Monthly Archives: August 2011

Waxing lyrical about Salento

Posted on August 27, 2011 by

Hands, nose and ears chilly after an hour-and-a-half hike through thick mud, babbling brooks and over bridges formed of giant laid-out tree trunks in the midst of Colombia’s beautiful Cocora Valley and I was, as ever, ready for a hot … Continue reading →

Posted in Colombia, Salento | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Clay, metal, beer, gunpowder… Surely the greatest pub game ever invented?

Posted on August 26, 2011 by

I fear pool won’t quite cut it for me anymore, for I have experienced the incredible Colombian bar sport of Tejo… “There’s only one place in town where you can play it,” says our jovial hostel owner Hemmie. “But they … Continue reading →

Posted in Colombia, Salento, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A cathedral made of salt?

Posted on August 24, 2011 by

Unless I’m sleeping in it, I’m really not a big fan of the dark. And unless I’m hiding from a mass murderer I’m really not too fussed about confined spaces either. So being told that I have to crawl 20 … Continue reading →

Posted in Colombia, Zipaquirá | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Anthem for the most confusing transport map in the world: The Transmilenio in Bogotá

Posted on August 21, 2011 by

In the late 20th century the powers that be in Colombia decided to build a new transportation system in Bogotá to try make getting around a bit easier for the good folk living in this sprawling city and to reduce the pressure … Continue reading →

Posted in Bogotá, Colombia, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Dogs? Horses? In Bogotá try guinea pigs

Posted on August 19, 2011 by

“…And next up we have Muñeca, a gorgeous grey renowned for her speed and agility…” The baseball-capped commentator’s voice booms out through the microphone as the small crowd gathered around follow his gaze down towards the tarmac. A couple of metres … Continue reading →

Posted in Bogotá, Colombia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The one about Colombia and cocaine…

Posted on August 17, 2011 by

Cocaine put Colombia on the World radar. From the mid to late 1970s, exports of the white stuff took off after celebrities in the US and Europe made the drug ‘cool’. The country was first to react to the sudden increase in … Continue reading →

Posted in Colombia, Medellin | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The boy, the body and the buddies

Posted on August 15, 2011 by

Our trip to the town of Mompós has not disappointed. Its relaxed setting and beautifully preserved Spanish colonial architecture, brimming with wooden-doored houses and bright flowers peeping through ornate wrought iron railings, are believed to have inspired Nobel prize-winning Colombian … Continue reading →

Posted in Colombia, Mompós | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments