Calling on Colombia
Winter 2026
After independence in 1810, Colombia endured over 200 years of almost non-stop unrest of one sort or another, including brutal civil wars and cartel violence. In 2016, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos brokered a peace agreement, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Since then, Colombia has been on a slow path to healing, and is a safe place to travel. While there are still many challenges, including enormous economic inequality and significant mental health impacts from PTSD, I was impressed with the warmth and kindness of the people, the excellent road and transport systems, and how clean everything is. It's a stunningly beautiful country, and the second most biodiverse in the world (after Brazil). It's also home to several people I'd been eager to meet in person (read on to learn more)! I'm glad I finally made time to "call on Colombia."
Colombia is twice the size of Texas. I spent almost a month there and only had time to visit places inside the red square (all in the Andean Highlands - the spine of mountains and volcanoes that runs down the center of the country).
My itinerary: blue lines are busses, orange lines are flights. I started and ended in the capital city, Bogotá.
Bogotá
My hostel was in the La Candelaria neighborhood, in the historic heart of Bogotá. Although it's near the equator, this city of over eight million people sits at 8700 feet elevation, giving it cool, moist, cloudy weather year-round.
At the Cranky Croc hostel (owned by an Aussie) I stayed in a four-bed women's dorm with en suite bathroom. The hostel had spacious common areas, including a kitchen. I play the "older person" card and ask for a bottom bunk.
Pedestrian river walk near the hostel
A small commercial center near one of Bogotá's many universities attracts a lunchtime crowd. Notice how clean it is!
Bogotá's heavily-used bus rapid transit system is called the Transmilenio. An above-ground metro system will open soon.
Historic building in the old part of Bogotá
The Gold Museum houses a stunning collection of pre-Hispanic gold work. I liked the use of shadows to suggest how a person wore the gold pieces. Gold was not a symbol of wealth; it represented the sun god.
My son Ian's longtime girlfriend is Colombian, and I finally had the enormous pleasure of meeting her family: brother Daniel and parents Omi and Juan. They invited me to their home in north Bogotá for lunch.
Omi and Daniel in the kitchen
Omi made her specialty: ajiaco, a hearty traditional soup with corn, potatoes, and chicken, flavored with guascas leaves and capers, served with crema, rice, and avocado. It was delicious!
After lunch, Omi and Juan took me to the Bogotá botanical garden, where I learned about the many plant zones of the country.
Giant taro plant, aka elephant ear
The botanical garden is an oasis of greenery and clean air in the crowded city.
Colombia has several kinds of baked cheese breads, made from yucca starch or corn flour mixed with fresh cheese. I tried pandebono (on the bottom), made with yucca starch. Chewy texture, cheesy taste.
Bogotá traffic is intense, with motos splitting lanes and everyone jockeying for position. It takes a long time to get anywhere. Surprisingly little honking, though.
On Sunday I finally met my friend Pia in person. Her son stayed at my house almost 12 years ago when he was doing a summer digital arts program near Kirkland. Pia and I have kept in touch ever since. We turned out to be kindred spirits and had a wonderful day hanging out!
Pia is an audiologist, and her husband Mauricio is a dental surgeon and professor. They were both such nice people! They gave me a tour of the historic city center, including Bolivar Plaza, with the Palace of Justice, Capitol building, Cathedral, and President's palace.
Then they took me on a "graffiti" tour of the La Candelaria neighborhood, which has beautiful wall murals.
Wall art was decriminalized following the police murder of a young artist in 2011. The incident sparked public outcry and the city began allowing artists to create murals with property owner permission. La Candelaria is now a world-renowned graffiti destination. (The can on the right says, "Anti-Colonial since 1492. Without kings, slavery, or pillaging. Does not contain xenophobia.")
Colombian plants and animals
Indigenous peoples make up about 4% of the Colombian population.
Woman weaving a traditional wool shoulder bag. Most Colombians carry one.
