Colombia: Bogotá, Medellín, Cartagena & More

It’s my 67th Birthday today!
Right now I’m at the airport in Quito waiting to hop on my flight to Bogota. And, yes, I planned it this way. Traversing from one country to another, filling up my passport with countries I’ve not been too before, and loving every minute of it. There’s still one more post to come on my Ecuador trip but for now, “Feliz cumpleaños para mi,” or “Happy Birthday to me!” (March 15, 2023)

The Intrepid Travel map of my 9-days tour of “Cafe Colombia,” from Bogota to Cartagena.

Bogotá

I love street art. Bogotá is inundated with the vibrant world of street art. I spent Thursday morning on a solo street art walking tour around the historic and bohemian Spanish colonial quarter of Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood founded in 1538 with Luis, a guide with Gran Colombia.

Not to exaggerate, but Bogotá is covered in street art and color. The main reason Bogotá hosts some of the best street art in the world is simple: graffiti is essentially legal. Though the city’s graffiti scene was already flourishing by 2011, it wasn’t until the death of 16-year-old Diego Felipe Becerra, known on the streets as graffiti artist Tripido, that street art was officially decriminalized.

And, for the second part of my day, after enjoying a little rest, I visited the Botero Museum also in La Candelaria. Fernando Botero Angulo an artist and sculptor who was born in Medellín has become the most recognized living Latin American artist. His signature style, known as “Boterismo”, depicts people and figures in large, exaggerated volume, which can represent political criticism or humor, depending on the piece.

I’ve seen Botero’s art in Spain and just recently in Yerevan, Armenia. But mostly I’ve seen his larger than life sculptures, especially in Yerevan. Coming to the museum, I got to see his larger than life paintings and sketches but just a few of his sculptures. Admittance was free and visiting the rebuilt 1733 palace of the museum was also a treat.

Here’s to my first day in Bogotá and its La Candelaria old town area with its street and graffiti art.

Me at Callejon del Embudo or ‘Funnel Alley’ in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood with the backdrop of this beautiful street art of an Indigenous woman. Indigenous peoples of Colombia, are the ethnic groups who have inhabited Colombia since before the European colonization, in the early 16th century. The alley, near the Plaza El Chorro de Quevedo, is said to be where Bogotá was founded in 1538 making it the oldest and narrowest stone made street. (March 16, 2023)

The beautiful African-Colombian women street art by the Plaza El Chorro de Quevedo in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood and at the entrance to the Callejon del Embudo or ‘Funnel Alley’. Spain forcibly stole more than a million Africans from countries like the Congo, Angola, Gambia, Liberia, Ghana and more to be enslaved in Colombia in the early 16th century. They were forcibly taken to Colombia to replace the Indigenous population, which was rapidly decreasing due to colonialism and genocide. (March 16, 2023)

A close-up of the beautiful African-Colombian women street art by the Plaza El Chorro de Quevedo in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood and at the entrance to the Callejon del Embudo or ‘Funnel Alley’. (March 16, 2023)

This is not a tree I have ever seen before but it is called the Yarumo Blanco tree native to the mountains of Colombia. This one lives in a corner of the Plaza El Chorro de Quevedo in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood. Its silvery large leaves and parasol-shaped crown give it a distinguished look. (March 16, 2023)

A walk through Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood. (March 16, 2023)

A little lesson in graffiti at the entrance of a park in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood starts with the most common types of graffiti, which is using word-based, like tagging. It is the easiest and simplest kind of graffiti. Just look at the pole see tagging which is usually one color with the artist’s name or identifier. The bigger, more balloon-like lettering with 2 to 3 colors is called bubble graffiti. Another one on this wall is called the wildstyle graffiti. It’s more intricate and often difficult to read. I have to admit, as much as I like street art, I am not attracted to the word-based graffiti of tagging, bubbles or the wildstyle. For me, I like street art that is image-based. (March 16, 2023)

This section of street art at a park in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood is by a father and his two sons. These were commissioned by the government. (March 16, 2023)

A close-up of sections of the street art at a park in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood by a father and his two sons. These were commissioned by the government. (March 16, 2023)

A small theater on a street corner in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood featured commissioned street art on both sides of the corner, this side featuring the colorful portrait of an Indegenious woman and the other side featuring an Indigenous woman, a European woman and an African woman. (March 16, 2023)

A close-up of the Indigenous woman portrayed on the street corner of a small theater in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood. (March 16, 2023)

