Colombia

Visited: 1997, constant visits 2000-04, June 2019

Duration of visit: 90 days

Capital city: Bogota

Population: 51 million (2019)

• Cartagena – standing on the greatest fortress constructed by the Spaniards in the New World and contemplating how Spanish galleys transported plundered wealth to Europe.
• Observing the world’s largest sea turtles – leatherback turtles – nestling in Acandí.
• Travelling with locals offered me a unique experience to understand Colombian culture.
• Some remote areas can be dangerous and impassable at night, but also extremely difficult to travel due to lack of proper transport.
• Medellin – transformation from drug capital of the world in the times of Pablo Escobar to the most beautiful city in Colombia.
• Business trips to Cali and Bogota while living in Quito lead me to the conclusion that extreme caution is absolutely necessary when doing business with Colombians.
• Family trip in 2019 to visit the areas of Medellin, Eje cafetero and the tallest palm trees of the world in Cocora Valley.

1997 – Colombia is a country with bad reputation, not recommended to visit and unsafe to travel. The main reason is the fact that the country offers refuge to cocaine cartels & drug traffickers. Also called Locombia – the crazy country is the largest producer of cocaine in the world and the state with the oldest anti-government military movement in South America, responsible for never ending civil war since 1964.

The consequences are constant clashes between the military, guerrillas and cocaine moguls with numerous car bombs in the heart of major cities, thousands of kidnappings, deaths and tremendous fear of poor people in rural areas.

2019 – One of the most vibrant countries in South America has changed a lot since my first visit. Through constant negotiations with guerillas and fighting drug cartels, the security in the country is on much higher level. The Murder capital of the World – Medellin, transformed into country’s main center of innovations, top tourist destination and a hub for digital nomads in South America.

Colombia still accounts for the majority of worldwide coca cultivation at 61%, but it seems that the violence has been under control. Unique biodiversity, fascinating archaeological sites, rumba, Caribbean beaches and hospitality, have transformed the country named after Christopher Columbus to one of the most popular destinations in South America.

If I had paid attention to the news, reports and listened to various omniscient advisors, I would probably never have discovered the other side of the country, named after the famous sailor, Christopher Columbus. Since Colombia was part on my 15-months Big Tour around Americas, which started in New York City and ended 15 months later in Argentina, I couldn’t avoid it …. and I didn’t want to avoid it. In a few weeks of traveling around the country, I barely noticed the ingredients of Locombia. I got in touch with Colombia and Colombians in a completely opposite form.

Colombia used to represent El Dorado – a hidden treasure – for Spaniards looking for gold. El Dorado is a legend, generated from the ceremony of the Muisca people. The legend speaks of a kingdom or city, covered in gold and emeralds thanks to its rich mines of these materials. Today El Dorado is reflected in the eyes of adventure-seeking travelers who have been discovering beautiful natural setting, well preserved colonial cities, hospitality of its inhabitants, historical archeological sites in the south, mysterious lost city of Ciudad Perdida and the vast Amazon rainforest.

Colombia is a very large country for European standards (its area is about the same as the area of France, Spain and Portugal combined), so traveling from one end to the other takes a lot of time. Colombian highways are ordinary two-lane roads with many unexpected surprises in the form of holes or even ramps that can suck in or spit out small vehicles. Driving on these roads can be very dangerous, even more at the expense of careless drivers. When I was traveling from Cartagena to Bogota, I saw at least ten minor accidents on the road.

I arrived to Colombia by boat from Panama on the Caribbean side. There is no land connection in the form of a formal road between Panama and Colombia through the Darien rainforest yet, and it is unlikely to change in the near future. This area is one of the most savage in Colombia, beside rainforest in the Amazon and some violent big cities. While Darien and Amazon offer refuge to guerrilla groups (FARC, ELN and M-19), big cities like Barranquilla, Medellin or Cali are known for numerous robberies, bombings and kidnappings. I avoided almost all of these regions.

My first stop was a small village called Acandí. It is mentioned in all tourist guides as an uninteresting stopover on the Caribbean coast with a few restaurants and hotels for casual passers-by, with no road connection to the rest of the world. It will definitely remain in my memory as one of the most magnificent experiences on the trip, at least as far as natural beauty is concerned.

