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Published: August 7th 2007
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Riot Police in Bogota
Friendly chaps. We asked if we could take a photo. They said yes with a smile, then put on their serious faces Today was my birthday, and I had a rude awakening at 5am for the next stage in my adventures. We were heading for Colombia, and it was to be a long day of travel. We had to allow extra time in case of problems at the Ecuador/Colombian border. For this portion of my travels, I decided to use an overland adventure company called Dragoman. They are one of only two companies worldwide who enter Colombia, due to the volatile situations and potentially dangerous areas. I thought it would be safer to use a company with good local knowledge and track record.
We made it through the border without incident, and drove to a small airfield at Ipianos. We had to fly to the capital, Bogota, because to travel overland would take us through rebel-controlled areas. Meanwhile, our overland truck would take a long detour around the dangerous area and meet up with us many days later.
Curiously, the planes over here operate like buses. When we boarded the plane, it was already half full of people from the previous airport. And before we reached Bogota, we touched down at two more airports to drop people off and pick up
Riot Van
These guys don´t mess around! Notice the gun turret on top, and all the bullet marks on the side more passengers. I was half-expecting there to be a button which you press when you want to get off, which illuminates a sign saying "PLANE STOPPING!". Each time we stopped, it was a very quick process though:
Plane lands.
People and luggage get off.
More people and luggage get on.
Plane takes off.
All within 10 - 15 minutes!
(Although we were rather concerned to see someone refuelling the plane whilst smoking a cigarette! I can only guess that the fuel pipe has a good seal to prevent vapours)
Now then, Colombia. What is the story over here? Just how dangerous is it? I´ll tell you what I know. The government has continuous armed struggles with dozens of different guerilla groups, each with it´s own ideology, and it´s own political agenda and military strategies. Two groups, FARC and ELN, currently control about 40% of the country´s areas. The state and the Colombian Army have been unable to regain control of these areas. A number of private armies ("paramilitaires") have also sprung up, which the Colombian Army turn a blind eye to, and even quietly support. These private armies fight against the rebels in many areas, and
Mona Lisa
This is a version by Colombian artist Fernando Botero. His style is to paint or sculpt fat things. Fat birds, fat horses, fat fruit, fat people. FAT! form a loose alliance known as the "United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia"
Another well-known aspect of Colombia is the drug cartels. Colombia is estimated to control between 80% and 90% of the world´s cocaine market. Although the largest cartel, led by Pablo Escobar, was brought down in the mid-nineties, other mafia groups moved in to fill the gap, and it remains a powerful industry over here. (Interesting fact: In 1993, the military assembled an elite task force of 1,500 men to track down and kill Pablo Escobar. They finally succeeded after 499 days)
Kidnapping people for ransom has also been a problem here historically. In 1998, the statistics reached a record high of over 2000 people, 40 of whom were foreign nationals. Recent figures however are much lower.
Another danger is criminals using Burundanga to rob tourists of all their belongings. It is a drug from a species of tree native to Colombia, has has no taste or smell, and is easily applied to food, drinks and cigarettes. It renders the victim unconcious for anything from a few hours to several days, depending on dose.
So, what is the risk to the common tourist? Actually, it´s
Tourist Police
Our guides for the afternoon. Fully armed! A typical tourist photo, I couldn´t resist much lower than you´d think, if you apply a bit of common sense. If there are dangerous regions of the country, don´t go there. If a stranger offers you something to eat or drink, don´t accept. Obviously some of the cities are dangerous, but again, just take care. Do not travel alone. Do not visit certain parts of cities after dark. There is a reasonable police presence to keep order in the main areas, which is comforting. In fact, when we first arrived in Bogota, there was a huge demonstration taking place. Riot police and vans were in place, but everything was under control.
Overall, Colombians are a friendly nation, and are intrigued by tourists because they see so few of them. They are also very proud of their country and are keen to encourage tourism after years of bad publicity. A number of Colombians have said to me the following kind of thing:
"please, when you get back to England, tell your friends about us, and tell them to visit our beautiful country"
And from what I´ve seen so far, this IS a very beautiful country! Evidence to follow in my next entry ;-)
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Frank D
non-member comment
What?
I've been to Colombia 6 times over the past 5 years, and i've travel all over the country, I mean ALL OVER, yes there are some areas that should be approached with caution, but overall I love the country and it feels pretty safe to me. Also you might want to check your sources there is no way that the Guerrillas control 40 % of the nation. Alaso you might want to know that all rebel groups are, marxist comunists. check this list of foreigners who like me fell in love with Colombia too: http://sestafford.nomadlife.org/default.aspx http://www.casakiwi.net/ http://www.blacksheepmedellin.com/ http://www.deunacolombia.com/index.html Please get your facts right and happy travels. I love that country,