Yet more reasons why Colombians are simply the best

 

I am often asked what it is about living in Colombia that has me hooked and unable to leave. Sure, the startling array of landscapes and places to visit is one aspect, as are the relative cost of living, the music and the ease with which one can travel around the country. However, time and time again I find myself singing the praises of Colombians; without doubt some of the nicest people anywhere on the planet. So if you are thinking about moving to Colombia, you can be sure that you will be welcomed with open arms by anyone and everyone.

As if I didn’t already know this, a recent trip that I took highlighted the fact that Colombians are simply awesome. I travelled up to Maicao in order to cross over into Venezuela for a couple of weeks. At the Venezuelan border post I was informed that the rules for British people had changed and I would need some documents, hotel reservations and the like before I could be let in. So I headed back to the Colombian exit post to cancel my exit stamp and this is where I received my first reminder.

The border guard seemed genuinely upset by my story and felt terrible that I had travelled all the way from Bogota for nothing. He then proceeded to call the Venezuelan border post to see if there was anything he could do. There wasn’t. Yet he was so unreservedly apologetic that it almost seemed as if it was his fault that I didn’t get in. Instead of cancelling my stamp, he simply gave me a new 90-day tourist visa, thus saving me money which I would have had to spend to renew it in Bogota. Nice.

 

A few days later, on my second attempt to enter at the same border post, I was told that the documents I had brought were not enough and I would need a flight out of Venezuela. It was the same man at the border and he recognised me and seemed very keen to stop me getting into the country. Not for one second am I damning Venezuelans, for they too are extremely friendly and welcoming people and the border guard was only doing his job, albeit in a somewhat surly and unnecessary manner. I returned to Maicao to visit the Avianca office, but was shocked to hear the price of the cheapest airfare out of Caracas.

At this point I was slightly stunned when the tour operator, showing a blatant disregard for his potential commission, began to question me as to why I would want to go to Venezuela when there is plenty to do in Colombia. He even spent time planning the next two weeks of my trip. What’s more, he took it upon himself to clean my passport, so disgusted was he by the stains and years’ worth of luggage tickets.

The route that he suggested to me was excellent and gave me the opportunity to see some places I might otherwise not have visited. I ended up in Mompox and decided to head to Medellin to visit some friends. To get there, I needed to take a car from Mompox to a ‘port’ about an hour away, which was essentially a shack selling tickets and a few boats on the river, a boat to Magangue followed by a bus to Medellin. Upon arriving at the aforementioned harbour, I discovered that I had 3,000 pesos and nothing else. There was obviously no cashpoint and I needed 7,000 pesos for the ticket. I pleaded with the young lady and asked if I could run to a cashpoint as soon as we got to Magangue. She ummmed and ahhhed for a couple of minutes before, clearly picking up on my distress, telling me that she would pay the remainder of my ticket. I was so overwhelmed by her kindness, which once again reminded me that Colombians, no matter where they are and what social class they find themselves in, will always do whatever they can to help someone in need.

There will no doubt be plenty more examples that anyone living in Colombia could think of on a daily basis, but I just wanted to share these few experiences that simply enhanced my already hugely positive image of the vast majority of Colombians.

 

Cover photo courtesy of huffingtonpost.com