Pia and Mauricio took me out for a wonderful dinner at a traditional Colombian restaurant. His son Fernando has a degree in history and works as a tour guide.
I ordered tender and flavorful chicken skewers with potatoes and avocado. Traditional Colombian cuisine is mainly meat and starches, with occasional avocado or fruit embellishments.
Next we visited the delightful Botero museum. Fernando Botero (1932-2023) is to Colombia what Frida Kahlo is to Mexico. He's known for 'Boterismo,' which features "figures and objects in exaggerated, voluminous forms that explore sensuality, politics, and social commentary." His dream was to make art "accessible to everyone." To that end, he donated hundreds of works by himself and others to the Botero museums in Bogotá and his home city, Medellín. He also donated many of his large bronze sculptures to major cities worldwide.
Botero's "Left Hand" sculpture
Zipaquirá
I took a bus about 25 miles north to Zipaquirá, a small town famous for a cathedral carved into a former underground salt mine.
Typical bus station. Multiple companies go to each town. Large buses are more direct and smaller buses are milk runs (a bit cheaper but take longer).
I was impressed with Colombia's bus system. Busses and stations were clean and well-organized, drivers were safe and professional, busses ran frequently, and tickets were cheap. Generally, the longer the distance, the bigger the bus.
Zipaquirá is a charming town. It was quiet on a Monday, but on weekends it's mobbed with visitors from nearby Bogotá.
The Salt Cathedral was magical, and hard to capture in photos. It's an actual Roman Catholic church carved into the tunnels of a salt mine 600 feet underground (accessed via a long, dimly-lit ramp). Here you can see marble-like swirls of impurities in the walls, which are 85% salt.
A series of crosses, each one different, is carved into the walls lining the path down into the mine. I was surprised to find that there is a whole city at the bottom, with shops, restaurants, museums, and even a high-end spa. A 3D "history of the mine and cathedral" movie was excellent. Salt is still mined here, but on lower levels.
There were no hostels in Zipaquirá, so I found a cozy little hotel room for $20 a night.
Villa de Leyva
Getting to this lovely mountain town 86 miles north of Zipaquirá took two busses and four hours, and cost $15. It can be reached in about four hours direct from Bogotá, and is thus mobbed with Colombian tourists on weekends. During the week there was a smattering of international tourists.
I liked the driver's choice of decor on the first bus.
Colombian people were unfailingly kind and helpful. To make my bus connection, I was told to get off at a busy intersection and cross to the other side. The helpful transit worker there said my bus would arrive in 20 minutes. When the bus pulled up, he told me to board and said the driver would take me to another bus stop to catch the correct bus. At this point I was very glad I spoke Spanish! The bus drove me about a mile and dropped me off at an empty bus stop on an empty road. The driver said a big yellow bus with a certain number would be along in 8-10 minutes. Sure enough, a big yellow bus with the correct number came along in about eight minutes and off I went. Whew!
The expansive cobbled plaza in Villa de Leyva felt like a movie set! Simón Bolívar on a horse would not have looked out of place. The village is at 7000 feet elevation with a semi-arid climate. Temps ranged from a low of 56° to a high of 69°.
The colonial architecture of the town is beautifully preserved.
This house was built in 1585!
The area is an ancient seabed, with an abundance of fossils. Many were used in the original construction of the town.
The fossil theme is reflected in the town decor.
One day I walked 10 miles on a lovely country road to the fossil museum, then to the Muisca observatory, and back to town.
This nearly-intact baby kronosaurus fossil was found right on this spot by a local farmer in 1977. Rather than allowing it to be moved to a distant museum, the local people raised money to build a museum around it. It's about 30 feet long and is only missing its tail and one fin.
Some of the many types of ammonite fossils that have been found here.
5000 years ago the Muisca people installed fertility pillars at this ceremonial site. In addition to fertilizing the earth, they also served as sun dials.
This was a Muisca solar observatory. Rows of stones were carefully placed to predict the seasons, so people knew when it was time to plant.