Numerous leatherback turtles, considered to be the world’s largest sea turtles, come to a beach some 100 meters away from the cottage where I was staying. Over two hundred of them swim to the shore every year from February to August, after spending most of the year in Costa Rica and Mexico. The only purpose of their visit is to lay eggs in the warm sand at night.

During the night walk on the beach, I had the opportunity to observe one of them at work. First, it digs a hole in which two types of eggs are laid – a large one from which the turtles will hatch and small ones that provide heat. Then it slowly starts to fill the pit with the help of fins and finally erases all traces. During the action, a turtle releases such sad voices (noises) that almost made me crying. I got a feeling that the turtle was overcoming a huge effort and tremendous pain during the process of laying eggs.

Acandí beach is considered to be the second most important nesting sites of the leatherback sea turtle in the world. Local communities consider the leatherback turtle a symbol and part of the region’s cultural, touristic and ecological heritage. Despite the fact that many turtles during the year live at completely other side of the ocean, they keep coming back to their birthplace when it comes to laying eggs.

At midday our boat was ready to navigate from Capurganá to Turbo. First two hours were comfortable and smooth: rather calm sea with small waves forced us to be cautious, but relaxed. We stopped at villages to pick up and drop passengers, until only six of us were left on board from the original 20 people.

The last two hours turned out into a nightmare. Rough sea showed its power. The water poured in the boat from all sides, seriously scaring all passengers. I was as wet as if I had jumped into the sea and swam. Voyagers in the back part of the vessel were affected even more. They tried to protect themselves with plastic foil, but it didn’t help. However, it wouldn’t even be such a problem if we were just wet. The sun hid behind the clouds, the temperatures dropped. I was chilled to the bone.

At around 5:00pm we arrived to Turbo, according to fellow travelers one of the most dangerous cities in Colombia. It didn’t seem like anything special to me, I walked around the city a bit, had a late dinner and watched a group of boys playing soccer until late in the evening.

If Acandí is considered to be seldomly visited by only a few travelers, then situation in Cartagena is completely reversed: the city is highlighted on the itinerary of literally all visitors to Colombia, many times being the only place to be visited (for cruise ships).

Cartagena is one of the first established Spanish cities in South America (in 1533). Due to its location, it soon became the most important port from which Spanish galleys transported plundered wealth to Europe. To safeguard the city from always annoying pirates, the Spaniards protected it with a few meters’ wide walls. On top of the hill a large fortress, offering a great overview of the whole of Cartagena area, was constructed.

San Felipe de Barajas Fortress – the largest fortress in the city, took over 200 years and 245 tons of gold to build.  No wonder why it is considered the greatest fortress constructed by the Spaniards in the New World. Today, the main attraction of the city is appraised as one of the seven wonders of Cartagena, a recognition that accredits it as one of the largest structures built in Colombian territory.

Eventually the pirate era was finished. Lately, Cartagena has been attacked by huge amounts of tourists. Many luxury hotels, right on the shores of the Caribbean Sea, where the sun always shines, attract affluent guests from Europe, US and Japan. Backpackers can settle down in the old – cheaper – part of town. Most of inexpensive hotels and guesthouses are located on Calle de la Media Luna. At night streets in this area are completely empty. Only lost souls under influence of alcohol or drugs dare to walk around in the dark. You can be an easy prey of pickpockets, especially if you have a gringo look.

Walking through the old part of the city within the city walls took me back to the colonial era. Beautifully restored colonial buildings huddle together; colorful wooden balconies flourish over the narrow streets. Numerous cafes, restaurants, bars and clubs are fighting for customers at night, while souvenir shops, Colombian originated products stores and tourist agents compete during the day.

Despite the fact that Cartagena is located on the Caribbean coast, its beaches are nothing special. Dirty water due to the proximity of its port were pushing swimmers far away. When I walked outside of the touristic areas, I discovered the other side of Cartagena. The city itself has long since transcended the confines of a mighty wall; suburbs with poor slums are also common in Cartagena.

The distance from Cartagena to Bogota is over 1,000 kilometers. Considering the road status, traffic jams and checkpoints, the ride lasts even more time than under normal circumstances. I was planning to travel by bus before meeting a Colombian couple at Cartagena fortress, who invited me to join them in a car. Olga and Juan Carlos, originally from Bogota, were middle class workers, spending their vacations in Cartagena.

