The Many Faces of Colombia
The video that I am sharing makes me wonder what I did in 3 weeks in Colombia, with so much left to see! I visited Cartagena de Indias, Santa Marta, Pereira and Eje Cafetera (for the coffee), and Ibague (to just stay) but there is so much more.
Colombia has everything – the Caribbean Sea and the wild unspoiled Pacific Ocean, the Andes and plains, several coffee-growing regions such as Eje Cafetera, Amazon, volcanoes deserts and tight, lush valleys, hard to get to places such as The Lost City (the Colombian Macchu Pichu) and the multi-coloured Cano Cristales River. And then there’s “the city of eternal spring”, Medellin, the capital Bogotá and Cali the heart of salsa.
With the highest coastal mountain range in the world (Sierra Nevada), the highest biodiversity in the world (by country size) and the most species of hummingbirds in the world, there is a lot to explore, experience and discover in Colombia, just in nature.
Historically, Colombia is a country of firsts – the first European-founded city in South America with both the first church and first Cathedral in South America, and the first country in South America to declare independence.
Even the man who founded that first city, Santa Marta, was unusual for his time. He believed the indigenous should be treated equally to the colonizing Spaniards, which ended up costing him his life. He is still celebrated with the same respect held for Simon Bolivar, the Great Liberator.
Colombia’s other great asset is the people. They are very kind and helpful. They are so keen to help that sometimes, it’s wise to double-check with more than one person! Like the time I asked where to catch the bus to Taganga, I was sent from one point of an intersection to another to a third until finally, some guy on the motorbike sent me back to where I started! He was right!
When I gave my taxi driver in Ibague a good tip, he was trying to refuse but I said it was a thank you for his help and patience with my poor Spanish. He said, no, that I was the one with the patience for his English! In his own Spanish-speaking country!
And my landlady for 3 nights, who when asked where I could buy wine, ran downstairs to her home and brought back a bottle of Bailey’s Irish Cream! If I liked it, I could have it, even drink the whole thing! And I am probably paying less than what the bottle costs, she is just being kind. She ran back downstairs again to see if she had anything else, too! And her teenage son offered to take me around the neighbourhood to show me where to buy bread, meat, chicken, groceries, and the thing that he seemed most excited about, fast food!
Another distinction for Colombia is that Pijao is the first CittaSlow city in South America. Pijao is a story of what one person who cares can do. Monica Florez returned to her hometown of Pijao to find an abandoned place whose people were defeated by the failure of coffee in 1989, the earthquake in 1999 and the occupation by the guerrillas in 2001. If you visit Pijao now, as I did, you see a revitalized town, with an emphasis on Slow Food principles, sustainable agriculture, local consumption, and a revival of the town in arts, crafts, and local agriculture. It’s a place that could serve as a model for going from hopeless to thriving, done for the benefit of its citizens.
So, that, too, is Colombia.
As the title says, Colombia has many faces. It is definitely worth some Slow Travel to discover and savour.
La Tierra del Olvido (2015) (Official Video) feat. Fanny Lu, Fonseca, Maluma, Andrea Ec… – YouTube
