I’m not a coffee drinker. Never have been. In fact, if I can claim any caffeine loyalties, they’d be with tea, what with my comically British ancestry and tenures living in both London and Dublin (one of my coworkers in Dublin took nine tea breaks a day; he later cut it to seven in the [...]
Is Colombia safe for travelers? If you’ve ever heard the name Escobar, or FARC, or seen Blow, this question might give you pause. And that’s okay. Your safety is always worth your time when travel and unfamiliarity collide—especially when the world around you keeps rolling out reasons to worry, as it has with Colombia. The Republic [...]
Boh-goh-TA. The emphasis is on the last syllable in Bogotá, Colombia’s emerging capital, and that’s important. The failure to confidently push out that last “a”—to release the city’s name on a promising, upward trajectory—is a common occurrence here in the United States, whether by way of unfamiliarity, laziness (me, pre-visit), or whatever. Again, this [...]
In America, “Cali” is an abbreviated form of California. You may not always feel good about hearing it, but if the term is dropped on Uncle Sam’s turf, chances are your speaker is calling your attention to our most golden state. But in Colombia, “goin’ back to Cali” means something else entirely. Abbreviated from Santiago [...]
Tourist Towns – we’ve all been to one. These are the places where we’re herded in groups through areas that found their way onto the well-worn tourist track. These places are recognizable by their parking lots for tourist buses, sunburnt tourists and the “local” restaurants that have menus in seven different languages. Cartagena, a picture-perfect [...]
I recently returned from a short visit to Bogota, Colombia – I was there for less than 48 hours. My friends and family all asked: what could one possibly do with less than two days in a city of that size? You’d be surprised. Despite its reputation, Bogota has a lot to offer the traveler [...]
Medellin pronounced “Meda-jean” in Colombia, South America is a vibrant city located in a valley about 626 miles northeast of Bogotá and about an hour and a half from the Amazon. There has been an enormous educational, cultural, social, and urban transformation in Medellin. Today about 2 million tourists visit this city each year, a [...]
The most memorable dining experience I have ever had in my life occurred at El Cielo in Medellin, Colombia. Literally, the night was a sensual feast for all senses. We had what they call 11 moments. One can have up to 20 moments. The chef Juan Manuel Barrientos, winner of several awards, has created a gastronomic [...]
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