Colombia. Probably my favorite country in the world.
Martin • April 21, 2016
Colombia has an abundance of natural beauty - Is how I imagine heaven to be.
So, you may have heard that Colombia is the next great place to visit? My advice: if you want to experience the real Colombia, then you don't have to travel far from the well beaten tourist trail.
The only risk is....
... You don't want to leave - You find yourself embracing Colombia tightly.
"If we don't go and explore for ourselves, we only know what the media is telling us."
This is a country that gets under your skin.
Visually, it's the most striking place I have ever visited. A traveller's paradise, with beautiful landscapes, breathtaking mountain ranges, volcanoes, natural parks, rivers, waterfalls, great coffee, rich food, music, beaches, cosmopolitan cities, colonial villages and the most beautiful woman in the world. I sure had the time of my life, and became home sick, when I had to leave Colombia.
Well, over 14 years, I've spent nearly 3 years living and travelling in Colombia, across five trips that all started, back in 2007. With my first visit to Bogota and the Caribbean coast. But, it was on my next trip that I discovered Rovira, a small town set in a valley between the Andes mountains that really touched my heart and showed me a different side to Colombia. As there were no tourists here to spoil it. I have also travelled there with my daughter when she was 19 years old when we were backpacking Latin America and with my crazy monkey "mona loca" Juliana who was only 12 years old while she was visiting her Colombian family. What a great experience for them! Most of my closest friends are Colombian and it's always a great pleasure to return and visit them.
Read:
Enjoying high quality coffee
First a little history:
Spanish brought the culture, but Colombia enriched it "Carnival" is living proof.
1525 - Spain begins the conquest of Colombia.
20th July 1810 Colombia gained independence.
1819 - Simon Bolivar defeats the Spanish at Boyaca. The Republic of Gran Colombia formed with Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela.
1829-30 - Gran Colombia dissolved when Venezuela and Ecuador split off, leaving present-day Colombia and Panama a separate state known as Nueva Granada.
20th July 1810 Colombia gained independence.
1819 - Simon Bolivar defeats the Spanish at Boyaca. The Republic of Gran Colombia formed with Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela.
1829-30 - Gran Colombia dissolved when Venezuela and Ecuador split off, leaving present-day Colombia and Panama a separate state known as Nueva Granada.
Guerrilla war
1965 - Leftist National Liberation Army (ELN) and Maoist People's Liberation Army (EPL) founded.
1966 - Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc, the current largest guerrilla grouping) set up.
1970 - National People's Alliance formed as a left-wing counterweight to the National Front.
1971 - Left-wing M-19 guerrilla group emerges.
1978 - President Julio Turbay (Liberal) begins an intensive fight against drug traffickers.
Peace talks
1998 - Andres Pastrana Arango - a Conservative - elected president, begins peace talks with guerrillas.
Plan Colombia
2000 July - Pastrana's "Plan Colombia" wins almost US$1 billion in mainly military aid from the US to fight drug-trafficking and rebels who profit and protect the trade.
A peace deal
with Farc 2017 - Colombia signs historic peace deal with Farc - peace agreement to end 53 years of conflict
Why you should travel to Colombia "A place waiting for you to discover it's beauty"
To be able to get off the tourist trail and visit remote villages that are situated in the heart of Colombia. So you can experience the real lives of Colombians and where you can see amazing tropical wildlife. Colombia has a wide diversity of landscapes and a very large biodiversity with some very interesting flora & fauna, especially the different types of birds you will see. You feel part of the natural wildlife where you can be surrounded by mountains and jungle even when you are in towns and cities you are not far away from an amazing view.
Is Colombia on your wish list?
Colombia - Where the people are friendly, a place where hospitality is second to none and one of the last backpacker frontiers. Colombia can get lively and there is lots of energy, fiestas almost every week! The world capital of salsa. Folklore and music can be seen and heard almost everywhere.
Staying with a family in Ibague gave me a lot of great moments, that really touched my heart and something that will stay with me forever. I made a lot of friends while in Colombia (and those living in England) who gave me the chance to know the real Colombia.