A small Chevrolet was comfortable enough for me in the back side, giving me the opportunity to find out more about life of Colombian family. We were stopping at roadside traditional restaurants, slept in an improvised hotel, tasting delicious mangos and practicing Spanish. On Day 1 we came only halfway. The first part of the trip on perfectly paved road didn’t last much time, since the road conditions have deteriorated. After dinner in a simple restaurant along the road, we decided to stay overnight. The restaurant owner offered us a room on the second floor, but the heat didn’t let me sleep at all.

On Day 2 we started as early as 4:00am. It was still dark, when I took a morning shower; the lights were not working. At least the water was refreshing. I was not feeling well; constant curves and lack of sleep were the main reason. Juan Carlos asked me to drive, but I was not feeling safe to do it in Colombia. Many crashed vehicles on the side of the road were a proof of crazy drivers that I could face in any moment. Two accidents on Day 1 were an evidence of imprudent drivers that lose patience and forget about consequences before taking hazard decisions to pass slower vehicles at any cost.

We arrived to Bogota in the late afternoon. Olga invited me to their home to meet the kids, rest and evaluate her cooking capability. I was honored to stay for one night in a modest apartment, meet the neighbors, played with their son Juan and enjoyed homemade, fresh arepas – grilled round corn patties, topped with butter, cheese and avocado. Delicious!

Colombia’s capital, Bogota, with a population of more than seven million people (in 1997), is another major Latin American capital drowning in traffic chaos. It takes more than an hour to move 10 kilometers around the city center in rush hour traffic. It doesn’t matter if you are in a car or bus.

On the roads of Bogota, all possible and impossible means of transport invented by the inhabitants of our planet can be found; state-of-the-art cars, horse-drawn carriages, motorcycles, bicycles, antique buses, museum trucks … running into each other, overtaking, cursing and blowing the horn. The lack of underground metro trains is a noticeable handicap that cannot be leveraged by any other vehicle on the roads.

Nowhere else have I noticed so many security guards, soldiers, or police as on the streets of Bogota. Many of them have a machine gun in their hands and just in case there is a gun and an indispensable baton as a backup in the holster.

Colombia is known for the largest number of police officers killed in the world (both in absolute and relative terms), so their complete combat armament is understandable.

In Bogotá, they have little to do with various terrorist riots; many more problems are caused by the constant strikes of ordinary citizens. At least every three days, a group of people find some reason to march through the streets, blocking the main intersections, causing chaos or despair. If they don’t happen to find any good reason, corrupt and spoiled government is always a decent excuse to protest.

I visited only one museum in Bogota and it’s definitely worth of every peso entrance fee: The Museum of Gold (Museo del Oro). With 30,000 exhibited gold objects from pre-colonial times, it represents the largest collection of this type in the world. A special room called El Dorado is dedicated to the legendary lake – Laguna de Guatavita.

The lagoon was once an important place of worship for the Muisca Indians, where they donated gold objects and food to the highest deities. During the ceremony the ruler himself was supposed to navigate towards the middle of the lake on the golden raft. He sprinkled gold dust all over his body and bathed in the lake. Despite the great efforts of the Spaniards, very little wealth was discovered. It is believed that most of sacrificed gold objects are still hidden at the bottom of the mystical lake.

I also visited the underground salt cathedral in the village of Zipaquira, Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá, which served as an underground salt mine in the past. When salt excavation stopped, large crosses, an altar and a central hall were carved into the walls; the mine was renamed as the Cathedral. According to the local guide, this Roman catholic church 200 meters under the surface is the largest underground cathedral in the world, but it is not yet fully completed. The Jewel of Modern Architecture is one of the most notable achievements of Colombian architecture.

Bogota is far from being a safe place. City authorities have been trying to do everything to make the capital of Colombia more decent and secure place. One of the important measures is that it is forbidden to carry any kind of weapon, machete, knifes or other dangerous objects.

I was always carrying a Swiss Army knife with me until unexpected security check at the central bus station, when it was spotted in my backpack. If I hadn’t started yelling, screaming and making chaos out of it, I would have definitely stayed without my knife forever. The soldier, who initially wanted to take the knife away from me, became so embarrassed at the intervention of his boss that he even offered help, finding a bus for my trip to San Agustin.