On the other side of the small theater on the street corner in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood are three women, Indigenous, European and African. (March 16, 2023)

A close-up of the European woman mural featured on the street corner of a small theater in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood in the middle of the Indigenous woman and the African woman. (March 16, 2023)

A close-up of the African woman mural featured on the street corner of a small theater in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood at the end of the Indigenous woman and the European woman. (March 16, 2023)

A commissioned piece of things to live by like peace, truth, wisdom and love at a corner building in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood. (March 16, 2023)

A close-up of the mural featuring all good things to live by on the corner of a building in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood. (March 16, 2023)

A walk through Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood with its colorful buildings and street art. (March 16, 2023)

This is one of my favorite pieces of street art in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood. This beautiful piece of an Indigenous woman is by Carlos Tilleras, a local artist with a gallery/coffee shop in the La Candelaria neighborhood. (March 16, 2023)

Entrance to Callejon del Embudo or Funnel Street, allegedly the oldest street in La Candelaria and thus Bogotá has the original rocky road from the Spaniards along with a variety of little shops and plenty of colorful buildings and street art. (March 16, 2023)

At one end of the Callejon del Embudo or Funnel Street, allegedly the oldest street in La Candelaria and thus Bogotá, are a variety of little shops and plenty of colorful buildings and street art. (March 16, 2023)

Me at Callejon del Embudo or Funnel Street considered the oldest street in La Candelaria and thus Bogotá. (March 16, 2023)

My guide, Luis, standing to the right as I photograph the colorful street art along Callejon del Embudo or Funnel Street considered the oldest street in La Candelaria and thus Bogotá. (March 16, 2023)

My guide, Luis, walking ahead of me along the colorful street art along Callejon del Embudo or Funnel Street considered the oldest street in La Candelaria and thus Bogotá. (March 16, 2023)

Street art along Callejon del Embudo or Funnel Street considered the oldest street in La Candelaria and thus Bogotá. (March 16, 2023)

Me getting in a selfie at the Callejon del Embudo or Funnel Street, considered the oldest street in La Candelaria and thus Bogotá. (March 16, 2023)

A little alley of more street art off of the Callejon del Embudo or Funnel Street considered the oldest street in La Candelaria and thus Bogotá and it is full of street art and little shops. (March 16, 2023)

The building housing the art collections of Fernando Botero at the Botero Museum in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood to the left, is a rebuilt 1733 palace of an Archbishop. In 1862 right-wing revolutionaries burned down the palace. Then in 1948, the palace was completely demolished by rioters during the Bogotazo, the violence following the assassination of President Gaitan. The ten years of chaos that followed became known as the time of “The Violence”. The land was acquired by the Bank of the Republic, and the palace was rebuilt in 1955.
In 2000, Botero, the famous Colombian artist and noted art collector, donated his vast personal art collection to Bogotá consisting of 208 works of art, 123 of them created by Botero. The remaining 85 pieces included acclaimed international artists such as Salvador Dali, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Mark Chagall, Max Ernst, Toulouse Lautrec and Pablo Picasso. Since November 1, 2000, the museum has been open to the public free of charge. (March 16, 2023)

The bronze made ‘Pareja’ or ‘Couple’ by Fernando Botero in 1993 makes it home inside the Botero Museum in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood. (March 16, 2023)

The oil on canvas art piece entitled ‘Mujer delante de una ventana’ or ‘Woman in front of a window’ by Fernando Botero in 1990 is housed inside the Botero Museum in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood. (March 16, 2023)

The oil on canvas art piece entitled ‘Una familia’ or ‘A family’ by Fernando Botero from 1989 is housed inside the Botero Museum in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood. (March 16, 2023)

The interior patio inside the Botero Museum in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood. (March 16, 2023)

A gallery of Fernando Botero’s art work inside the Botero Museum in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood. (March 16, 2023)

A bowl of fruit by Fernando Botero from is housed inside the Botero Museum in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood. (March 16, 2023)

The pencil and watercolor on canvas by Fernando Botero from 1993 called ‘Naturaleza muerta con guitarra’ or ‘Still life with guitar’ inside the Botero Museum in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood. (March 16, 2023)

The oil on canvas art piece by Fernando Botero entitled ‘Terremoto en Popayán’ or ‘Earthquake in Popayan’ from 1999 is housed inside the Botero Museum in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood. (March 16, 2023)

The ‘Mujer con fruta’ or ‘Woman with fruit’ bronze sculpture inside the Botero Museum in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood. (March 16, 2023)

