Monday, June 28, 2010

Colombia deliciosa

Que más? (Saludos Boludos!)

Two weeks ago I got back from a short trip to Colombia--8 days in Bogotá (the capital) and two days of camping at a mountain lake with one of the most beautiful landscapes you can imagine (don't believe me? see below).


We [US-ers or folks from the US] don't think too much about Colombia beyond the drug war and marxist guerrillas in the jungle. Colombia usually only enters the US media in Hollywood movies about drug lords and warfare. Anyone native to Bogotá will complain about the opening scene of Mr. and Mrs. Smith: in supposed Bogotá, a small city surrounded by jungle, a helicopter hovers above a huge explosion and rising flames. Bogotá in reality is, first, a city of 8 million people. That is 8 million people within the city limit, not the greater metropolitan area. Second, Bogotá sits in the mountains. The jungle (the amazon) is two hours by plane. Third, it has been years and years since any militarized political faction has been able to successfully attack the civilian population in the capital.

I will blog more on Colombia when I have time (at the moment I should minimize distractions and focus on the mountains of reading I have for my thesis research), but I assure you that Colombia is not (nor has it ever been) what the US media makes it out to be. It's...deliciosa.

In the mean time I'll leave you with a couple more photos and links to more.



on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tuckerlandesman/
on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=2332545&id=5314379&page=2


amor y besos