No, it’s not something rude to do with Santa Claus. In a country where you’ll see taxi-drivers; ladies dolled up in high heels; and muscle-bound men in singlet-tops crossing themselves repetitively and fervently when they pass under the shadow of one of Colombia’s countless churches, it’s little suprise that the week leading up to Easter […]
Author: Paul Giles
Hi my name is Paul Giles and I'm one of See Colombia's Travel Writers.
I must say that it´s a bit of a happy accident that I’ve found myself here at all. After flitting back and forth between Australia and Asia for a few years, I felt the South American continent calling me. I thought I´d end up in Argentina or somewhere, but ever since I´ve made it to Colombia, good things just seem to manifest themselves before my eyes.
Whether it is the funky, slightly grungy energy of the capital, Bogota; the steamy sass of Cartegena; the Carribean beauty of Tayrona; or the jaw-dropping gorgeousness of the coffee region; I’ve found it difficult not to fall in love with the country and its people.
As for myself, I´m passionate about a number of things; travel (duh), poetry, food, good drinks, and ridiculous clothing. And, from what I´ve seen so far, I´m confident Colombia is a peculiarly amenable environment to sustain and develop such passions.
I don’t know how many of you are aware, but it’s World Poetry Day this Thursday. Ever since the trailblazing work of a certain dapper, bearded man going by the name of Jose Asuncion Silva, Colombian poetry has had a loyal and passionate following. This was brought home for me when we decided to see […]
“….like….music, which is the nearest Hell, or the Devil, in music. It polutes the art of Music.” –> Colombia Dolar (TRM) <– “If we value civilization, we cannot afford to ignore any longer the high correlation between the multibillion dollar… racket and the explosion of drug use and illicit sex among their teenage victims.” “…immoral, […]
The more I learn about the dapper dude on the front of the 5,000 Colombian Pesos note, the more I identify with him. First of all, just look at that beard. That is something to aspire to. I mean, he’s gotta be up pretty high on the rankings of Poets by Beard Weight. The languid […]
One thing that may well strike you, as it does me, when walking around the cities of Colombia, is the number of bright green vests you can see everywhere. When someone asks me, for the millionth time, if Colombia is safe, and I reflexively roll my eyes, I suppose one of the reasons for my […]
Being Australian, on the 26th of January, I’m usually engaged in such patriotic activities as gambling, not working, and drinking litres of beer in the sun. However, this year I happened to be in Colombia. And, as we know, the best thing to do for Australia Day in Colombia is go to a Colombian Irish […]
This is about time. And how it can change a place, almost beyond recognition. –> Colombia Dolar (TRM) <– Well, time – along with imagination, determination, and a lot of hard work. There was a time – and really, in the great scheme of things, it wasn’t that long ago – when Medellín was really […]
I first encountered Mauricio Kertzman while he was DJing at that… is it a club? somebody’s house? … Latora 4 Brazos here in Bogota at Halloween last year. He had the impressively costumed crowd going a little bezerk with his moment-perfect, minimal beats; sense of timing; and skillz (one must use the z a lot […]
Well, after realising that I’ve indulged in a couple of rants this week, and that it is Friday… Friday, perhaps what I really need is a nice little weekend away. Luckily enough, Colombia, as always, has the goods in this department. Here are our tips on how to get out of the big smoke of […]
Above is a photo of a city that’s found itself the centre of a bit of a media uproar. During the otherwise completely succesful Madonna tour of Medellín, Madge’s little pride and joy, Rocco, posted a photo of the very same city to his private Instagram account. The furore about this isn’t over whether this […]