Welcome to Colombia!
Colombia is a well-developed, modern country with a diverse landscape and some of the friendliest people in South America! However, to many people Colombia is just the land of coffee and cocaine. (Yes, both Juan Valdez and Pablo Escobar are from Colombia.) But since I’m not a fan of either (actually, have never tried either) I wanted to see what else Colombia has to offer. . .
In South America, Colombia has a reputation for beautiful landscapes and friendly people – and thus far, I’ve found both to be true! Colombia is amazingly diverse: with beaches on both the Atlantic and Pacific, coffee plantations, colonial towns, Amazon jungle, villages high in the Andes, modern cities, and several indigenous groups. In fact, Colombia has the third largest Spanish-speaking population in the world (after Mexico and Spain).
Of course, the other side of Colombia does exist. There are regions still “controlled” by the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) and the cocaine trade. The situation is very sad – due to decades of conflict between the guerrillas and the government (and US forces) one in 20 Colombians has been displaced from homes and villages. In fact, I was amazed to learn that Colombia is home to more displaced persons than any other country on earth except the Sudan!
These are the images that many people have when they think of Colombia.* Fortunately, the tide has turned in the past decade and the violence is under control. The country is safe for travel (as long as certain regions are avoided) and, due to its reputation, is actually ideal for travel because so much of it is still largely untouristed and untouched.
After a few weeks in the country, I have to agree with the Colombian tourism board: Colombia -- the only danger is that you will never leave!
* The first picture is the swat team in Bogota standing on the sidelines at a scheduled, peaceful protest. The second is an actor filming a scene for Colombian television. Neither situation was dangerous!
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Thank you for explaining the photos--I was about to come get you!
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