Travels. Books. Explorations.
From the dusty plains of Nigeria to the countryside of England, from the ancient streets of Prague, from the modern edifices of Sydney, the world is ready for some football. Even people in the United States, a notoriously football and baseball-focused nation, are ready to watch some soccer. The long-awaited 2014 World Cup in Brazil …
Happy International Day of Happiness! (What, it wasn’t on your calendar? That makes me a little unhappy…) It's a day to recognize the fact that being happy is one of the most important human conditions to strive for. Because if we're happy it probably means that the worrisome parts of life such as having enough …
"Where were you traveling?" The U.S. immigration official in the Atlanta Airport didn't even look up as he nonchalantly flipped through my passport and asked the question in the bored yet professional manner I was used to at border crossings. "Peru and Colombia," I responded. shifting my backpack full of dirty clothes and souvenirs from …
Continue reading "Yeah, I Went to Colombia (What’s Your Question Again?)"
It’s November 11. Yes, Armistice Day and Veterans Day. And also, the independence day of the Colombian city of Cartagena de las Indias. Colombia became independent as part of Gran Colombia with the help of Simón BolÃvar, a final victory at the Battle of Boyaca (in 1819) and the help of a broken flower vase …
Continue reading "5 Things to Watch Out for During Cartagena Independence Day Festivities"
The list of things to do and places to visit in Colombia is a long one: drink coffee and fresh juices, eat arepas and arroz con coco, and see sandy beaches, snow-capped mountains, old churches, historic city streets, deserts, rainforests...enought to keep even the most-seasoned traveler busy for weeks or months. But there are certainly …
Continue reading "Things NOT to Do While in Colombia (Getting Kidnapped and Other Hints)"
¡Gol Colombia! With those words, and a tie with Chile, the Colombian National Soccer Team qualified October 11 for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The goal came as striker Falcao hit his second penalty shot of the game to tie it and propel the soccer-loving nation into the most-watched sports championships in the world. …
Why should someone from the United States (or the U.K., Canada, Australia, Germany, etc.) care at all about Colombia? Good question. It’s a question that I hope this site and my book try to answer. In short, Colombia is a bustling country of 47 million people, rich in history, culture, music, art, food, and natural …
Colombia has much to offer visitors. Today, our destination is the historic neighborhood of GetsemanÃ, in the Caribbean colonial city of Cartagena de las Indias. Cartagena has become a popular tourist destination, but most tourists stay within the ritzy beach-front properties of Bocagrande or limit their wanderings to the winding streets of the small but …
Continue reading "Exploring Colombia: GetsemanÃ, Cartagena"
Think of Colombia and you first think of...biking. Right? Perhaps the sport of cycling doesn't first come to mind when conjuring up images of this South American nation, but biking is a popular sport in Colombia, and Colombian cyclists have traditionally found success in some of the world's toughest bike races. While the 1980s might …
Continue reading "King of the Mountains: Bicycling Colombia"
Bryanna Plog 