Empanada Angel. On my way back to town I was ravenous, and happened upon this woman selling her fresh, homemade corn empanadas stuffed with potatoes. 80 cents each. Delicious!
Good night Villa de Leyva
Barichara
Barichara is a picturesque mountain town 116 miles north of Villa de Leyva. It has a laid-back vibe, and is increasingly popular with expats.
I decided to hire a taxi part of the way to eliminate two bus transfers, shorten the distance, and ensure I could make the trip in one day. I enjoyed chatting with taxi driver Cristian and having a front row seat for some beautiful scenery.
The countryside was lush, green, and peaceful.
Traffic included trucks, motos, and horses hauling sugar cane.
A typical Colombian town. As in so many towns worldwide, you often have to get off the main roads to see the pretty parts.
Four-person room at the lovely Nacuma Garden Hostel in Barichara
The hostel courtyard. There was a nice kitchen as well.
Barichara is perched on a cliff overlooking the Suárez River Canyon.
This is a hill town, and the streets are steep!
The Barichara cathedral was built with local stone.
Unusual stone arches inside the Barichara cathedral
Sweet statue of someone's beloved in the town cemetery
Each April 9th, Colombia honors the more than 9.4 million people killed between 1964 and 2016. "National Day of Memory and Solidarity with Victims. In commemoration of the victims of the armed conflict, who have forged a new path, overcoming the rigors of violence, this Barichara stone has been sculpted by masters of the chisel, transformed into a beautiful work of art."
One morning I walked about four miles from Barichara down to the town of Guane, along a quiet stony path through lovely countryside. The high temp was 79.
Arriving in the picturesque tiny town of Guane
The church in Guane's town square was built in the early 1700s.
Weavers in Guane make colorful agave fiber rugs.
Medellín
Medellín is Colombia's second-largest city, but less than half the size of Bogotá. At 5000 feet elevation, it also has an "eternal spring" climate, with average daytime temps of 73 degrees. It's a thriving city with much to see and do. To get there, I took two busses, three taxis, and two planes: 14.5 hours door to door. I spent a week here, taking several day trips to nearby towns.
The scenic road to Bucaramanga (from where I could catch a plane) wound along the rim of Chicamocha Canyon, and then down to the river. The second-largest canyon in the world, Chicamocha is a national park and adventure destination.
Hostel
In Medellín, I stayed in the "hip" El Poblado neighborhood. My four-bed hostel room had an en suite bathroom and gear lockers. These days, bunks usually have curtains, reading lights, power plugs, hooks, and shelves, making them private and self-contained.
The hostel common area had a fridge and microwave but no sink: they washed the dishes!
Another common area
Rooftop pool and hangout space
Beautiful city park behind the hostel
Ciclovía
Ciclovía is held every Sunday in Medellín, meaning they close over 40 miles of streets citywide to cars. Thousands of people come out to walk, jog, roll, sell, or entertain. What a fun community event!
Ciclovía!
Break dancers!
Sunday farmer's market
Downtown Medellín
Plaza Botero in downtown Medellín. The artist donated 23 large bronze sculptures to his home city, and he insisted that there never be an entrance fee to see them.
The sculptures are in a large public square, where they have remained largely unmolested. People seem to appreciate Botero's generosity. The sculptures draw a lot of tourism, which helps the local economy.
In 1995, the sculpture on the left was bombed. Botero insisted it be left as a memorial to those killed. He made a new sculpture and installed it next to the bombed one as a symbol of hope for the future.
The old slave market in front of this downtown church is now the red light district. (From one type of slavery to another...)
In the early 90s, Medellín was considered the "murder capital of the world," due to the Medellín Cartel, gang violence, and drug trafficking. The peak annual homicide rate was 1 in 250 residents! That rate has dropped to 1 per 10,000 (lower than many big US cities), and it is now a place where people feel safe enjoying beautiful new parks and public spaces.
