones
June 12th 2008

Colombia

South America » Colombia » Medellin » Guatape

Epa danoi, Colombiatik, Cartagenan lurreratu eta bertan herrialde ikusgarri eta zoragarri hontaz gozatu dugu. Bidaian ikusi ditudan emakumerik ederrenak, jende irekiena eta desfaserik handiena topatu dugu bertan. Gure hostala, kale jendetxu eta bizi batean zegoen, gamelu eta pertsonaiaz beteta. Juerga ederra egin genuen aspaldiko partez... Cartagenatik Medellinera joan ginen autobusean, heldu eta terminal ondoko errekan... gizon bat hilda aurkitu genuelarik!!! eskuak atzekaldean lotuta errekara bota zuten... Lehen impresio gogorra Kolombiako hiri famatu hontakoa, Pablo Escobarren got [View Full Entry]

Travel Blog » South America » Colombia