Adam and Eve bronze sculptures by Fernando Botero housed inside the Botero Museum in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood. (March 16, 2023)

Standing on the second floor balcony overlooking the interior patio inside the Botero Museum in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood where the works of Colombian artist and sculptor Fernando Botero’s work is housed. And, in the distance, atop the Monserrate mountain, a religious and sacred site of a cathedral shrine devoted to El Señor Caído or the Fallen Lord. (March 16, 2023)

The oil on canvas art piece entitled ‘La primera dama’ or ‘The first lady’ by Fernando Botero from 1997 is housed inside the Botero Museum in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood. (March 16, 2023)

The oil on canvas ‘Pareja bailando’ or ‘Couple dancing’ by Fernando Botero from 1987 is housed inside the Boter Museum in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood. (March 16, 2023)

My selfie with the bronze ‘Mano izquierda’ or ‘Left hand’ by Fernando Botero from greets guests inside the entryway of the Botero Museum in Bogota. (March 16, 2023)

Mount Monserrate is a sacred mountain site that peers over Bogotá. To appreciate the importance of Mount Monserrate and the Gold museum, two of my adventures for the day, meant understanding the indigenous Muisca population.

The mountain top was a sacred pre-Columbian site when the area was inhabited by the indigenous Muisca, and later by the Spaniards who built a basilica over the Muisca temple.

Like the other formative-era cultures of the Americas, the Muiscas were transitioning between being hunter-gatherers and becoming sedentary farmers. Around 1500 BC, groups of agrarians with ceramic traditions came to the region from the lowlands. They had permanent housing and stationary camps, and worked the salty water to extract salt. The Muisca period is commonly set commencing from 800 AD and lasting until the Spanish conquest of the Muisca in 1537, although regional variations of the start dates are noted.

Due to Spanish colonization, the population of the Muisca drastically decreased and assimilated into the general population.

After our gorgeous morning on Mount Monserrate we walked thru Bogotá’s historic La Candelaria neighborhood visiting the Iglesia de la Candelaria, the Primary Cathedral of Bogotá and the Plaza de Bolívar before going to the Museo del Oro or Museum of Gold. I also visited the Florentine Gothic-style red-and-white striped Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen on my own.

The museum houses the largest collection of golden objects in the world from various Colombian cultures including the Muisca who are best known for their skilled goldworking.

Gold has been known as a sign of wealth or a tool for exchanging goods. However, for the Muisca indigenous people gold did not serve as an object of greed but as a bridge between them and the sun so they could communicate with each other. In order to receive all the sun’s gifts, the Muiscas mimic the sun’s job with their gold works.

But for the Spaniards, who conquered the Muisca people, extracted staggering quantities of gold from the Americas thus allowing Spain to become the richest country in the world. The thirst for gold to pay for armies and gain personal enrichment resulted in waves of expeditions of discovery and conquest from 1492 onwards.

This post brings my time in Bogotá to a close. But it’s also the beginning of my Cafe Colombia tour with Intrepid Travel! So, it’s Adios a Bogotá! And Hola a Salento, Colombia, known for its beautiful landscapes and coffee farms.

Me walking on the top of Mount Monserrate (named after the Catalan mountain in Spain) past the sculptures of the Station of the Cross to the 17th century shrine, of Our Lady Monserrate, devoted to El Señor Caído or The Fallen Lord more than 10,000 feet high that dominates the city center of Bogotá, the capital city of Colombia. (March 17, 2023)

The morning turned out to be the best time to take the funicular up to Mount Monserrate, considered a sacred site and which overlooks Colombia’s capital city of Bogotá. (March 17, 2023)

Waiting on the funicular to return to take us to the top of Mount Monserrate. (March 17, 2023)

Not the best, but views inside the funicular of Bogota as we make our way up to Mount Monserrate. (March 17, 2023)

Although my guide, Diego and I took the funicular up to Mount Monserrate we still had to walk the path through the Stations of the Cross up to the basilica of Our Lady of Monserrate which was built between 1650 and 1657. The basilica houses the image of the Fallen Lord of Monserrate, an effigy of Jesus Christ who has fallen to the ground yet according to the faithful, performs miracles. Many religious devotees are known to walk up the almost two mile path as from Bogotá a religious pilgrimage. (March 17, 2023)

Walking up the path of the Stations of the Cross on Mount Monserrate to the basilica of Our Lady of Monserrate. (March 17, 2023)