Vendors in downtown Medellín
Medellín is going all-in with plants, in an effort to reduce air pollution and lower urban temperatures. Green buildings are everywhere, and data indicate that the effort is producing measurable results.
Most parks have a well-used workout station, aka free gym.
Perhaps in an effort to overcome the mental health impacts of so many years of violence, I saw a lot of positive messages like this one: "Your kids need to feel secure. Hug them. They will be better people."
Pedestrian streets are everywhere. Packed later in the day, they were quiet early in the morning (when I was out and about).
I was impressed with how clean Colombia is. Workers sweep the streets and sidewalks. (I never heard a leaf blower!)
Fruit cup vendor (alas, I didn't feel they were safe for me to eat).
I passed this juice vendor every day. Medellín has terrible air pollution, and it was sad to think of vendors standing right next to the road all day, breathing exhaust fumes. Not to mention the exposure to the roar of traffic.
Medellín is surrounded by mountains. This five-mile-long tunnel opened in 2019 and provides a much faster route to the airport and cities to the east.
Botanical Garden
Medellín has a lovely, free, botanical garden, with resident iguanas!
Medellín botanical garden
Metro
Medellín has an excellent above-ground metro system. Each trip ticket costs a little over a dollar (less for seniors and low income).
The trains run frequently. They can get crowded at rush hours, but were quiet mid-day.
The stations and cars are spotless. No food is allowed. I was told that people love the metro so much that there isn't any graffiti or vandalism.
Even the metro pillars have been turned into plant walls.
The metro system includes cable cars. These have completely changed people's lives, making it fast and affordable for those living in low-income neighborhoods to commute into the city center where there are jobs.
Cable cars float over poorer neighborhoods, where people are crammed into every square inch on steep hillsides.
At this cable car station, a worker is scrubbing each car inside and out as it arrives.
Parque Arví
Parque Arví is an Andean Cloud Forest preserve in the mountains 3000 feet above Medellín. You can get there by cable car! As the car rises up the mountain, the city gives way to farms.
Soon you are floating over the forest, looking down into the canopy. The Andean cloud forest is a high-altitude tropical ecosystem characterized by constant mist, steep terrain, and high biodiversity.
The ride took about 20 minutes.
Trail in Parque Arví
Flowers in Parque Arví
Covered area for hanging out and enjoying the tranquility of the forest
The trail crossed a stream.
Local restaurant with a typical menu. Bandejas are platters piled with your choice of meat plus beans, rice, plantains, and arepa (like a thick corn tortilla).
I chose the $20.000 ($5) daily special: vegetable soup, chicken, rice, plantain, arepa, salad, and lemonade. It was way more food than I could eat.
Santa Elena
I took a bus to a small town called Santa Elena. It's the home of silleteros: flower growers who create enormous, heavy floral displays carried in festival parades.
There were several "campesino pride" murals. (Campesino means peasant farmer.) Like most places in the world, rural areas are seeing an exodus of young people to cities. Who will grow the food?
Barrio Transformation Tour
I went on a "barrio transformation tour" and learned about what life is like in a poor neighborhood in Medellín. Gloria is a community activist, raised there, who has been working for years to help her community. The other guide translated and provided additional information. It was an eye-opening opportunity to learn about a side of local life that tourists don't often see.
This photo gives you a sense of the crowded conditions that people live in.
Kids chatting with our guide
The tour included a homemade ice cream cup to support this small business. I tried the queso-bocadillo (cheese ice cream with chunks of guava marmalade). Didn't love it, but glad I tried it!
Gloria with her grandson and her mom, Mama Chila, an 89-year-old force of nature who has been a community activist all her life.
The tour guide recommended this woman's food. My potato fritter was delicious.
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Local artist painting a mural homage to a beloved local activist who died last year.
A beautiful new community center built by a company that dumped toxic waste in the neighborhood for years.
The homicide rate in Medellín has plummeted, partly due to community centers and other improvements in poor neighborhoods.
