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 …
There is one stereotype of Colombia that has persisted for over a century that is actual positive (and true): coffee. Why is Colombian coffee so famous (and delicious)? And why is Colombia such a great place to grow coffee? And what type of coffee to Colombians actually drink? (The answer might surprise you…) Originally coffee …
Continue reading "All You Need to Know about (Colombian) Coffee"
Traveling to Colombia can be exciting (and not in all the stereotypical ways you might think). The country offers a variety of climates and scenery, as well a diversity of amazing cities. So what is one to do when trying to figure out where to go in Colombia? This handy and entertaining flowchart might help. …
Continue reading "When You First Think of Colombia, What Do You Think Of?"
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 …
I write a lot about diffusing stereotypes about Colombia, stereotypes I continue to hear from other travelers and from friends and colleagues here in the United States. However, that not is to say that all stereotypes about Colombia are negative -- or are untrue. Think of Colombia and I bet Colombian coffee is on your …
Continue reading "Visiting Colombia’s Coffee Growing Region"
Colombia, as I constantly find and write about, is not exactly on most people's radar as a tourist destination. However, more and more, tourists of every ilk are descending on the city of Cartagena de las Indias, and this past week I did the same. The week was spent exploring old haunts, seeing old friends, …
The Amazon. Whether referring to the river or the rainforest, it is a one of those places that stirs the imagination in everyone, especially those of us who grew up in temperate climates, far away from jungles. It is a land of a diversity of cultures and countries, a land of thousands of types of …
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"
Colombia is best known by almost everyone for the same four or five things: drugs, violence, coffee, and beautiful women. Traveling to Colombia just for any of theses reasons isn’t a great idea (good luck finding good coffee, for one), but all of these stereotypes are true in some senses. Today's blog post: the stereotype …
¡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. …
Bryanna Plog 