Views from the walk up through the Stations of the Cross to the basilica of Our Lady of Monserrate. (March 17, 2023)

Views of the foggy city of Bogotá from atop Mount Monserrate. (March 17, 2023)

The basilica of Our Lady of Monserrate a top Mount Monserrate overlooks Bogotá. The Pre-Colombian Muisca people believed in astronomy and worshipped the solar god of Sué. They considered the mountain a sacred place and built a temple here. But when the Spanish invaded, they replaced all the city’s Muisca temples with Catholic churches, including the one at the top of Mount Monserrate. The main attraction on Mount Monserrate is the basilica of Our Lady of Monserrate built between 1650 and 1657 and features a shrine dedicated to El Señor Caído or The Fallen Lord. (March 17, 2023)

Inside the basilica of Our Lady of Monserrate a top Mount Monserrate overlooking Colombia’s capital city of Bogotá. (March 17, 2023)

Entering the Chapel of the Virgin of Montserrat or Black Madonna inside the basilica of Our Lady of Monserrate a top Mount Monserrate overlooking Colombia’s capital city of Bogotá. (March 17, 2023)

The Chapel of the Virgin of Montserrat or Black Madonna inside the basilica of Our Lady of Monserrate a top Mount Monserrate overlooking Colombia’s capital city of Bogotá. (March 17, 2023)

The Virgin of Montserrat or Black Madonna inside the basilica of Our Lady of Monserrate a top Mount Monserrate overlooking Colombia’s capital city of Bogotá. (March 17, 2023)

A close-up of the Virgin of Montserrat or Black Madonna inside the basilica of Our Lady of Monserrate a top Mount Monserrate overlooking Colombia’s capital city of Bogotá. (March 17, 2023)

The Fallen Jesus at the back of the altar of the basilica of Our Lady of Monserrate a top Mount Monserrate in Bogotá. (March 17, 2023)

My guide, Diego, and I a top Mount Monserrate before making our way back down to discover several churches in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood and the Gold Museum. (March 17, 2023)

A bronze sculpture of the ‘Homeless Jesus’ by Timothy Schmaltz outside the basilica of Our Lady of Monserrate a top of Mount Monserrate in Bogotá. (March 17, 2023)

The feet of the ‘Homeless Jesus’ bronze sculpture by Timothy Schmaltz outside the basilica of Our Lady of Monserrate a top of Mount Monserrate in Bogotá. (March 17, 2023)

More views from a top Mount Monserrate in Bogotá. (March 17, 2023)

Getting ready to take the funicular back down to Bogotá from Mount Monserrate. (March 17, 2023)

Views on the funicular as we make our way back to Bogotá from Mount Monserrate. (March 17, 2023)

Views on the funicular as we make our way back to Bogotá from Mount Monserrate and the station. And, to the right is the older version of the funicular. (March 17, 2023)

Entering the funicular station back to Bogotá from Mount Monserrate. (March 17, 2023)

The Church of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria, often called the Iglesia de la Candelaria in Bogotá’s historic La Candelaria neighborhood, is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Its construction began in 1686 and was completed in 1703. (March 17, 2023)

Inside the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria, often called the Iglesia de la Candelaria in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The ceiling of the central nave contains several paintings of religious scenes, the work of the painter Pedro Alcántara Quijano. (March 17, 2023)

The main altarpiece, inside the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria, often called the Iglesia de la Candelaria in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood, dates from the 18th century and is made of carved and gilded wood. The church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. (March 17, 2023)

Walking through Bogotá’s historic La Candelaria neighborhood. (March 17, 2023)

The Plaza de Bolívar or Plaza Bolívar is the main square of Colombia’s capital city of Bogotá. The square, located in the heart of the historical area, hosts a statue of Simón Bolívar. To the left or west of the plaza is the Liévano Palace constructed between 1902 to 1905. And, to the right of the plaza or north side is the Palace of Justice constructed in 1998.
The square dates back to the pre-Columbian era, when the site was part of the Muisca Confederation. The first building on the square, the The Primary Cathedral of Bogotá, was constructed in 1539, a year after the foundation of the Colombian capital city of Bogotá. During the Spanish colonial period, Plaza Bolívar was the stage for circus acts, public markets and bullfights. (March 17, 2023)

The Plaza de Bolívar or Plaza Bolívar is the main square of Colombia’s capital city of Bogotá. (March 17, 2023)

