–> Colombia Dolar (TRM) <– Sometimes I like to think that, after nearly a year in this beautiful country, I´ve gone pretty native. I´m pretty handy on the old chicken bus, (even if I do say so myself), I´ve started doing all the things in this list, and I can even make a pretty […]
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.
–> Colombia Dolar (TRM) <– I like to think I´m a big fan of cartoons of all persuasions because of the deep philosophical implications of their themes and the surprising manner in which they delve into the contemporary weltanschauung. It´s not because I´ve never grown up, and have nothing better to do with my […]
–> Colombia Dolar (TRM) <– God and Satan. Edison and Tesla. Capitalism and Communism. Todos Ricos and De Toditos. Gilesy and Plantain.There have been some great rivalries in world history, but none as great as that between Colombia´s two biggest cities: Medellín and Bogotá. This rivalry roughly falls into a pattern you may see […]
Through no fault of its own, Cali has been a little neglected of late here at SCT. As a small way to begin to compensate this lack, here´s a blast from the past from my beloved compatriate, Sarah. Shake it, Cali. –> Colombia Dolar (TRM) <– 1. Salsa You cannot travel to Cali […]
–> Colombia Dolar (TRM) <– Being a gringo in Colombia can mean a lot of things. If you´re unlucky enough to be me, it can mean that you can feel a bit uncomfortable with your body sometimes. It can mean that you don´t really understand what all this arepa fuss is about. What it […]
–> Colombia Dolar (TRM) <– Well, if you´ve paying any attention at all, you´ll know that I´m talking about what kind of economics? Anybody? Anybody? I mean, you´ll know that ¨puentes,¨ which is Jamaican for ¨long weekends,¨ are pretty damn boring here in Colombia. For example, if you´re in Bogotá for the one starting […]
–> Colombia Dolar (TRM) <– Now, I know that it gets bandied around a fair bit here in Colombia, but I´m still a bit confused. Paisa is quite the loaded term. I´ve heard a wild story that claims it originated when the bold Antioqueños were pushing for their department´s independence. The new country (¨pais¨ in Spanish) […]
–> Colombia Dolar (TRM) <– Welcome, Monday. Ugh. It can be a struggle to make it through days like this, especially if you´re not in Colombia, so the team here at the SCT towers have come up with 8 pretty dumb things about Colombia we found kinda interesting or funny. Enjoy! 1. The […]
–> Colombia Dolar (TRM) <– Well, we done warned you plenty. We told you Colombia was going to be the place to be. Now it´s too late for you to be able to say (like we can – but, which still doesn´t make us hipsters, btw): ¨Oh yeah, going to Colombia? Ya – I did that […]
–> Colombia Dolar (TRM) <– In the words of the greatest Australian poet of all time, if you ever find yourself in ¨a ball of confusion, when nothing is new-and there´s nothing doin´, step back in time.¨ And if you´re lucky enough to find yourself in Colombia, your best option for following renowned poet-philosopher […]