Guatapé
I took a day tour to Guatapé, about two hours east of Medellín. The town is famous for its colorful buildings, and for La Piedra, a granite dome that rises 656 feet above the surrounding area.
For breakfast, I chose the fruit, arepa, and cheese combo with hot chocolate. The fruit included perfectly ripe papaya. Arepas are like thick corn tortillas.
En route, we learned about the reservoir that flooded the original town of El Peñón in the 1970s, and the determined women who fought to save their community. The men were ready to take the buyout money and move away, but the women wanted to stay together. It took 10 years before the power company agreed to build a new town for the whole community. This sculpture represents the women as a phoenix rising from the ashes.
Our first stop was La Piedra (the rock). 753 steps lead to the top and an expansive view.
The reservoir, built in the 1970s, is a significant electricity generator for Colombia.
Countryside around La Piedra
Guatapé is known for its brightly-painted buildings.
Bas-relief art pieces, called zócalos, decorate the bases of the buildings. The zócalos reflect the life of the residents or the business.
My lunch included grilled chicken, fries, rice, fried plantain, salad, and lemonade. After lunch we went on a one-hour boat tour of the lake, but it was cold and rainy and the lake isn't very scenic.
Intricately painted tuk tuks, called motochivas
Guatapé church and motochiva
Santa Fe de Antioquia
Santa Fe is a small town about an hour by bus from Medellín. 3000 feet lower in elevation, it's also much warmer - 92° at mid-day. This former capitol of the once-independent province of Antioquia is known for filigree jewelry, well-preserved colonial architecture, and a historic suspension bridge.
The first bus leaving for Santa Fe was a van.
Valentine's Day message: Love is how I drive
Santa Fe has many old churches. Perfectly preserved Santa Barbara church, built in 1728, is one of the oldest in Colombia.
The Cathedral on the main square was completed in the early 1800s.
The table where Antioquian independence was signed in 1811
The bed of Simón Bolívar's last doctor
Colombia is very eco-conscious. This bilingual sign gives a list of ways to reduce your carbon footprint.
I loved the wood balconies on so many houses in this part of Colombia.
Another lovely old church
Amusement ride next to another old church
I took a tuk tuk (three wheeled taxi) 2.5 miles from town to see the historic Puente de Occidente (Western Bridge) suspension bridge. At the time it was completed, in 1895, it was said to be the third largest suspension bridge in the world. It's 955 feet long and has a wooden deck.
The tuk tuk dropped me at the bridge and I walked across.
Crossing the Cauca River used to only be possible via a small cable ferry.
Handmade silver filigree earrings. This type of work was originally done in gold, but that metal is too expensive now. These earrings would take a skilled artisan about two days to make, and would sell for around $75.
Typical men's hat and shawl from this region
I was grateful that the bus back to Medellín had air conditioning! It also had leather seats, was mostly empty, and only cost $5.
Jardín
A comfortable 3.5-hour bus ride took me from Medellín to the small mountain town of Jardín. The scenery along the way was gorgeous. Jardín was my favorite town in Colombia: colorful colonial architecture, a vibrant plaza, guys riding horses through the streets, soaring green hills all around.
Vendors hop on and off busses. This one was selling cheese breads.
Tusa Peak rises almost 2000 feet above the surrounding land. It's a volcanic "neck" or "plug," and is the tallest natural pyramid in the world.
The Cauca River
Even steep hillsides are used for farming.
Church on the main square in Jardín
Inside the church
Colorful chairs and buildings on the main square in Jardín
Horses were a common sight on the streets. Farmers rode into town to run errands or socialize.
A pathway in Jardín, a town that lives up to its name by having many gardens and green spaces.
Although Jardín is bursting with color and charm, it felt like a regular town where people just live, and not a tourist magnet, even on a weekend.
Andean cock-of-the-rocks gather each evening at a small preserve on the edge of town to court females. I was thrilled to be able to see these gorgeous birds up close.
