Colombia is fantastic, I'm sad to be leaving.  Yes, the same Colombia that exports the majority of the world's cocaine, and the same one with FARQ guerillas hanging out in the Amazon.  Despite the negative media attention Colombia tends to get, it's easy to be here and wonder if that's the same Colombia you're in.

Think Beyond the Bad Reputation
I really can't encourage people enough, to look past Colombia's bad past, and experience the present.  Colombia is a country with extreme beauty: from paradise beaches to superb mountain vistas, these views are only rivaled by the beauty of their people.  After our 7 weeks here I feel like I could spend another 7 weeks seeing more sights and further enjoying all that Colombia has to offer.   

What makes this such a fantastic country you might wonder?  Well, I'll let you in on the secrets not enough travelers venture to experience themselves.  


Here's my list of the top 5 things we did in Colombia (and you should do too):
1. paraglide over Chicamocha Canyon (blog post)

2. sleep in hammocks in Parque Tayrona (blog post)

3. Enjoy some city sophistication : visit the Gold Museum in Bogotá or Botero Museum in Medellín

4. salsa dance in Cali or Bogotá

5. walk the cobble-stoned streets of colonial Barichara (blog post)


Are you sure it's really safe?
There's no denying there are risks to traveling in Colombia.  The reason I say to look past them, is that the current government administration works really hard to make their country as safe as it can possibly be, and the dangerous areas that exist are small in relation to all that is safe and accessible in Colombia. 

There is a strong police and military presence in Colombia, and after 10+ months in Latin America I feel safer having police and armed guards around - to me it means the authorities have control.  Colombia police line highways throughout the country, walk neighborhood streets, and especially patrol tourist areas, because improving their reputation is so important to the country, and tourist safety is a high priority.

We also kept a close watch on the going-on in Colombia by reading papers, following news feeds, and talking with locals.  I don't think we would have had many problems if we hadn't been so vigilant (I know some backpackers aren't), but I rested easier at night.  For 1, it's a way to relate with locals, and 2, it's handy to know when a protest is coming into town, a volcano is rumbling, or the Miss Colombia pageant is going on.


Ok, wait, you said Protest...
Colombians like their protests.  These people march.  It's their way of exercising their freedom of speech, and while we've been here there have been at least 3 big marches.  

1. a few hundred college students & faculty marched about 4 days for more university funding
2. thousands of indigenous people marched (and drove) about 400 miles over a month's time for more workers' rights
3. hundreds of thousands of Colombians throughout the country marched and protested throughout cities around the country after the collapse of pyramid investment schemes that stole millions of dollar

Marches like these seem to be a way of life in South America, and they are organized and supported by local police and government, at least here in Colombia. 


And there's so much more.
I can't put all that's great about Colombia in one blog post (but we do have others!).  Colombia wasn't on our "agenda" before we left the states, and in fact we promised parents and loved ones we wouldn't be coming here, all based on the reputation and bad things we'd heard about Colombia.  Once on the road though, countless travelers told us of the geographical beauty and unforgetable experiences they had while there, and that it would be our highlight of South America.

While I can't confirm yet that Colombia was the best thing that happened to us in South America, I can say that it exceeded every expectation I had for it, and I can't wait to go back.  From here on out, I too will tell travelers not to pass over Colombia, you won't be disappointed.

Colombia is a really dangerous country filled with drug dealers, terrorists, theives, kidnappers, bombs, guns, flame-throwers, DMV waiting lines, cannibals, nuclear warfare, and bunnies (with large teeth).  Or so they would have you think.


In reality Colombia feels like a second home now, even though we spent only 50 days there.  And it might be the only country so far that I am actually sad to leave.  The people were so nice and the scenery was so magnificent, I'm just afraid that nothing else will measure up to it.  It's really a shame that there is a large section of people who deem Colombia too dangerous or foreboding to go.  In fact, I think there are quite a few bad myths circulating in Colombia.

Myth 1: It's Dangerous

True, it ain't Europe in terms of safety and with some normal precautions, nothing will happen to you.  The only time we even heard of anyone getting robbed was in Bogota and usually the story started with "I was walking back from the bars at 11..."  If it's dark, get a cab.  Simple as that.  Other than that, I found the country to be quite laid-back and tranquil.  In fact, it was hard to imagine that at one point, the country was not in a good place.  Not once did I feel like someone was going to do any harm to us.  If you're not doing drugs, working for a human rights organization, or traipsing off by yourself in the jungle, there's nothing to worry about.  In fact, the most serious threat for a traveler is car accidents.  But, then again, road safety isn't any better in the other Latin American countries.


Myth 2: Outside of Cartegena and the Caribbean coast, there's nothing to do

Bah.  I actually enjoyed the interior of the country much better.  In fact, Cartegena is not on my list of places to go back to in Colombia.  The interior has so much more to offer and is actually more relaxed than the coast.  I particularly enjoyed

the colonial town of Barichara

the beautiful scenery and adventure sports near San Gil

the sophistication of Bogota

the people and surroundings of Manizales

and the night life of Medellin.

This is also leaving out all the things that I wanted to do but we still didn't have time to do: hiking in Parque National Cucuy, going to Salento to see the towering palm trees, visiting the pre-colombian sites of San Augustin and Tierradentro, and riding the improvised railway to San Cipriano, amongst others.

Myth 3: I need to know Spanish

I heard about this before going to Colombia, but in reality there are a lot of people who spoke fluent English.  And given the friendliness of the people, I doubt it would be hard to find someone to help you out with what you are doing.  Sure, having Spanish helps, but I found the level of English in Colombia to be better than most other places in Latin America.


Myth 4: I probably won't like the food there

Sure, there are a number of places that serve your standard meat, rice, and beans but I found the variety of food in Colombia to be way better than what we found in Central America.  You can find just about any type of international food you want in the cities and if you're jonesn' for a hamburger or hotdog, Colombia's got your back; they're a pretty popular food that you can find just about anywhere. 

In Cartegena, you can snack on fresh seafood:

In Bogota, you can have some Colombian fusian food:

In Medellin, you can eat all the meat you ever could want in a bandeja paisa:

And let's not forget the fruit.  Think of all the different types of fruit you have tried in your life.  Now double or triple that and you have the variety of fruit that can be found there.  I wish I could tell you the names of all of them, but a lot of them don't have an equivalent name in English, because they simply don't exist in English-speaking countries.  There is seriously so much fruit that sometimes locals don't even know their names!  And of course with fruit, comes the best fruit juices you've ever had.


Are you convinced yet?  Let me put it this way: if you were thinking of going to any country in South America (Peru, Chile, Argentina, Ecuador), think about going to Colombia.  I guarantee that you will have a good time and come home with some new friends!