Geography:
The Location - Largely situated in the northwest of South America. The longest mountain range in the world (above water) "Los Andes" Near the Ecuadorian frontier, the Andes Mountains divide into three distinct, roughly parallel chains, called cordilleras, that extends northeastward almost to the Caribbean Sea. Altitudes reach more than 18,700 ft (5,700 m), the Sierra Nevada the highest point at over 5800 m With mountain peaks are permanently covered with snow, is the highest coastal mountain range in the world.
The central cordilleras range is part of the volcano belt, making a good area for coffee plantations.
The southern and eastern portions of the country are mostly sparsely inhabited tropical rain-forest, the Pacific on the west coast, the Atlantic on the North coast and Colombia borders with 5 counties to the northwest by Panama; to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru.
The 4th largest country in South America. Despite its large territory, (Colombia is over five times the size of the UK and 8.8 times the size of England) Colombia's population of 49 million is not evenly distributed, with most Colombians living in the mountainous western portion of the country as well as the northern coastline, most living in or near the capital city of Bogotá. The southern and eastern portions of the country are mostly sparsely inhabited tropical rain-forest's, and inland tropical plains containing large estates or large livestock farms, oil and gas production facilities, small farming communities and indigenous tribes.
The Magdalena is the main Colombian waterway. Colombia has plentiful oil, coal, and nickel that is exported with excess to two oceans.
Flora and fauna
Colombia is the second most biodiverse country in the world after Brazil. It also has more bird species - 1,958 at latest count - than any other country.
Climate: is mainly tropical as a result of its geographical location near the Equator, depending on the altitude, the temperature will drop but maintaining an average temperature throughout the year. Rain is likely at any time of the year with no real season variation.
Bogota
Alt: 2600 m With over 7 million people, is laid out across a large area. People commute by bus, the Transmilenio buses that run in their own bus lanes. The old part of town "Santa De" where the past is very present.
"It's easy to love Colombia as it loves you back" A country definitely moving forward. Colombia is growing in popularity as a destination for the independent traveller, as it has a lot to offer those who like a true adventure. Almost untouched by the outside world, but even Colombia is opening up to growing tourism, so you will need to get off the tourist trail and embrace the real Colombia. Hope you are ready for a great ride, if not just go with it, you will have the best travel experiences ever. The Colombian tourist board likes to promote "The only danger is wanting to stay" The other danger of wanting to stay longer for men is the beautiful woman (I am talking about the beauty within them). It's easy to make friends when travelling in Colombia and before long you will meet someone special.
Travel is the best education
"Behind every good Colombian is a good sandal - La Chancla" Where children are grown up to show respect and care for others from their family members.
The Colombian people are also hard working, with long working days and those who live and work in Bogota having to commute across the busy city. If you are poor, life can be very hard, there is no help like in the UK.
Someone living on a farm may have to get up very early each morning (4 am) to prepare the fire to cook arepas for the farmers, this could be one of the young children. Sometimes this work is harder than normal as the wood is often wet and makes a hard job even harder. Colombians do have a lot of talent - it seems everyone knows how to cook a great meal, without learning to be a chef. While many people in the UK put a pizza in the oven or buy a takeaway. The number one thing with a Colombian woman is cleanliness. Even if you think you are a clean person, you will learn there is more to showering once a day. And if you are not a clean person then Dios Mio! While the Colombian man may be macho, the Colombian woman is strong mentally and physically. They need to get on with everyday situations without much help financially. Support comes from friends and family with what little they can offer. And there is no waste, especially with food. There is a huge cultural difference: Religion is a big influence in everyday life, you may hear "gracias a Dios" many times when spending time with Colombians. Many Colombians don't have disposable money to spend on luxuries. Like us, the English probably spend money more easily on many things we don't really need and it is quite normal for us to eat out and buy coffee/beer on a regular basis. Urban living is not the same for everyone, there are big gaps between rich and poor. 70% of education is in the private sector. While there is still a large class divide, life for many is changing in Colombia, with more opportunities, Colombia is a happy country, becoming Tierra la Paz (Land of peace) has hope and having a young population there is a lot of energy.
