Morning flight to Cartagena, on the Caribbean coast.  Walking off the plane onto the tarmac was something like putting my head in an oven.  This city in past centuries was the gateway for exporting gold to Spain.  There is an old walled city, and a fortress that was needed to fight off invaders and pirates.  It’s now a cruise ship stop, helping to make it the most expensive city in Columbia.  Only small vehicles can enter through the gates of the old city where we are staying.  It’s touristy here with lots of shops, vendors, horses with carriages, colourful fruit ladies, and working girls at night.  Shops are built into…

On to Medellin (pronounced med – e – zheen), through lush landscapes and a winding  mountain road to this city of 4 million set in the valley and surrounding hills.  In the 80’s and 90’s it was known as the most dangerous city in the world, with 7500 murders a year.  In the drug wars with Pablo Escobar leading the way, police, politicians, journalists, and rival cartels were all targets. You wouldn’t guess that today.  We stayed in the El Poblado neighbourhood, the best part of the city, with open air restaurants and bars surrounding a square where everyone grabs a drink and hangs out, complete with buskers and hawkers…

The next morning we set off for Zipaquiera salt mine and cathedral.  There are only two other salt cathedrals in the world, both in Poland.  Below ground in the working mine we found that the massive cross is hollowed out of the rock.  We ended the day at Villa de Leyva, a preserved old town in the mountains that has become home to the wealthy.  Some of us checked out a nearby fossil museum.  A huge marine dinosaur skeleton was found here by farmers, and the museum has been built around it. On our return to Bogota, we climbed higher into the green mountains through towns where locals live in…

In the morning while hoping my bag would arrive I visited the Museo del Oro, known as one of the best museums in South America.  The highlight of my free guided tour (entry fee was about $1) was a tiny gold raft related to the legend of El Dorado, the lost city of gold.  I went to the top of Monseratte, the mountain viewpoint and spiritual retreat within the city.  You can hike to the top, although it’s not recommended since you are likely to be mugged according to the guidebooks.  It would have been fine during the day with lots of people doing it, but I was winded by…

I had an evening flight to Toronto where I overnighted, then a stop in Curaçao. It’s an island just off the coast of Venezuela.  I got out of the airport to check it out, and discovered that it’s a Dutch colony, and home of the blue liqueur of course. Another couple of hours to Bogota.   I knew that as a Canadian I had to pay a reciprocity fee of about $70, but I had no idea that it’s only us!  The immigration people were apologetic, two of them asked me if I had another passport (I wish I had dual nationality!)  Signs say it’s required by the Canadian government.  After…

I’m leaving for Colombia soon.  My research included this new series from Netflix.  Not sure if that was a good idea!  It’s the story of Pablo Escobar, drug lord, who was one of the richest men in the world in his time.  He helped make Medellin the most dangerous city in the world.  Fortunately he is long gone!