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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 Raw E
May 20th 2008

Colombia - a Sweet Ending to my Travels

South America » Colombia » Bogota

I decided to spend my first day in Medellin going to Guatape and La Piedra -a high rock (they claim it is a meteorite) that you climb stairs to the top of, which has some good views. It isn't cheap to get there and it takes the whole day, but the pictures from the top that were showed to me convinced me that it's worth it, and I even had who to go with - a couple (alemano y colombiana...) from my hostel. At the morning I had to go and change travel checks, because I was running out of cash, [View Full Entry]

By longshorty
May 18th 2008

Treffen mit Heida

South America » Colombia » Bogota

Flug nach Bogota

Hallo zusammen! Gestern bin ich um 12.30 h in Bogota angekommen. Mit etwas Verspaetung ist auch Heida um 15.15 h in der Hauptstadt Kolumbiens gelandet und wir konnten uns endlich in die Arme nehmen!Der Taxidienst des Hotels klappte wie am Schnuerchen und so konnten wir bald unser kleines Zimmer mit dem ultrakurzen Bett im Herzen der Altstadt von Bogota in Bezug nehmen. Am Abend schlenderten wir durch die lebhafte Altstadt. Anders als in den meisten Staedten Suedamerikas werden hier die Bordsteine bei Einbruch der Dunkelheit nicht hochgezogen und es wimmelt in den Strassen von Leuten jedes Coul [View Full Entry]

By Graham Richardson
May 18th 2008

Paragliding...

South America » Colombia » Medellin

Chasing down a fellow paraglider.

So the original plan was for us to have gone paragliding back when we were in San Gil, but we opted to do th full day of white water rafting, and put off paragliding until Medellin. A couple days ago, we were going to tour around the city, and we decided to ask the person about if we had to book in advance paragliding, and just for extra info on it. Her reply was "you can go today, and I would cause the weather is beautiful". A minimal amount of convincing was needed, and we were off to go paragliding. [View Full Entry]

Another of my fellow paragliders in the air with me.

One of the many views I was able to get in the air.

By JosM
May 18th 2008

Alweer bijna naar huis

South America » Colombia » Santa Marta

Downtown Cartagena

Ik was zojuist aan het tikken over hoe het was geweest in Cartagena en Mompos, totdat de stroom uitviel en ik opnieuw zou kunnen gaan beginnen. Maar dat ga ik natuurlijk niet doen. Cartagena was goed, mooi kust stadje met koloniale gebouwen in pasteltinten, veel vruchtensapjes, koffie en zon. We zijn nog naar de islas del rosario geweest waar de stranden eruit zien als in de folders: hagelwit met groene zee. Helaas, maar ik ga niet weer het hele verhaal herhalen van Cartagena en de weg naar Mompos toe (via Manage). Het is trouwens wel opvallend dat de teller van het [View Full Entry]

By Graham Richardson
May 15th 2008

Back in the City - Medellin

South America » Colombia » Medellin

Floating in the Mud Volcano

The 30+ degree weather is over, and I can now walk the streets without looking like I just took a shower. We arrived here in Medellin yesterday, and could instantly feel the difference in temperature, and it was more than a welcomed change. The city is different than any of the other places we have been so far. Bogota and Cartagena were cities with narrow streets and bustling traffic. Medellin is a long, stretched out city that is based in a valley, and walking around, the city has a laid back feel which I find odd for the western appearance [View Full Entry]

By LuAnne
May 14th 2008

The Road to Popayan

South America » Colombia » Popayan

Highway Patrol Stop

From the US State Department web site travel warning on Colombia (Feb 2008) "U.S. government officials and their families in Colombia are permitted to travel to major cities in the country, but normally only by air. They cannot use inter- or intra-city bus transportation, or travel by road outside of urban areas at night. All Americans in Colombia are urged to follow these precautions." So, of course, I had to do part of my trip by road. Tony and I hired this great taxi driver named George to take us from Cali to Popayan, a little colonial town about two hours [View Full Entry]

View from our Balcony Room at La Casa del Virrey

By LuAnne
May 13th 2008

From Cartagena to Cali - Salsa Capital of South America!

South America » Colombia » Cali

Palace of the Inquisition
Tony demonstrating The Rack

Hola, Amigos! Our trip in Cartagena continued with school and sight seeing. I learn more about Tony each day. He finally got grumpy one day after class when his teacher started going over irregular verb conjugations in the present tense. He wanted the rule for irregular verb conjugations. I tried to explain there was no rules, you just have to memorize which ones they are, that is why they are called irregular. He grumbled for a while but quickly got over it when we toured the Palace of the Inquisition where Roman Catholic tribunals executed witches and heretics and realized that [View Full Entry]

By Anglo Dutch connection goes Latin
May 12th 2008

Taganga - the unexpected ending......

South America » Colombia » Taganga

Playa Grande

We were looking forward to chilling out on the beach of the Caribean coastline of Colombia. BUT..... Yvonne's coughing got so bad that we had to go to hospital again. It turned out to be pneumonia. She was hospitalized straight away! 48 hours of anti biotics through a drip, loads of pain and difficult communications later she checked herself out of the hospital. This tough cookie was not having it anymore. The medical treatment was excellent, but the staff varied in quality and internal communication non existent!!! The specialist gave her the thumbs up to go, but staff nurse wanted to [View Full Entry]

By El Scook Y Natalia
May 10th 2008

Bubbling Hot (like a soup in a pot)

South America » Colombia » Cartagena

Cartagena Old Town

Cristobal Colon may well have picked the best of the bunch of Latin American countries to name after himself, as Colombia is absolutely amazing. I´m tempted to leave it at that really, as this isn´t going to be a blog of derring do and swashbuckling adventure. We´ve been sat on our respective asses (it´s more comfortable that way round) for the last two weeks, with little to occupy ourselves except Spanish school and lazing about in the heat... However Colombia deserves a little lyrical waxing. Having spent the last few weeks heading north, we´ve now reached the top, and we´ve had [View Full Entry]

By Tyrone
May 9th 2008

Rise up in the cafeteria and stab them with your plastic forks.

South America » Colombia » Santa Marta

Cambodian River in Colombia
Full of mini alligators and Viet Cong. Larry Whitehead would've had a flashback for sure.

The guy who does Jean Luc’s spanish voice dub is a poor replacement for the sonorous manliness of Patrick Stewart. I think facebook status updates are not the most appropriate place to express personal anguish over someone dying. Maybe I’m just old and out of touch. One thing I love about Spanish is than instead of paying attention you lend (prestar) your attention to someone. I don’t tend to lend mine too often or for too long. Like that stingy ass kid Neil with all the awesome toys from Loma Vista. Oh, Neil already has a friend over and I can’t [View Full Entry]

Travel Blog » South America » Colombia