After 13 years visiting Colombia, it finally happened

[Elexpatriado]

When I did a 15 kilometer day hike with some birdwatching friends and a guide at Valle de Cocora we ran into scads of Europeans and gringos but only one small group of Colombians. The Colombian guide said himself no, Colombians don't do this kind of tourism. They don't do much tourism past Cartagena, Santa Marta and San Andres.

Yeah..and if they go to the US they go to Disney World..

[robert angel]

Yeah..and if they go to the US they go to Disney World..

But so do the Germans,  Japanese,  etc. That place has it's hooks in a lot of places.

[robert angel]

You travel enough, and something wild and wooly's bound to happen. I mentioned before being right by where some Chinese organized crime syndicate members machined gunned Customs officers to death and an innocent teenager got killed too. Then on my second trip to the RP, I got stuck in the middle of an attempted Coup d'état.

I woke up in a high rise hotel with my then girlfriend, turned on the TV news and saw tanks in the street, booby traps set up, rebels with machine guns on top of buildings. I wiped the dust out of my eyes, looked out my hotel window and the news being filmed was actually in the street down below--in the fashion--financial district--across from the Glorietta Mall. That was a lotta fun--all taxi and bus transportation was canceled, I didn't know how or if I was going to get to the airport, depending on how it all played out. Lucky for me anyways, the govt. in power stayed in power.

Never felt so alive in my entire life. I felt very mortal, yet at the same time had a weird sense that 'my number wasn't going to come up' just then. It was stupid, but against the hotel and my girlfriend's advice, I went out for a walk, knowing that the rebel's beef was against their own govt., not against Americans--I was right and even got some of the pamphlets they were handing out.

Been sandwiched between Muslim extremist and Communist extremist held areas too, but I for sure didn't go walking very far in those parts.

Hell, I met a woman who's daughter was in the Florida, Fort Lauderdale airport last month, when a guy went nuts and shot five strangers dead. You never know....

[Elexpatriado]

Hey, the town I am based out of on my ski trip has a Restaurant and bar named after a PL member!

https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/09/7f/2c/5d/the-village-idiot.jpg

[utopiacowboy]

Yeah..and if they go to the US they go to Disney World..

The Muslims have to make a trip to Mecca once in their lives. The Colombians have to make a trip to Disney World.

[utopiacowboy]

When I did a 15 kilometer day hike with some birdwatching friends and a guide at Valle de Cocora we ran into scads of Europeans and gringos but only one small group of Colombians. The Colombian guide said himself no, Colombians don't do this kind of tourism. They don't do much tourism past Cartagena, Santa Marta and San Andres.

Exactly right. Kind of a shame really that they see they so little of the country they are so proud of.

[robert angel]

Exactly right. Kind of a shame really that they see they so little of the country they are so proud of.

It's still sort of sad, but probably more common than we think world wide. When I was a kid, living in NYC and Washington DC, we went to almost  none of the major tourist spots. But years later, I took my wife to the top of the Empire State building, the Statue of Liberty,  to the White House, the Capitol and a kazzilion other popular tourist spots. I have to admit that aside from the lines, I also enjoyed it. Our little city gets 13 million plus tourists a year, and while I know more about the touristy spots and their history than do most people born and raised here, aside from the beach, we never go to those places.

UC--- have you been to The Alamo, San Antonio, San Padre Island, etc?

[buencamino3]

Robert I think you mean South Padre Island. Camped on the beach there many years ago.

[utopiacowboy]

UC--- have you been to The Alamo, San Antonio, San Padre Island, etc?

I have been to the Alamo and the River Walk more times than I can count. Along with Padre Island (North and South) Big Bend, the Guadalupe Mountains and all over Texas. I've also lived in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Utah, Montana, Oklahoma and traveled throughout the US. This summer Alaska and the Yukon!

[Ray]

The Muslims have to make a trip to Mecca once in their lives. The Colombians have to make a trip to Disney World.

I hope they don't face toward Disney World when they pray...