Blogs from Colombia, South America - page 4

A visit to a school –thanks to a partnership agreement between the Ministry of Education and the British Council– allowed me to delve into the extraordinary story of Gramalote, a town that defied the odds and continues to captivate hearts. Picture this: It was the year 2010, and Gramalote faced a devastating natural disaster that left me speechless. Torrential rains unleashed a powerful mudslide, reducing this once tranquil and serene community to a chilling scene of ruins. But amidst the debris, something magical emerged: a story of resilience and rebirth that touched my soul. Una pasada visita a un colegio –gracias a un contrato de un convenio entre el Ministerio de Educación y el Consejo Británico– me permitió adentrarme en el extraordinario relato de Gramalote, un pueblo que desafió las probabilidades y sigue cautivando corazones. Imagina ... read more

Poet, novelist, and travel writer William Graham lives in Stowe, Vermont. He newest work of fiction is called url=https://www.amazon.com/Darkness-Paradise-Colombian-Mystery-American-ebook/dp/B09QZ49LZF/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2OTTBZ192ZNTY&keywords=darkness+in+paradise+colombian&qid=1643034517&sprefix=darkness+in+paradise+colombian%2Caps%2C71&sr=8-1Darkness in Paradise: Colombian Tales of Mystery & Horror, which is part of his url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B098F73ZXF?binding=kindle_edition&qid=1643034517&sr=8-1&ref=dbs_dp_rwt_sb_pc_tuknSouth American Novels, inspired by the people, history, and culture of the region. Colombia has had a poor reputation for many years, fueled by media coverage of the drug cartel wars that featured kingpin Pablo Escobar and the decades-long guerrilla war. For many people, what they know about Colombia derived from watching the Netflix series... read more

About 50 miles outside of Medellín is the granite monolith that dominates the surrounding landscape, at 2,135 metres. Santi took us on a magnificent climb to the top (740 steps). El Peñon de Guatape was once worshipped by the Tahamies indigenous people. In the 1950s, a group of visitors spent five days climbing to the top of the massive rock using a wooden board to ascend up the rock’s long crack along its side. Afterward, a concrete staircase was built into the crack. On the way up we saw wild orchids growing from the granite rock face and once at the top stunning bird’s eye views of Guatape & a series of lakes. Guatapé residents paint their houses and businesses in gorgeous bright colors, and decorate the bottom of every building with fresco-like panels called “zocalos.” ... read more

3rd May - Throughout the 80s and 90s, Comuna 13 was considered one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the world. It was run by violent drug trafficking organizations, who used the poor, sprawling hillside barrio as a transit route in and out of the city, and served as a stronghold for guerrillas, gangs, and paramilitaries. Santi spoke about the raid on Comuna 13 in 2002 where the residents were caught in the crossfire and the atrocities that followed. During the first week of the raid, at least 18 people were killed, 34 wounded and almost 250 arrested in Comuna 13. The neighborhood’s 100,000 residents were caught in the crossfire, resulting in arbitrary detentions, disappearances, and hundreds of injuries. The following decade the government set out to improve the commune & in 2011 a series of ... read more

29th March -Las Lajas sanctuary #heygo http://www.heygo.com Many places of worship are built around relics and icons. However, most of them are not built in such precarious and dangerous locations as Las Lajas Sanctuary, which crosses a forested gorge on the border between Colombia & Ecuador. In 1754, an Amerindian woman and her daughter found themselves caught in a brutal storm. Hiding out from the weather in the gorge, the women felt a force calling to them, and to their amazement looked up and saw the image of the Virgin Mary on the rocks above. At that moment, the woman’s daughter was simultaneously cured of her inability to hear and speak. Shortly after the discovery was reported, a blind man wandered for ten years from village to village collecting donations to build a chapel around the ... read more