On the east side of the Plaza de Bolívar is the Neoclassical Catedral Basílica Metropolitana y Primada de la Inmaculada Concepción y San Pedro de Bogotá or just the Primary Cathedral of Bogotá completed in 1823. (March 17, 2023)

Inside the Neoclassical Catedral Basílica Metropolitana y Primada de la Inmaculada Concepción y San Pedro de Bogotá or just the Primary Cathedral of Bogotá. It was completed in 1823. (March 17, 2023)

The Chapel of Nuestra Señora del Carmen inside the Primary Cathedral of Bogotá. It should also be noted that the Virgen del Carmen is the Patron Saint and Queen of the Colombian Armed Forces, the National Police, the Marine Corps and the Air Force. She is also patron of the Fire Department. (March 17, 2023)

The Chapel of Nuestra Señora del Carmen inside the Primary Cathedral of Bogotá. (March 17, 2023)

Walking around the downtown area of Bogotá. (March 17, 2023)

The Museo del Oro or Museum of Gold in Bogota houses one of the most important collections of pre-Colombian gold and metal alloys of indigenous cultures before the Spanish conquest of the Americas. (March 17, 2023)

One of the most significant pieces inside the Museum of Gold in Bogota is this piece, the Muisca raft, from around 1200–1500AC represents the initiation of the new zipa or leader at the lake of Guatavita. Also, every so often, the Muisca held great ceremonies on the moorland lakes. The people gathered with their chieftains and priests to make offerings to the gods. Legend has it that the El Dorado ritual was performed on some of these occasions, where a very powerful chieftain went in a raft into the middle of the lake with his priests and threw gold and emeralds into the water. (March 17, 2023)

The Votive Anthropomorphic Figure from the Muisca era of around 600 to 1600 A.D. at the Museum of Gold in Bogota. According to present-day indigenous groups, gold is the fertilising energy of the Sun Father, while lakes are the womb of the Earth Mother. When the gilded chieftain threw gold offerings into the waters from the raft, he was making a pact with nature for life to be renewed. (March 17, 2023)

This gold at the Museum of Gold in Bogota was worn by a chieftain who would cover himself in gold appropriating the creative powers of the sun. By wearing the gold, he embodied on earth the powers of the deity from the upper world. (March 17, 2023)

“Looming over Bogotá’s historic La Candelaria with its bright colored steeple is Nuestra Señora del Carmen. With its colorful mosaics and carved stonework, the original church dates back to 1606 when Elvira Gutiérrez decided to convert her house into a convent for nuns. General Mosquera expropriated the convent and turned it into a military hospital. He introduced a very liberal constitution that made the French novelist Victor Hugo claim that Colombia was a ‘country inhabited by angels.’ In 1886, under the conservative government of Rafael Nuñez these angels left and a new order was invited to take over the church – the Salesians of Don Bosco. Wanting to capture some of the spirit of their native country of Italy, Florentine architectural styles were incorporated in to the construction of the church completed in 1938,” the City Paper Bogotá by By Constanze Graesche.

From the second I spotted this striped red and white Nuestra Señora del Carmen, I wanted to check her out. Needless to say, she intrigued me. So, for my last full day in Bogotá, before meeting with my Intrepid Travel tour group, I was determined to see inside of her. The main problem with seeing the inside of the church is figuring out when it opens.

Initially, I found out it would be open at 11:00 am but when I arrived, it was closed. But I was determined so I waited and when I saw someone going into the side of the church, I asked in my broken Spanish when it opens. He checked and it would be open at 1:00 pm. So, I waited. And, finally, around 12:30, after waiting outside and being asked by someone working there, who had seen me from earlier asked if I was waiting to go inside the church. When I said yes, the doors were opened a few minutes later.

And, it was worth the wait!

Welcome to the stunning the red-and-white striped Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen or the National Church of Nuestra Señora del Carmen, a Catholic church, built between 1926 and 1938, is dedicated to the Virgin Mary under the title of Carmen.

