Enjoy Colombia: Cartagena, Bogota, and more!
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Colombia es bella!
Colombia is a beautiful, interesting, complex, exotic country. It is the 26th largest country in the world, with an area more than twice that of France. It is the only country that enjoys both Pacific and Atlantic (via the Caribbean) coasts. Colombia is the largest Spanish-speaking nation in South America.
In spring 2007 I had the opportunity to experience this gorgeous country first-hand. I admit I was a little anxious at first, given the usual international headlines about the problems that Colombia faces. However, when my good friend from Bogota sent out an open invitation to all his friends to join him on a tour, I could not pass up the opportunity.
I read as many articles as I could find on Colombia. Colombia's security situation has improved significantly in recent years. The Economist reported that Colombian tourism officials expected 1.5 million foreign visitors in 2006 (final tallies were still pending at press time), an impressive 50 per cent increase from the previous year.
Our itinerary included stops in Bogota, Cartagena, Santa Marta, Islas Rosarias, Taganga and Parque Tayrona. Wow! I had the most amazing time ever. I fell in love with Colombia's festive music and culture, lively nightlife, Spanish colonial architecture, beautiful landscapes, friendly people, exotic fruits, and more. Colombia is amazing. This lens is my little way of sharing the beauty of Colombia. :-)
Images of Colombia
Travel to Colombia. Right now. Wherever you are, with these wonderful videos. :)
Bogota, Colombia
Bogota, the Colombian capital, is one of the highest cities elevation-wise in South America, sitting at about 8,660 feet above sea level. The Andes mountains are located to the east of the city, which provides an easy landmark when navigating around the city.Home to about 8 million people, Bogota is the political, financial, and service center of Colombia. Central Bogota is the heart of the city, with historical La Candelaria and Plaza Bolivar serving as the primary landmarks in this section of town. The north part of the city is modern and upscale, with many cafes, clubs, shops, and parks. The south part of the city is very poor. Most tourists spend time in the central and northern parts of the city.
Bogota's Ciclo-Ruta
There are some great biking paths throughout the city. In fact, Bogota is a city with the most extensive network of bike paths in the world! Called the Ciclo-Ruta in Spanish, 70 miles of roads are closed to cars every Sunday, 7 a.m. - 2 p.m., and over 1.5 million people "take over" to walk, run, bike, skate or to people watch. These paths were designed and built during the administration of Mayor Enrique Peñalosa. La Candelaria
Bogota's Historic Center
One of my favorite places in the city to stroll and enjoy a cup of Colombian coffee is La Candelaria. This is the historic center of the city. It has a rustic vibe and overall is quite well preserved. Narrow streets, colorfully painted two-story buildings with colonial style balconies. La Candelaria is located adjacent to the official governmental buildings so given the presence of governmental guards nearby, it is one of the safest areas. At night it is a bit more isolated and I am told not as safe since most people do not actually live in this area. La Candelaria: Donacion Botero
Fernando Botero, artist and sculptor of those rolypoly people
A wonderful museum in La Candelaria is Donacion Botero, a museum devoted to the works of Colombia's most famous artist and sculptor, Fernando Botero. Enjoy paintings of all those rolypoly people and objects. This painting here is one of my favorites. When I saw it I thought, "yes, if I lived in Colombia and had a menu of all these delicious sweets all the time, I would start painting fat fruit and sweets as well." Ha! A special treat is the fact that this fantastic museum, which is housed in a restored colonial mansion, is open to the public for free. Nice. :-)Adjacent to the Botero museum, is Casa de la Moneda, which houses a collection of several permanent exhibitions including paintings by renowned Colombian artists Guillermo Wiedemann and Luis Caballero. This museum is worthwhile to stop in, if only because of its convenient location and the fact that it is also free to visit.
Juan Valdez Cafe
Before there was starbucks ... ;-)
The starbucks of Colombian coffee shops, Juan Valdez Cafe is a necessary stop following a visit to the Botero museum. It's a popular hang-out for students (there is a university nearby) as well as for museum visitors. I especially enjoyed the large variety of dulce de leche lattes and espressos. Typical Colombian. Mmmm! :) Bogota: Cerro de Monserrate
The best view of the city!