Andean cock-of-the-rock males competing for female attention
Chivas are brightly-painted rural busses with wooden benches, open sides, and cargo racks. They transport people, goods, and livestock to remote areas, navigating rugged mountain terrain.
My hostel was owned by a sweet young couple. I had the three-bed room all to myself, which was nice because I had developed a sore throat...
Sweet Carolina, who is expecting her first baby in May, brought me hot tea with panela (unrefined cane sugar) and lime. (The Colombian equivalent of tea with honey and lemon.)
Farmer wearing the local uniform of rubber boots, hat, and scarf
It's common to see older men hanging out in cafes with their friends ...
or hanging out in the plaza.
Jardín's delightful main square
The square fills with food carts in the evenings. This one says "Welcome to granny's delights," and offers many sweet treats.
Want to get elected? Hire a band!
La Cueva del Esplendor
I took a $22, four-hour excursion to La Cueva del Esplendor (the cave of splendor). We went partway there in Jeeps, which are great for hauling people and goods on the rough roads.
The views were spectacular. That's the town of Jardín below, with banana plants in the foreground.
Before starting our hike, we were served a farmhouse breakfast of aguapanela (hot water with panela - heaven for a sore throat), yellow arepa choclo (sweeter and moister than white corn arepas), soft white cheese, and empanada.
The hike began on a path lined with native hydrangeas.
The trail was quite steep, dropping 1500 feet in less than a mile. Happily, there were cables to hold onto.
The path followed a river ...
then crossed the river.
The falls thunder through a hole in the cave roof.
A flower in the forest
The view driving back from the falls
Manizales
Manizales is a city of half a million people. I went there because it's a good base for trips to the surrounding mountains. However, due to having a cold, and no day trips being available on the days I was there, I did other things instead.
I had this hostel room all to myself for two nights.
Hostel kitchen
Hostel common area
The scenery in this part of Colombia is lush, green, and mountainous.
Fruit cart on the street
Interesting sculpture of independence hero Simón Bolívar with the head of a condor (Colombia's national bird) and his face detached. The sculpture "symbolizes the transformation of Simón Bolívar from a human into a spiritual, Andean 'Condor of Freedom' and represents Bolívar's ascension beyond his physical life to become a mythic symbol of Andean independence and unity."
Chipre Tower has a nice view of the whole region. In the foreground: a big election was happening in a few days, and candidates were pulling out all the advertising stops.
Looking out over Manizales. On a clear day you would be able to see several tall snowy peaks in the distance. The city is at 7000+ feet elevation and can be cool and rainy.
Local transport option
Bike riding is very popular here, probably more so since Colombia won the Tour de France in 2019.
Recinto del Pensamiento Nature Preserve
At a forest preserve above town I saw many species of orchids.
Most orchids are epiphytes, meaning they get their nutrients and water from the air.
Orchids are called the "queen of tricksters" because they have evolved ingenious, deceptive ways to lure pollinators without providing nectar or pollen rewards. This orchid is pretending to be a worm...
Owl butterflies can have eight-inch wingspans.
More butterflies
I was thrilled to get a really good look at an Andean motmot. This is not my photo, because I didn't bring my zoom camera on this trip, but I was able to get a close look at this spectacular bird through my binoculars. They're about 18 inches long from tip to tail.
Salento
Salento is a small town at 6200 feet elevation in Colombia's mountainous coffee region. It's touristy, but in a charming hippie way, and it's a great base for day trips out into the surrounding mountains. It almost ties with Jardín as my favorite town in Colombia.
Since I was sick, I opted for a private hostel room for $20 a night. It even had a hot shower.
The well-stocked hostel kitchen was squeaky clean.
Salento's main plaza was being renovated, but the buildings all around it were so colorful.
Salento is surrounded by green mountains and valleys.
The most happening part of town is - you guessed it - the lively pedestrian street, lined with cafes and shops, and always full of people.