The red-and-white striped Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen or the National Church of Nuestra Señora del Carmen, a Catholic church, is dedicated to the Virgin Mary under the title of Carmen.
With Spanish colonial architecture dominating the historical center of Bogota this striking, yet unusual, Florentine Gothic-style red-and-white striped church, adorned with Byzantine and Arabic art, is a beautiful but rare gem. The church was built between 1926 and 1938 under the watchful eye of Italian architect Giovanni Buscaglione – on the same spot where the original temple dedicated to the Virgin of Carmen. (March 18, 2023)

The red-and-white striped Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen or the National Church of Nuestra Señora del Carmen in Bogotá, a Catholic church, is dedicated to the Virgin Mary under the title of Carmen. (March 18, 2023)

A side view of the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood. (March 18, 2023)

Me at he decorative exterior front entrance to the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood. (March 18, 2023)

The decorative exterior front entrance to the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood. (March 17, 2023)

Down the central nave to the altar of the colorfully carved stonework and mosaics inside the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood. (March 17, 2023)

The altar inside the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood. (March 18, 2023)

The cupola inside the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood. (March 18, 2023)

One of the four sculptures on each corner of the cupola inside the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood. (March 18, 2023)

A side chapel view of the colorfully carved stonework and mosaics inside the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood. (March 18, 2023)

The tiled flooring inside the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen in Bogotá’s La Candelaria neighborhood. (March 18, 2023)

My Intrepid Travel group for my 8-days “Cafe Colombia” tour to Cartagena with stops in between. We are having our first group dinner together at Cantina La 15 on our first evening together before leaving Bogota for Salento. We’re a group of 13, including our tour leader, but 3 were delayed. From left: Orla, Lisa, Taylor, me, Truly, our tour guide Andrea, Jane, Susan, Julia and Jvaria. (March 18, 2023)

As soon as I saw that there were nachos on the menu at Cantina La 15 in Bogotá, this was all I wanted for dinner at this Mexican food restaurant. (March 18, 2023)

My Margarita at Cantina La 15 in Bogotá. The best Margarita is back at home in Dallas at my favorite Mexican food restaurant, Mia’s on Lemmon. (March 18, 2023)

Inside Cantina La 15, the Mexican food restaurant our Intrepid Travel tour group enjoyed as our first dinner together, in Bogotá. (March 18, 2023)

Salento

On Sunday our Intrepid Travel group said goodby to Bogotá to catch a less than one hour flight to the coffee region of Pereira. The flight was delayed for more than an hour and once we arrived in Pereira, we still had more than an hour and a half van ride to get us to our destination for the night, the colorful town of Salento.

Famed for its architecture and mountains, Salento, in the center-west of Colombia, helped inspire the Oscar-winning animated Disney film “Encanto.” I’ve seen it and it is adorable.

As CNN described: “the town’s biggest attraction is its traditional bahareque architecture: a collection of one- and two-story buildings, mostly white but with doors and window frames adorned in brightly painted colors.”

Although our time in Salento was brief, just one night, we made the most of it with an introductory walk a game of tejo, Colombia’s national sport and popular pastime, that includes gunpowder, and a pretty awesome Sunday night dinner at the hotel with two of my travel mates.

And, for today, Monday morning there was a group hike through the Cocora Valley from Salento. I went with the group, not to hike but just to see a portion of the Cocora Valley for myself and I’m so glad I did. Afterwards, I made my way back to Salento, walked around a bit and returned to the hotel where I waited on the group to return.

We left Salento for a 2-night stay at a working coffee farm between Salento and Medellin in the Manizales region.

For now, here’s to Salento and the magnificent landscapes of the Cocora Valley.

On my first try at tejo, a throwing sport and popular pastime in Salento, I won. I was the first one in the group to come close to throwing my metal puck/disc (called a tejo), across the caged alley into this board covered with clay. It’s the only time in three tries that I got that close or won, but several others in the group hit the center and the triangular paper pouches filled with gunpowder causing a very noticeable explosion. (March 19, 2023)

My choice of beer to play tejo, a throwing sport and popular pastime in Salento and in Colombia. I’m not much of a beer drinker, but this one was light. (March 19, 2023)

The cage or alley we played tejo in while in Salento. (March 19, 2023)

Before playing tejo, we first had to make it to our hotel. Walking down to our hotel, the Hotel Salento Real in the town of Salento. (March 19, 2023)

Getting our bags dropped off at our hotel, the Hotel Salento Real in the town of Salento. (March 19, 2023)

The interior patio of the Hotel Salento Real in the town of Salento. (March 19, 2023)

My very basic room at the Hotel Salento Real in the town of Salento, Colombia. (March 19, 2023)

A view of Salento from the second floor balcony of the Hotel Salento Real. (March 19, 2023)

Walking up to the main square, the Plaza Bolivar, and passing the colorful houses of Salento. (March 19, 2023)

Sunday funday for families in Salento, Colombia. (March 19, 2023)

The crowded and colorful streets of Salento, Colombia, on a Sunday evening. (March 19, 2023)

The Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Carmen in Salento. (March 19, 2023)