A journey up the teleferico (cable car) is definitely a worthwhile trip. Monserrate is one of the peaks in the mountain range overlooking Bogota. It's a recognizable landmark from the city below since there is a church perched on top.Once at the top, you will see amazing views of the entire city of Bogota below. In addition, looking east, you can see the endless panorama of forests in the Andes. It's hard to believe this expansive, beautiful forest is so close to such an urban city. But afterall, I guess that makes sense since Bogota is nestled alongside the Andes! :)
There are several cafes, a very nice restaurant, and fast food kiosks at Monseratte around the church.
Bogota: Parque de 93
Located in the northern part of the city, Parque de 93 is surrounded by many cafes, restaurants, shops, and cafes.One of my favorite restaurants, "Crepes y Waffles", is located on the north side of the park by El Centro del Diseno/Portobello. This restaurant is unique in that it not only serves the best crepes and waffles in the city for the most reasonable price ever, it also has a really good social philosophy.
Exotic Colombian fruits are a special treat. Crepes y Waffles uses these fruits to create some amazing varieties of gelato. Lulo, curuba (banana passion fruit), maracuya (passion fruit) and guanabana are a few of the varieties.
Of course there is another Juan Valdez Cafe at Parque de 93 as well. Like starbucks in the U.S., these cafes are found throughout Bogota. This one is located on the park's eastside. This Cafe provides internet wi-fi. Chia (outside of Bogota): Andres Carne de Res
Andres Carne de Res. This place is LOCA! Crazy fun. Just go. The grill and restaurant are amazing. Mojitos served in gigantic coconut shells. Decadent barbecued, grilled everything. The most lively, festive dance party ever. I love this place :) Colonial, Charming Cartagena de Indias
Cartagena is a beautifully preserved colonial city located on the Caribbean. Founded in 1533 by Spanish conquerors, Cartagena today is a UNESCO World Heritage site.In its colonial days, Cartagena served as a major port to transport gold, silver, and all sorts of products from all over the continent back to the Old World. Attacks by pirates and others inspired the Spaniards to construct a fortress and wall around the city. Cartagena was one of the first sanctuaries for freed slaves. Today its population reflects a diverse ethnic mix.
The city is Colombia's most popular tourist destination, both for foreign visitors and Colombians who live abroad. It is a port city for cruise ships and hosts many events and conventions, including the popular Literary Festival at the end of January.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Colombia's favorite writer, based his famed book, "Love in the Time of Cholera" in Cartagena.
Parque Nacional Tayrona
Where fresh water rivers meet the salty sea, lies a jungle and national park named Parque Tayrona. The vegetation is dense, green, and lush. There are hiking trails and waterfalls and pools in which to swim.We climbed up rocks - barefoot because it was so slippery, and passed waterfalls along the way. It was like walking, climbing through a rainforest.
Beautiful.
Parque Nacional Tayrona - beaches
One day we hiked through Parque Tayrona to a beach area called La Piscina. The views were delicious. Temperate ocean water. Coconut shells washed up on the beach.On another day I walked from our eco-lodge right out to the ocean, a vast stretch of virgin beach where the only footprints left were my own. Nice.
Official Sites of Top Colombian Artists
- Carlos Vives
- Official Site
- Shakira
- Official Site
- Juanes
- Official Site
Photojourney through Colombia ...
Favorites - Colombian Books
One Hundred Years of Solitude (Oprah's Book Club) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
With One Hundred Years of Solitude Gabriel García more...0 points
The Making of Modern Colombia: A Nation in Spite of Itself by David Bushnell
A history of Colombia from the struggle for indepe more...0 points
Taste of Colombia by Benjamin Villegas
This book is a treasure chest of more than 133 rec more...0 points
Excellent Colombia Films
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Nobel prize-winning author more...1 point
Maria Full of Grace
Sundance Film Festival: Winner, Audience Award 200 more...0 points
Plan Colombia: Cashing in on the Drug War Failure
Colombia: third largest recipient of US foreign ai more...0 points
Colombia ...
yin and yang
Colombia, as beautiful as it is, is not without its share of problems. I'm including the following unfortunate statistics to increase awareness and provide balance to this lens. Maybe this info will inspire some creative ways to help those in need in Colombia.Colombia ranks as a global leader in the number of victims injured by landmines. According to "Landmine Monitor 2006," Colombia had 1,110 victims last year, followed by Cambodia with 875 and Afghanistan with 848.