Hippie towns have hippie restaurants! Vegetables are not a big part of typical Colombian cuisine, and I was craving them. Underneath all that Buddha Bowl goodness was a bed of fresh greens.
Each building had its own bright color combo.
The Wax Palms of Carbonera Valley
A highlight of my time in Colombia was hiking in the Carbonera Valley, home of the largest, most dense wax palm forest on Earth. Here is a view of Salento as we climbed up into the mountains.
It was five hours round trip in a Jeep on a very bumpy road. I rode in the back on the way there (tiring!), and up front on the way back (less tiring!). Once there, we hiked for about 3.5 hours in steep terrain.
To get to the Carbonera Valley we drove up and over 11,000-foot Alto de la Línea pass. On the Salento side it was cloudy and drizzly, and on the Carbonera side it was warm and sunny!
Wax palms are endangered due to habitat destruction, mainly from cattle grazing.
These impressive trees can grow over 200 feet tall and live over 200 years. That's me standing at the base of the tall wax palm in the center.
Our dreadlocked guide was an extremely knowledgeable and interesting biologist.
We hiked to this lovely waterfall.
I saw three black-billed mountain toucans! This is not my photo, but I got good closeups through my binoculars. I did not expect to see toucans in a cloud forest at over 8000 feet!
Driving back from the Carbonera Valley
Exploring the Countryside Around Salento
The hostel suggested a six-mile walking route out into the country, past coffee farms and across a river. I saw many kinds of birds. The countryside was gorgeous, and there was no litter!
These horses seemed to know where they were going.
Rufous-collared sparrow singing its heart out on a coffee bush
Enormous calf still suckling. Zebu-type cattle provide both milk and meat.
Coffee grows on steep slopes.
The path eventually took me down and across the Quindío River.
The last bit was steep and slippery!
Bouncy bridge across the Quindío River
Giant Colombian bamboo called guadua is extensively used for construction.
Little red bananas and flower
Almost back to the main road, where I caught a bus back to Salento.
I can't express how good this mango juice tasted after walking for four hours.
A $30 one-hour massage put the cap on a delightful day.
Back to Bogotá
I took a bus back to Bogotá (about 7 hours), passing more gorgeous scenery.
I spent my last day in Colombia with my friend Omi. We took the funicular to the top of Monserrate mountain (over 10,000 feet) and walked down.
San Diego church has stood since 1606!
There were congressional elections throughout the country that day. People found their name on a poster to know which table to go to inside their voting place.
Chontaduro is a highly nutritous palm fruit (about the size of a small plum) that looks and tastes like slightly undercooked pumpkin. It must be cooked and peeled, and is served with salt and honey.
Typical restaurant offerings: chicken, corn, arepas, and sausages.
We chose grilled chicken breast with potatoes, yucca, rice, and avocado. I took half back to the hostel for dinner!
Logistics
I generally travel with two backpacks. Wearing them like this makes it easy to walk long distances over rough urban terrain. The smaller front pack is my day pack for walking around towns or hiking.
My travel kit. First row: light fleece sweater, waterproof sandals, puffy jacket in stuff sack, extra clothes in compression sacks, binoculars, miscellaneous small items in zipper bag. Second row: Seattle postcards with my contact info on the back, journal, reusable water bottle, small umbrella, small fanny pack, light rain jacket in stuff sack, toiletries in zipper bag, electronics in zipper bag. Bottom row: photo book showing where I live and my family (people really love seeing these), mask, power bank, small first aid kit, hat, sunglasses. This is in addition to the clothes and hiking boots I'm wearing, and my two backpacks.
Columbian pesos take some getting used to because the money is in units of a thousand (mil). Eight thousand for a cup of coffee? Well, that's actually about $2. A 100 mil peso bill is worth $27.
Costs
Flights: $644
Lodging: $466 (avg. $19/night)
Food, ground transportation, entrance fees, excursions: $845 ($34/day)
Total cost for 25 days: $1955
Click here to read my book Let's Go Solo: Reflections on Forty-Five Years of Travel.