Even more of the colorful houses of Salento. (March 19, 2023)

On the walk back to our hotel for dinner, we find Mirabel Madrigal, the fictional character that appears in the movie, Encanto, standing at the front door of this restaurant in Salento. The Madrigal family live in the fantasy-town of Colombia called Encanto, which is located in a real part of Colombia called Cocora Valley. (March 19, 2023)

Since we arrived in Salento late in the day, we didn’t have much time to explore before it got dark. But the lights just made the colorful town glow. Here I am with Jvaria (left) and Jane (right) my Intrepid group travelers and dinner mates at the hotel. (March 19, 2023)

For Sunday dinner, I had the Quindú Trout at the Hotel Salento Real in the town of Salento. Trout is evidently the way to go in Salento and this delicious dish was trout fillets in a shrim-based sauce with coconut rice. (March 19, 2023)

The Plaza de Bolívar in Salento is named after Simón Bolívar, the Venezuelan-born military leader who played a key role in liberating Latin America from the Spanish. And, in the distance is the Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Carmen. (March 20, 2023)

The Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Carmen by the Plaza de Bolívar in Salento was rebuilt in the 1920s after an earthquake. But in 1999, another earthquake led to the church being remodeled but with advanced construction techniques. (March 20, 2023)

Inside the Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Carmen by the Plaza de Bolívar in Salento. (March 20, 2023)

The altar inside the Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Carmen by the Plaza de Bolívar in Salento. (March 20, 2023)

A stained glass window inside the Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Carmen by the Plaza de Bolívar in Salento. (March 20, 2023)

My group and several other tourists waiting in the Plaza de Bolívar in Salento to take a Jeep out to the magnificent Cocora Valley, home of the towering wax palm, Colombia’s national tree. (March 20, 2023)

Me at the Cocora Valley. The group was scheduled to do a 4-hour trek through the Cocora Valley and even though I did not participate in the trek, I’m glad I went with the group to enjoy the incredible views. Plus, the weather, which was forecasted to be cloudy, turned out to be rather beautiful instead. (March 20, 2023)

The beautiful Cocora Valley in Colombia. (March 20, 2023)

Views of the beautiful Cocora Valley during my short trek. (March 20, 2023)

The Cocora Valley is noted for its famed wax palm trees that can grow up to 200 feet tall and takes some 80 years to mature. (March 20, 2023)

Views of the Cocora Valley in Colombia. (March 20, 2021)

The Cocora Valley in Colombia is the main home of most of the remaining wax palm populations. (March 20, 2023)

The red hot pokers, commonly known as torch Lillies, with the beautiful flower spikes in bright red, orange, yellow, and other colors in the equally beautiful Cocora Valley. (March 20, 2023)

The beautiful wax palm trees in the Cocora Valley of Colombia. (March 20, 2023)

Getting back to Salento a little earlier than the group whom I left as they trekked the Cocora Valley, I enjoyed my walk through a much less crowded Salento as I headed back to the hotel to get in a quick shower and check out for our afternoon drive to the coffee region of Manizole. (March 20, 2023)

Early evening views from our Hacienda in Colombia’s coffee region of Manizales. More about Colombian coffee to come. (March 20, 2023)

Coffee and Chocolate Paradise

Coffee paradise in the land of one of the world’s largest coffee producers, Colombia. And that’s thanks to its tropical altitude and fertile volcanic soil.

I was slightly disappointed about leaving Salento, but that disappointment did not last long once we finally made it on Monday to our two-night destination of the Hacienda Venecia in Manizales, Colombia’s coffee region. The hacienda, at the end of a long, windy dirt road appears like a beautiful mirage surrounded by lush greenery, coffee plants, palm trees, plantain trees and flowers galore.

We arrived Monday around 5:00 pm so there wasn’t much time to explore before it got dark, but the Tuesday morning blue skies, warm weather and sunshine just aided in bringing out the magic of coffee region.

With a home cooked breakfast and of course delicious coffee, the morning group agenda was the coffee farm tour, a delicious lunch and for me and two other Intrepid travelers, a boutique/small brew rum tasting. And, the rest of the day was all about basking in the clean air and lush depth of greenery.

Come check out the lovely Hacienda Venecia, its coffee farm, small cocoa farm, its small brew rum and its relaxing atmosphere. Next stop is Medellín.

