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Some Notes from Colombia

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Some Notes from Colombia

Here are a few notes from traveling a bit in Colombia. I went to Cartagena, Bogota and Medellin.

Cartagena

  • Very touristy but fun to walk through the old city
  • Checked out Playa Blanca, one of the beaches on a nearby island — was a really nice beach but also very touristy. There are also many other islands and tours I didn’t do.
  • A few places I checked out — Demente, La Cevicheria, Pasteleria Mila

Bogota

Obleas, going up Monserrate, and McDonalds, the “sign of globalization and US imperialism” according to my Spanish walking tour
  • A lot of people I met told me they didn’t like Bogota that much but I really enjoyed it
  • I stayed in the Chapinero area
  • On some recommendations from a friend tried to check out some of the local casual food chains — Empanaditas de Pipian and El Corral for burgers. I really liked the empanadas place, got the cheese empanadas, a tamale, ans some juice that I wasn’t quite sure what it was.
  • Went up to Monserrate — twice — but got a bit unlucky because it was so foggy that both times I could not see anything. It seems like it would be an amazing view. You take the teleferico (cable car, but was closed) or the funicular (train on a hill) up.
  • Walking tour of La Candeleria, the old town area, and stopped in a Botero museum.
  • Obleas — a sort of desert wafer sandwich with dulce de leche or other things inside it.
  • Andres Carne de Res — a very eclectic and large bar and restaurant in Chia outside Bogota
  • Aqui en Santa Fe — a spot for arepas

Medellin

Break dance show in Comuna 13, in the cable car over Comuna 13
  • Seems like Medellin has a reputation that precedes it because of the drug wars decades ago, but it’s not reflective of how it is today
  • Took a tour of Comuna 13 — really very interesting — from the graffiti to seeing a break dance show. Took the metro and then gondola/cable car there which is very new in a poor area

Random Notes

  • Uber is illegal in Colombia but still seems very popular.
  • I asked a few people about the show Narcos…seems they really do not like it in Colombia.
  • Seems there are many types of Colombian arepas.
  • Really varied climate — super hot and humid in Colombia, and got pretty chilly in Bogota

https://medium.com/jeremy-keeshin/some-notes-from-colombia-6656ba886cd5

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