"Te gusta Columbia?" Asks John from Medellin who I met on the lookout point in Salento.
"Mi encanta!" I respond to him.
I'm now writing a bit more than three weeks in this country and I truly love it!
Columbia is just amazing. So I will give you some insights into what has happened and what makes this country so amazing to see.
Here are my top reasons:
- Salsa
- Nature
- People
- Food
- Coffee region
- Art/ Creative places
- Horseback riding
- Climate
I will try to give you some deeper Insights to the following points:
Salsa:
My first night out in Medellin was just incredible. If you ever go. Make sure you go there on a Thursday when they have Live Music in the Bar Erre. It's just amazing. The guys playing drums and making music which is out of this world. They are professionals in their field.
Moreover just sitting there watching the people, dance salsa was stunning. Especially just watching a columbian woman was already an experience 😆. How they dress, their style, and their attitude is so feminine. It's different to our culture.
Nature:
Before coming I knew this country has a lot of vegetation but what inspired me is the huge amount of flowers. It's incredibly diverse. I have the feeling that just walking or sitting in this nature - breathing this air is a unique experience.
In Medellin I think the places: la Provencia, Manila, or the cable car right to Parc Arvi were just amazing examples of this slush green city.
Also sitting in a bus from Medellin to Santa Fe de Antioquia or driving from there to Salento was amazing.
Just looking out the window - see the rivers, mountains. Opening the window and breathing this air is incredible.
As long as I'm in the country I'm getting new ideas of places to visit. Now I'm in Salento and it's stunning. There are so many paths for hiking and walks.
Parque de Chichamocha is for example now a new Spot on my list. Somehow definitely to come back to columbia.
People:
Before coming I already knew some Colombian people in Germany. I guess those people were the inspiration to come to their country. They are often really easygoing, funny, and open-minded.
Now being here I have the feeling that my personality matches well with the Colombian mentality 😆.
Paisa people I found out are ambitious, modest and innovative. Due to their cruel past, I have the feeling I could feel sometimes what they're gone through. Sometimes they seem to be a bit more closed. For example One time I went into the bar erre with some other tourists. All places were occupied but I just asked someone if we could join them. They were super open and happy to share.
Sometimes, the tourist just needs to do the first step.
Moving to different parts I met so many different peoples.
Like in Santa Fe de Antioquia, I had so many wonderful contacts.
People are excited to meet foreigners. As soon as I told them I'm from Germany - they were super positive.
"Alemanes son buena gente"
"Germany es my sueño"
"El dueño encanta alemania, por eso se llama ventana allemana"
"I love the german language" Yeah not a joke 😂. Forget about the Italian language. German is now In.
Those are some phrases I heard on the way.
People I met in Salento, Quindio I can just say incredible. This has been an amazing experience. Sitting alone in places - people easily get in touch. Start a conversation, and wanna share some time.
Especially all the nice contacts in the shops and restaurants. They are modest and interested in sharing their culture.
Food:
I am not a huge meat eater back home. But the Colombian dishes are varied and tasty.
For backpackers who often change places, having restaurants which serve menu del dias is awesome.
It's always a nice nutritious meal. It's mostly with a good flavor, like from a granny.
Except for that which is the budget option you can try bandeja paisa, trucha, or many others.
Followed by loads of street food: After arriving in the country the world of arepas 🫓 will open up 😆
Coffee region:
Coffee is a product I almost use daily. That's why I am super curious to see some plantations and the production process. Being in Salento, where they used to grow coffee in the past for export itself is amazing. The mountain vibe is chillaxed.
Nowadays they only grow coffee in small production for tourism.
The lands around Salento are tired.
The regions where coffee for export is produced is deeper in the south of the country.
Art/Creative Places:
People are good at handicrafts. In Medellin, it's incredible what they made out of Comuna 13 or the whole street art.
Also the architecture is incredible: the combination of colors and the use of bamboo, and wood is beautiful.
Horseback riding:
Riding around this wonderful landscape of Santa Fe de Antioquia was just incredible.
Climate:
I arrived in this huge city "Medellin".
This city is a metropolitan city and is also called the city of "eternal spring".
Just imagine every day with nice mild spring weather.
But wait!
It's not always sunny here! It also has often some long/short rain showers.
This climate leads to flushed vegetation. Walking around manila which is a small area in Poblado. In Manila, you can see super green streets.
Which makes this place so popular for foreigners to live there.
To sum it up, Columbia is an amazing country to visit. Being here feels adventurous and different but still, I have the feeling to feel at ease and Columbians easily make me feel welcomed.
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