Due to many stories how dangers Medellin and Cali were at the time of my visit, I avoided these two places for security reasons. I especially regret for not visiting Medellin, since I later found out from other travelers that it was not at all as awful as it was quoted in the news.

Apparently, security in Medellin has improved a lot since Pablo Escobar violent attacks in the early 1990s and his death in 1993. It has become a beautifully landscaped colonial town, known for stunning girls and fashion industry center of Colombia. From Bogota I continued my trip directly towards the south-western part, where two small archeological sites in San Agustin and Tierradentro are located.

San Agustin is one of the most important archeological sites on the American continent. The area was once inhabited by a mysterious civilization that left behind numerous statues, stone carved figures and underground tombs. According to archaeologists, they lived in the period from 6^th to 14^th century AD. The reason for their mysterious demise is still unknown.

So far, about 500 sculptures with animal and human images of very different sizes have been discovered. The largest measures as much as 7 meters in height. The area was without a doubt a ceremonial center where important people were buried. The whole archeological park is very nicely arranged. The ISIC student card helped me with the entrance fee and extremely friendly locals assisted me with recommendations for food and accommodation.

It took me half a day drive from San Augustin to another important archaeological site in southern Colombia. As the name of the town itself suggests (Tierradentro = underground), most of the remains were found in large underground tombs (hypogea), carved into the volcanic tuff. The largest tombs remind on some kind of oval rooms with a diameter of approximately 10 meters, dating from 6^th to 10^th centuries. The walls are painted with geometric, anthropomorphic and zoomorphic patterns in red, black and white.

Some of them are still perfectly preserved today. Concrete stairs lead from surface to the interior. Unfortunately, most of the tombs were looted before being discovered by archaeologists; from about 100 tombs discovered so far, only 7 are suitable for visiting.

The area of ​​San Agustin is not only known for the archaeological remains of mysterious civilizations, but also for cockfighting.

Pelea de gallos has a similar meaning to the locals as heavy weight boxing duel to the wealthy Americans. It contains everything you need for a good weekend party: two trained athletes, a noisy audience, excitement, joy, sadness, betting, drinking and cheering.

On Saturday night at 9:00pm, I squeezed with a group of locals in the trunk of a pick-up truck that didn’t offer any comfort during one-hour drive to the arena. We were tossed along the dirt road from one end of the trunk to the other. Three roosters – first-class fighters – had much more comfort warming up in the safe shelter inside the cabin receiving a lot of tenderness, seasoned with soft kisses on their heads by the owner.

Upon arrival, roosters were first measured, checked and their age determined, before being locked in a cage, where they waited for their opponent in the appropriate category.

Duels take place continuously until the early hours of the morning. The rules are very simple:

• A fight lasts maximum 20 minutes.
• Roosters can use all body parts to attack, though mostly beaks and claws on their feet are employed.
• When a rooster fells and is no longer able to fight, the judge leaves it on the ground for a minute, before trying to put it on feet again. If the rooster does not stay on its feet in three attempts, the battle is lost.

A cockfight is much more cruel and violent than a boxing duel. The consequences are often loss of vision or a punctured head of the loser. Only a few roosters have more than ten fights behind them, before returning to their daily routine (retirement) heavily handicapped. Fundaments for a good fighter is, above all, excellent food and genes, as there is no special training.

Cockfighting is also a big business. Enviable sums of money are at stake considering standard of living in Colombia. In one match, bets can go above 500.00US$ in a group of five to ten people. Usually the owners bet on their rooster and others against it.

Judges have the hardest job. They are constantly forced to push annoying, aggressive, rude and drunk spectators out of the ring. Later it gets, more alcohol is in the head and more intruders jump into the ring.

At 5:00am in the morning, when all matches are over, most of the fans faint under the weight of alcohol and have difficulty finding their way home. In the meantime, they rest in roadside ditches until hangover terminates. Roosters (especially losers) have really bad time at early hours in the morning as well. All tenderness from previous evening before the fight is gone. Instead of caressing, they receive kicks, and instead of kisses, they are blessed by juicy curses.

