{"id":3612,"date":"2012-04-25T12:34:15","date_gmt":"2012-04-25T17:34:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/?p=3612"},"modified":"2021-08-23T10:56:48","modified_gmt":"2021-08-23T15:56:48","slug":"safety-in-colombia-week-the-dramatically-changing-faces-of-bogota-and-medellin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/04\/safety-in-colombia-week-the-dramatically-changing-faces-of-bogota-and-medellin\/","title":{"rendered":"Safety in Colombia Week: The dramatically changing faces of Bogot\u00e1 and Medell\u00edn"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Bogota and Medellin: Two of our favorite cities in Colombia.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Safety in Colombia <\/a>Week, Day 3! Today we are focusing on the side of Colombia most people don\u2019t expect to see: the new image which is being cultivated by cities like Bogot\u00e1<\/a><\/em>\u00a0and Medell\u00edn<\/a><\/em><\/em>\u00a0as centres of culture and diversity, far from the stereotypical image of bombs and kidnappings which many people still unfortunately have. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
An outdated view of Bogot\u00e1: Mr. and Mrs. Smith<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When people think of Bogot\u00e1, their perceptions are usually influenced by several factors: Hollywood films such as Mr. & Mrs. Smith<\/a> have incorrectly taught people to expect not only an urban jungle, but an actual <\/em>jungle, soundtracked by gunshots and tropical bird-calls, whilst sensationalist news outlets often pain the picture of a crime-ridden metropolis where the only time you spend outside is the mad rush between airport taxi and hotel entrance. The same goes for Medell\u00edn: Pablo Escobar, drugs cartels, etc. etc.<\/p>\n

\"Balloons<\/a>
Balloons over Parque Simon Bolivar, Bogot\u00e1 (photo: Diego Vanegas)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What most people wouldn\u2019t expect to find in Colombia\u2019s capital would be a beautiful, sprawling urban park (larger in fact that New York\u2019s Central Park), or an area almost entirely devoted to a plethora of restaurants from around the world<\/a> (France, Spain\u2026Serbia?!). Those heading to Medell\u00edn\u00a0often expect nothing but surgically-enhanced girls and gun-crime; what they find are progressive architectural projects and a metro that makes the London Underground look like a mule-train!<\/p>\n

\"Medell\u00edn's<\/a>
Medell\u00edn’s MetroCable: just part of Medell\u00edn’s amazing transformation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As we pointed out earlier in Safety Week, Colombia is changing. Bogot\u00e1\u00a0recently hosted one of the largest International Theatre Festivals in the world, and currently taking place are an International Book Fair and the Festival of European Cinema. In between attending these festivals, visitors can take a stroll in the aforementioned Parque Simon Bolivar, have lunch in an independent French bakery, sample cocktails in a high-end cocktail bar, and finish off the evening with dinner in Zona G(ourmet). This might seem unthinkable in a city that was formerly seen as one of the worlds most dangerous but Bogot\u00e1\u00a0is busy creating a new image for itself as a city of culture: festivals, concerts, galleries and restaurants.<\/p>\n

Medell\u00edn\u00a0has tried to face up to its former problems by attempting to bring the city together: this means cable-car systems and an outdoor escalator running some 400m uphill, linking the slums to the rest of the city. Then there is the Espa\u00f1a library-park<\/a>, architect Giancarlo Mazzanti\u2019s dramatic design which, set as it is in one of Medell\u00edn\u2019s poorest barrios, <\/em>aims to symbolise the city\u2019s new image as a metropolis of culture, not crime. These projects mark a move away from typical thinking regarding the poor neighbourhoods. Where once they were seen as a blight on Medell\u00edn, in need of removing, now they are being incorporated into the life of the city. Escobar\u2019s old stomping ground is evolving into a diverse and dynamic city, with world-class architecture and reliable public transport.<\/p>\n

\"Giancarlo<\/a>
Giancarlo Mazzanti\u2019s Espa\u00f1a library-park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In short, both cities are challenging popular perceptions. Still sadly seen as incredibly unsafe around the world, both Bogot\u00e1\u00a0and Medell\u00edn\u00a0are full of unexpected culture and variety. Paul McCartney recently rocked Bogot\u00e1<\/a>, and pretty soon Madonna will be performing in Medell\u00edn. People are beginning to wake up to the fact that Colombia\u2019s formerly no-go metropolises are open for business and thriving.<\/p>\n

Chris<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Safety in Colombia Week, Day 3! Today we are focusing on the side of Colombia most people don\u2019t expect to see: the new image which is being cultivated by cities like Bogot\u00e1\u00a0and Medell\u00edn\u00a0as centres of culture and diversity, far from the stereotypical image of bombs and kidnappings which many people still unfortunately have. \u00a0 When […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[35,3,115,624,625,626,4,66,97,65,393,392,12,767,114,131],"tags":[2976,2974,2882],"yoast_head":"\nSafety in Colombia Week: The dramatically changing faces of Bogot\u00e1 and Medell\u00edn - Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/04\/safety-in-colombia-week-the-dramatically-changing-faces-of-bogota-and-medellin\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Safety in Colombia Week: The dramatically changing faces of Bogot\u00e1 and Medell\u00edn\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Safety in Colombia Week, Day 3! Today we are focusing on the side of Colombia most people don\u2019t expect to see: the new image which is being cultivated by cities like Bogot\u00e1\u00a0and Medell\u00edn\u00a0as centres of culture and diversity, far from the stereotypical image of bombs and kidnappings which many people still unfortunately have. \u00a0 When […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/04\/safety-in-colombia-week-the-dramatically-changing-faces-of-bogota-and-medellin\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-04-25T17:34:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-08-23T15:56:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Medellin-Bogota.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Chris\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel\",\"description\":\"Colombia Travel Blog: An international perspective on travelling in Colombia by world travellers.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/04\/safety-in-colombia-week-the-dramatically-changing-faces-of-bogota-and-medellin\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Medellin-Bogota.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Medellin-Bogota.jpg\",\"width\":780,\"height\":594,\"caption\":\"Bogota and Medellin: Two of our favorite cities in Colombia.\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/04\/safety-in-colombia-week-the-dramatically-changing-faces-of-bogota-and-medellin\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/04\/safety-in-colombia-week-the-dramatically-changing-faces-of-bogota-and-medellin\/\",\"name\":\"Safety in Colombia Week: The dramatically changing faces of Bogot\u00e1 and Medell\u00edn - Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/04\/safety-in-colombia-week-the-dramatically-changing-faces-of-bogota-and-medellin\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2012-04-25T17:34:15+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-08-23T15:56:48+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/06325007b1e564f887bb4e43855a53dc\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/04\/safety-in-colombia-week-the-dramatically-changing-faces-of-bogota-and-medellin\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/04\/safety-in-colombia-week-the-dramatically-changing-faces-of-bogota-and-medellin\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/04\/safety-in-colombia-week-the-dramatically-changing-faces-of-bogota-and-medellin\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Safety in Colombia Week: The dramatically changing faces of Bogot\u00e1 and Medell\u00edn\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/06325007b1e564f887bb4e43855a53dc\",\"name\":\"Chris\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/25ee1ba433dbef5f2ed1e6d6275605e9?s=96&d=retro&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/25ee1ba433dbef5f2ed1e6d6275605e9?s=96&d=retro&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Chris\"},\"description\":\"I'm Chris and I'm the Colombia Travel Blog's resident Colombia travel expert and our editor. 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