Colombia also suffers from the longest-running civil war in Latin America, which has resulted in 3 million internally displaced persons - one of the world's highest levels, close to that of Sudan, Congo, and Iraq.
The conflict persists mostly in southern regions. However, many displaced people from regions of conflict flee to the urban cities, and end up living in poverty on the outskirts of town.
Philanthropy in Colombia
- Fundación Pies Descalzos (Bare Feet Foundation) - Helping Colombian Children
- Founded by Shakira in 1995, the Fundación Pies Descalzos (Bare Feet Foundation) is a Colombian charity with special schools for poor children in Quibdó (a city on the Pacific coast of Colombia) and Barranquilla.
According to official statistics, 57000 children were reportedly displaced in 2004. The Pies Descalzos Foundation schools are able to help 4.6% of these children. - Mi Sangre Foundation - Helping Victims of Landmines
- Colombia is the world's most affected country by landmines, with one victim every eight hours, averaging 3 victims a day. (Source: World Mine Monitor)
It is the only country in Latin America where landmines are installed. The Mi Sangre Foundation, founded by Colombian rock star Juanes, brings awareness to this problem in Colombia and the world and assists victims. In addition, the Foundation funds early childhood education programs in 42 municipalities, so that children "make a different decision, so they don't pick up arms to solve conflicts. (Juanes)" - Escuela Nueva Foundation: Improved Education for Children
- Escuela Nueva Foundation in Bogota, Colombia: the Foundation's main strategic objective has been to improve the quality of primary education in rural and struggling urban schools and, through specialized programs, to include internally displaced and other excluded children. EN programs are now used throughout Colombia, in both urban and rural areas.
Since 1995, the model has been adopted in 12 Latin American countries, Uganda, and the Philippines. It is estimated that the EN program has reached 5 million children worldwide.
More Info on Colombia
- Poor But Happy
- A great source of information on travel in Colombia!
- Background: Politics
- Information and history of Colombia's current political situation.
- The Guide to Cartagena, Colombia
- Everything you want to know about Cartagena!
- Andres Carne de Res - the Best Party in Bogota!
- Located just outside Bogota in Chia, Andres Carne de Res is simply the best party in town.
- Frommer's on Travel in Colombia
- More info on travel in Colombia.
- Crepes y Waffles - in Bogota and Cartagena
- Be sure to stop by this wonderful creperie. Delicious crepes, waffles, gelato. Mmmm! :)
- All About Colombian Coffee
- Who is Juan Valdez and the National Federation of Colombian Coffee Growers?
- Video on Colombia's Displaced People
- Video report covering Colombia's displaced people.
- Conexion Colombia
- A virtual community for Colombians and friends of Colombia worldwide.
Thank you for visiting. Please drop a note :)
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hola007
Aug 12, 2007 @ 11:08 pm | delete
- Gracias graceonline. I am glad you enjoyed this lens. Thanks also for sharing the info on Gaviotas. Wonderful :)!
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Graceonline
Aug 11, 2007 @ 8:36 pm | delete
- This is a fabulous lens. What a journey! Thank you. Colombia is also home to Gaviotas, a sustainable village that built itself from the desert floor in the midst of civil war and re-grew the jungle, almost by accident.
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Credits
Almost all photos in this lens were taken by me. There are a few photos taken by others - thank you for sharing them in Photobucket. Thank you also to the talented creators of the wonderful YouTube videos.
100% of proceeds from this lens will go to RoomToRead, a wonderful organization that is working hard to build libraries and schools for children in developing countries.
Thank you for visiting. :-)
100% of proceeds from this lens will go to RoomToRead, a wonderful organization that is working hard to build libraries and schools for children in developing countries.
Thank you for visiting. :-)
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by hola007
Hola! I live in San Francisco, Ca and had the opportunity to visit Colombia recently. This lens is created to share the beauty of Colombia. Thanks for... more »
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