Obviously, cockfighting is a male thing. There were hardly any women among the spectators; the only exceptions being some local prostitutes.

It was 3:30pm, when I stood at the curb of the main road to Popayan, waiting for a bus, which was scheduled to pass by within the following 30 minutes. It should be a scenic four-hours’ drive through the hilly landscape. The time passed quickly while talking with school supervisor about the education system, its shortcomings and possible improvements. At around 5:15pm, a man on a motorcycle drove by and announced that the bus had broken down. “There will be no bus today!”

Fortunately, a cargo truck bound for Popayan drove by less than an hour later. I jumped on the trailer, where I joined a group of locals, mostly farmers. We started an interesting conversation. Welcome to Colombia gringo! Time passed quickly as we made our way uphill at a crawling speed. At the top of the slope, we stopped for dinner at an improvised roadside restaurant. “It’s going to be cold, the night is approaching. Join us in the cabin!“, the driver invited me. I joined other three passengers, who already huddled next to him in a warm cabin. In the next hour, I learned all the possible swear words and vulgar language used in Colombia.

At 10:00pm, approximately 22 kilometers before Popayan, a loud bang was heard, the truck stopped. At first, we thought, it was a flat tire. Instead the front axle tore off. We tried to fix it with improvised tools, but to no avail. At midnight we laid down among wooden crates, cardboard boxes and cartons of fruits. I covered myself with a sleeping bag and fell asleep.

An hour later, I was woken up by loud screams, illuminated by a strong light. A stranger was inviting me: “Come to our truck gringo. We will take you to Popayan!”. The double cabin pickup truck was a true luxury. I even got a place inside the cabin, while patients were transported in converted trunk. I realized it was an ambulance. Too good to be true!

I soon found out that something was incorrect, since our vehicle was tied to a rickety truck with a rope. We trudged down the hill in neutral gear until we stopped and had to wait for the truck to rope us back in and pull us uphill. We repeated the routine a dozen of times until the truck finally stopped. It broke down. We were stuck on the road again. I could see the lights of Popayan only kilometers away. Fortunately, a taxi soon passed by and picked up some passengers, including me, to take us to the bus station in the city. Tired and hungry after a long adventure, I was glad to find a bed in a nearby guesthouse at 3:30 in the morning.

Before continuing my trip to Ecuador, I planned a stopover in the border town of Ipiales. The town itself is nothing special, but a neo-Gothic church in the village of Las Lajas, 7 kilometers outside of the town, is worth a visit.

It was erected in honor of a virgin who appeared several times on a large rock at the bottom of the canyon. It took over 3 years to build the church that reaches over 100 meters above the canyon floor. The cathedral is erected in a position that this rock represents its central altar. Even the church itself is something special, let alone its position at the bottom of the canyon, where it is halved by Guáitara river. A fairy-tale like-appeal that is truly magical.

According to popular belief, the Virgin Mary appeared to a woman and her deaf-mute daughter in 1754 at the same place where the church now stands. Numerous flowers, crosses and small memorial plaques of happiness express gratitude to the virgin for miracles that she created, filling pilgrims with hope and inspiration of faith.

I lived in Quito, the capital of Ecuador between 2000 and 2004, running a power toll company of European origin. In order to extend business, I decided to open a subsidiary in Colombia. Cali was chosen as the perfect location, due to high costs and complexity of Bogota hardware market.

The next years I spent at least a week in Colombia every month. Supervising operation, visiting the most important customers in Cali, Bogota and Medellin, attending trade shows and recruiting personnel, were the main activities.

Colombian people are gritty, optimistic, filled with positivity and enthusiasm. Besides that, they are incredible eloquent, convincing and well spoken. I was always impressed with Colombian sales personnel. Well presented, organized, punctual, with clear goals and dozens of potential customers that would bring golden eggs to our company. All good until, the invoices were due and it was time to collect payments. “They will pay, don’t worry. Next week I will bring a check. The money is waiting for me. I am meeting the boss on Friday!”, were some of hundreds of excuses that usually turned out to be lies, cheating or made-up stories.

Colombians are expert in falsehood and they are not ashamed of it. It is actually cultural. I couldn’t believe how one employee after another was cheating and stealing company money with the same tricks. Cali or Bogota. It doesn’t matter.