Poor but happy
Why at first we might not understand why Colombians do things the way they do! It's from having a long history of some difficult times. In the city's doors are kept locked and you can see bars on every window "a reminder of the not so distant past" One thing for sure, they are very passionate about their country, it shows in their love of life particularly with music and sport. Where in England for many we have now started to lose this love as we don't seem to have a direction to aim for. (There is so much more to life than owning expensive items, "status symbols'' especially if you don't use them or have the skill to use them or even willing to learn the skill to use them) While our country is one of the richest in the world, but without knowing what we want, we can become unhappy. So why not visit the happiest country in the world? I'm lucky in the sense that I am old school. By that, I don't need the latest gadget and instead spend money and time on travelling. I am grateful for what I have, a lovely daughter, my little Colombian monkey, great friends, family, my job that I enjoy and a job that allows me time to travel. If you're looking for some adventure, then visit Colombia. Why not stay with a Colombian family, visit and stay at a small coffee farm or visit one of the many rivers, waterfalls and mountains/volcanoes that's off the tourist trail.
Some Colombian Spanish useful words:
That you will hear on your travels across Colombia.
Slang:
Chévere - Cool, "Que chevere!" to mean "how great!" or "how awesome!"
Bacano - Good, pretty, and lousy
Chiflis - Loco Crazy but good
Mono - Blonde or monkey
Culo. Better to say cola or rabo - backside/buttock
Amor - Love:
Mi vida - My life
Tan Bonita - So pretty Guapa/o - Beautiful
Pico - Peck (short tight-lipped kiss on the lips or cheeks)
¡Bueno! - That's enough!
Regalos - Presents Me regalas - Ask for something for free before actually paying for it
Muy amable - very kind of you
Comida - Food:
Buen Provecho! - Bon Appetite!
Look for the following dishes you must try:
Caldo de costilla - Beef rib soup (I have this for breakfast)
Sancocho - Is a traditional soup (often considered a stew)
Lechona - Consists of pork stuffed, yellow peas, green onion, yellow rice, and spices cooked in an outdoor, brick oven for about ten hours.
Sopa de mondongo - Soup made from diced tripe slow-cooked with vegetables
Tamal - Typically eaten Sunday lunchtimes
Buñuelos - A fried dough ball
Arepa de choclo - Sweet Corn Arepas with cheese
Patacon - Green plantain fried slices
Maduros - Ripe plantain cooked in the oven or BBQ with cheese
Queso campesino - Farm cheese
Longaniza - Spanish sausage
Rellena- black pudding
Aji - hot/spicy
Aroz con leche - rice pudding
Panela - block of unrefined whole sugar cane, very important in Colombia mainly used in drinks "Aguapanela" a sort of herbal tea and to sweeten up coffee that is sold on the streets.
Drinks
- Bebidas:
Chocolate caliente - Hot chocolate
Kumis - Fermented milk
Avena Colombiana - oat drink
Limonada de Coco Loco
Frutas - Fruits:
Tropical fruits are sold everywhere
Guayaba, Guanabana, Mora, Papaya, Lulo,
El campo:
Finca - Small coffee farm
Hasienda - Large coffee farm
Araña - Spider
Escorpion - Scorpion
Serpiente - Snake
Pajaro - Bird
Loro - Parrot
Árbol - Tree
Paisaje - Landscape
Paraje - Spot or place
Other words:
Extranjero/a - Foreigner
Mendigo - Beggar
Como estas
- Ways to ask how are you?
¿Que mas? - Reply with bien!
Estas bien o que?
A la orden - come in
Pasa - Enter
¡Adelante! - Means ahead or forward, also used to ask to sit at the front with the driver of the bus or jeep.
Negocio - Business
Dueno/a Owner or landlord
Vecino/a Neighbour
Maria, a Colombian, has a great YouTube channel Why Not Spanish?
Feliz adventure amigos. Hope to see you in Colombia....
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