Colombia was the last country we visited on our South American odyssey. Up until recently, Colombia was not considered safe for tourists because of an international drug war and civil military struggle in the 1980s and 90s. Before we left, a peace treaty was signed by the Colombian government of President Juan Manuel Santos and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) to bring an end to the Colombian conflict. The solution may not be perfect but we found this country as safe as any we’d visited in South America. Although our time here was limited, we enjoyed our drive, mostly along the Pan American Highway, as we experienced the country’s diverse landscapes and colonial charm.
We entered through the southwest and saw some spectacular scenery. This was once considered a very dangerous area but now only the Pan American was a bit frightening….
Along the way we stopped at one of the hot springs in the lush coffee growing region, Termales de Santa Rosa de Cabal, a very popular tourist destination!
From there, we continued to the fascinating city of Medellín, former headquarters for the infamous drug lord, Pablo Escobar. We took a guided walking tour through the city, one of the highlights of our stay. Juan, our tour leader, was young, enthusiastic and ready to show foreigners how his city has turned around since the Drug Wars.
On the way to the port of Cartagena we drove through lush, tropical countryside, including the lovely town of Jardín. It is an agricultural settlement, surrounded by small coffee farms and brightly painted houses. There is a lively cobblestone plaza at the center of town which is dominated by an immense neo-Gothic church.
We also stopped to visit the whitewashed, colonial town of Villa de Leyva. In addition to its magnificent plaza, It boasts an amazing chocolate museum!
The Spanish colonial town of Baricahra is famous for the regional specialty of hormigas colonias (giant roasted dark brown ants). Unfortunately we were not able to buy any since it was the wrong season…
We finally arrived in Cartagena and made the arrangements for shipping our van to Antwerp, Belgium. We camped at a nearby finca, a working farm that was owned by a British expat. While there, we prepared the van and also had time to visit the Old Town. The final inspection was a bit stressful but eventually our camper was put into a container and deemed ready for shipping.
From Cartegena we flew to Bogotá and explored this very cosmopolitan and interesting city. Bogotá is animated and exciting, with no shortage of cultural attractions and fine restaurants. The main avenue in city center turns into a pedestrian street on Sundays, perfect for walking, cycling and salsa dancing! Then we returned to San Francisco, where Andre had a couple of days rest before flying to France to retrieve our van…
Fabulous pictures and trip. What I don’t get is why the streets everywhere you went, and in previous blogs, look so much cleaner than the streets of San Francisco?
Thanks for the stories.
You two are amazing! Your pictures and narrative are marvelous. I think you should write travel guides! You have been and seen places that most people will never, ever have the opportunity to see or travel to!!