I was extremely disappointed with this habit of personnel that we were hiring and from that moment on, I am always extremely cautious and distrustful of any Colombians I meet.

The family trip in June 2019 from Medellin, through southern part of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, was continued as a solo trip over Brazil and Uruguay to Buenos Aire sin Argentina. In Colombia it was dedicated mostly to the areas that were too risky to access during my Big Tour in 1997: Medellin, eje cafetero, Cocora Valley and the Amazonas.

Medellin is the second-largest city in Colombia, after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia, where proud paisas assure that this is the most beautiful urban area in the whole country. The City of Eternal Spring is one of the main flowers producing centers in Colombia, famous for beautiful women, Colombian fashion capital and the undisputed city of Pablo Escobar.

We settled down in a basic flat that was booked through Airbnb in a popular barrio with easy access to downtown and nearby shopping mall. The access was so complicated that even our taxi driver couldn’t find it. A rundown flat had dozens of pressure cookers, unusual decoration, rooms filled with stuff, but lacked decent beds. Therefore, my kids had to sleep on the floor, which was actually quite fun for them.

Medellin has gone a long way to turning around its reputation of a no-go place a couple of decades ago. It offers cultural and modern lifestyle attractions, visit of reverted drug dealers’ areas, lively nightlife, coffee tasting and delicious Antioquia cuisine. In 2019 it was amazing to observe how red-light districts can be transformed in top tourist attractions.

One of the most iconic places is Plaza Botero, where 23 bronze sculptures by Colombian artist Fernando Botero are displayed, including voluptuous ladies, fat cats and portly Roman soldiers. His figures are known for their exaggerated volume and their voluptuousness.

What used to be one most dangerous neighborhoods in Medellín, Comuna 13, clinging to the mountainside above the San Javier metro station, is now not only considered safe to visit, but it has actually been converted to a top tourist attraction. The area where two of the bloodiest and most remembered military operations in the city occurred (Operation Marshal and Orion), has undergone an impressive transformation in recent times.

This commune is known as the birthplace of Pablo Escobar, an epicenter of violence, precarious houses built in the middle of the hills, narrow and steep streets, which generated multiple alleys and viewpoints, ideal for criminals and the drug trade.

One of the things that radically changed the commune was the construction of escalators between the alleys of the hills with the intention of facilitating access. Since 2011 more than 12 thousand citizens and tourists are provided access to homes in marginalized barrios that were formerly isolated from the city below. The escalators gave residents newfound freedom and brought about a total shift in the local mentality. In parallel to the construction of the stairs, the young artists of the commune transformed what were humble houses into incredible murals and works of art.

We hired a local guide, who lives in Comuna 13 to take us through the barrio, explain us about dangerous situation and life in the old times, when shooting, robbing, police checkpoints were constant in the area run by violent drug trafficking organizations. The things began to change in 2002 when President Alvaro Uribe launched a brutal and controversial Operation Orion, continued with permanent checkpoints, open street fighting and captures of cartel leaders. But the real change happened, when locals were integrated in the complete makeover of the community, creating new job opportunities, training and introduction of art.

The area is now covered with murals and graffiti, with bright colors and street art decorating walls, small shops offering products of local artisans, coffee shops and degustation centers. Comuna 13 still remains poor; it has a long way to go, but the future looks far brighter now.

An exciting climb to El Peñón de Guatapé, which is located two hours’ drive from Medellin, was one of the most rewarding experiences on this trip. A rock formation that borders a lake represents one of the two biggest monolithic rocks in South America, formed 70 million years ago. With two-thirds of its height below ground, the exposed vertical face is over 200 meters high and visible from throughout the surrounding countryside.

Climbing the rock via more than 700 steps on a staircase built into one side is not a big deal to experience and fit family. On the flat top of the rock, food vendors offer outdoor tables overlooking vistas that stretch to the horizon in every direction. Beautiful artificial lake Peñol-Guatapé Reservoir boarded by a green landscape, shines idyllically in the afternoon sun, offering opportunities for water activities with the exception of swimming.

On the way back, we stopped in the town Guatapé, known for its houses decorated with colorful bas-reliefs. Residents paint their houses and businesses in gorgeous bright colors, and decorate the bottom of every building with fresco-like panels called zocalos. The motives on painted panels vary from animals, flowers and plants to business advertisement such as bakery, transportation, commerce that could be represented with bread loaf, bus or clothes.

An exciting ride in a jeep from Salento on a narrow road through beautiful hilly countryside brought us to the final stop – Cocora Valley. We rented horses for the kids and hiked Bosque de las Palmas circuit.

Easy walk of approximately four kilometers took us through a beautiful palm tree forest, located within the Valle del Cocora National Natural Reserve to the top of the small hill, from where a fantastic view over the whole valley opens.

The landscape of this enclave, habitat of the wax palm is truly extraordinary. Colombia’s national tree, which can reach 60 meters, grows at an altitude of between 1,500 and 3,000 meters above sea level. The main characteristic of this unique palm tree, in addition to its height, is that its trunk oozes a type of wax that was used to make candles.

Fortunately, the importance of this native trees was recognized in the 1980s, when they were declared a protected species. The palms remain threatened, by the cattle, which eat the palm tree shoots along with the grass, and due to deforestation, which expose the palm trees too much to the sun. Today they are protected as a UNESCO Heritage Site.

The White City of Popayan in the south, was the last stop in Colombia, before crossing to Ecuador. Founded in 1537, once the capital of Colombia, Popayan is famous for cobblestoned streets, colonial buildings that are painted in white, and vibrant art scene.

Our jeep ride from Silvia to a nearby village was as funny and exciting as it could get. Guambian women with their children, squeezed in the back of the jeep, were very communicative and interested in my kids as much as we were in their culture. A bumpy, winding road made us all laugh, until they were slowly getting off in front of the small paths that were leading uphill between fields to the houses organized in small communities. Our ride was interrupted by funeral ceremony, when hundreds of locals, dressed in traditional cloths gathered to express condolences to the family of the dead.

Guambiano Indians are one of the most conservative indigenous people, wearing beautiful blue-purple scarfs and ponchos with bowler hats to top it off. Their cultural belief of respect for the Earth reflects a special relation with Mother Earth, who is both their livelihood and their spiritual reason of existence.

Due to the high attitude (above 2,500 meters), the land in not very fertile, but with ancient method of faming they still grow potatoes, maize, wheat, rice, barley, garlic and onions. Trout farming and fishing is also important part of their economy.

They used to be very reserved with external visitors, who mostly attend Tuesday market day in Silvia, when Indians from surrounding village gather in their traditional clothes to trade mostly crops for other products they need. Even though majority speak Spanish these days, they still preserve the Wampi language for internal communication.

After visiting Ecuador and Peru we returned to Colombia via Amazon river on a slow boat from Yurimaguas and Iquitos to Leticia. The area of Three Frontiers, where Peru, Brazil and Colombia meet around Amazon river, is only accessible navigating Amazon river or flying, without a single road connection with the rest of the world. While Santa Rosa is a short boat ride over the river, crossing to Brazilian town of Tabatinga don’t require immigration or border formalities.

The weather was not ideal, since daily rainfall was increasing the number of mosquitos and impeding comfortable travelling to the jungle or camping in tropical forest. I was not comfortable taking the kids on a rather expensive trip, but rather decided to settle down in a community of Puerto Nariño, a short ride along the river from Leticia.

We found simple cabañas, very close to the river. There were macaws, monkeys (monos arañas) and some other animals around the property. We rented a boat to visit Lake San Francisco and Lake Tarapoto; beautiful spots for river dolphin observation, swimming, offering a magnificent view of surrounding forest.

I was lucky to visit Colombia in many occasions in different positions to claim that I have a good understanding of its people, culture, history and lifestyle.

The country that is often recognized due to Pablo Escobar, cocaine, guerilla fighters and insecurity has much more to offer. Beside incredible landmarks, historical sites, varied nature, long coast and well-know cuisine, Colombian people are some of the most remarkable on the continent. Extremely polite on one side, charming with their words, they are also known as highly skilled cheaters at home and abroad. There are always two sides of the story in Colombia.

Even though I have visited Colombia in many occasions with different purposes, there are still places that are on my list to be discovered: La Ciudad Perdida, the River of Five Colors Caño Cristales and San Andres Islands.