My morning breakfast in paradise at Hacienda Venecia in Manizales, part of Colombia’s coffee region. And yes, I’m enjoying my first cup of coffee and it was smooth l, delicious and locally harvested from just outside the door on the coffee farm. (March 21, 2023)

My morning breakfast views from my table at Hacienda Venecia in Manizales, part of Colombia’s coffee region. (March 21, 2023)

We began our beautiful morning with a coffee farm walking tour at the Hacienda Venecia, a working coffee farm with more than 100 years of coffee making tradition located between Salento and Medellín in Manizales. (March 21, 2023)

After sampling some more of the delicious coffee, our Hacienda Venecia coffee farm guide, Diana, gave a group a classroom style lesson about where our cup of coffee came from. As it turns out, it’s from the green beans inside the the little coffee cherry. And Colombia is the third largest producer of coffee behind Brazil and Vietnam. (March 21, 2023)

It begins with the hand picked coffee cherries at the Hacienda Venecia coffee tour. Most of the coffee cherries are picked between March and April and again from September to October. However Columbia is known to produce fresh coffee throughout the year.
The exterior of the cherry is not where the coffee comes from, it’s the beans inside, when roasted and grounded provide the basis for that good cup of Joe, or coffee. (March 21, 2023)

Getting in a selfie during our Hacienda Venecia’s coffee farm tour in Manizales. (March 21, 2023)

The coffee crop at the Hacienda Venecia a working coffee farm with more than 100 years of coffee making tradition is located between Salento and Medellín in Manizales. (March 21, 2023)

A close-up of the coffee cherries not yet tie for handpicking at the Hacienda Venecia a working coffee farm with more than 100 years of coffee making tradition in Manizales. (March 21, 2023)

Our Hacienda Venecia coffee farm guide, Diana, stopping in the shade of the plantain tress to explain that the trees are used to section off area of the coffee trees and of course to provide plantains to eat. (March 21, 2023)

The plantain trees used to section off areas of the coffee trees at the Hacienda Venecia in Manizales. (March 21, 2023)

The not yet ripe coffee cherries on the coffee farm of Hacienda Venecia in Manizales. (March 21, 2023)

Although it’s a small crop, Hacienda Venecia coffee farm tour guide, Diana, showed us the Cacao trees and was able to snag a whole cocao fruit. (March 21, 2023)

Our Hacienda Venecia coffee farm guide, Diana, showing us the fruit and the seeds inside the cocoa fruit. Buts it’s the seeds inside the white slimy pods that are used to make chocolate liquor, cocoa solids, cocoa butter and chocolate. The slimy part, which is not used to make the chocolate, is tasty, but the unprocessed seed inside, which is used to make the chocolate, has a bit of a bitter taste to it. (March 21, 2023)

After the cocao tasting we continued on our coffee tour at the Hacienda Venecia coffee farm to the processing of the coffee cherry beans where the husks or covering have been removed to reveal the green-looking coffe beans inside. (March 21, 2023)

The processing of the coffee cherry beans where the husks or covering have been removed to reveal the green-looking beans inside on the Hacienda Venecia coffee farm in Manizales. (March 21, 2023)

The drying station with the dryers below (you can’t see them but you can feel the heat) and the sun from above drying the beans at the Hacienda Venecia coffee farm in Manizales. (March 21, 2023)

A few samples of the beans and the colors after being dried at the Hacienda Venecia. (March 21, 2023)

The beans are packed in these sacks, which are made from an agave plant at the Hacienda Venecia, and ready to be shipped to the USA, Canada and China. (March 21, 2023)

This agave plant at the Hacienda Venecia in Manizales is mainly used for its fibers to create the bags used to export the coffee from the coffee farm. The agave’s first usage dates back to the time of the Mayans in Mexico, when indigenous communities found numerous ways to use the agave’s raw material for hundreds of products which have been produced and improved upon throughout history. (March 21, 2023)

The more than 100-year-old main house of the Hacienda Venecia in Manizales. It is distinguished by its Bahareque’ construction and painted in red and white to contrast with the lush green surroundings. A balcony surrounds the entire house for perfect views of the coffee landscape. (March 21, 2023)

Views from the main house of the Hacienda Venecia in Manizales. (March 21, 2023)

I don’t know much about plants, flowers or trees, but what I do know is that the area around the Hacienda Venecia in Manizales is filled with beautifully colorful flowers and perfume-like smells. This drooping flower, which hang upside down, is said to be an Angel’s Trumpet or the Drunkard flower. Either way, it’s still beautiful to look at. (March 21, 2023)

Views from the back porch of my room at the Hacienda Venecia in Colombia’s coffee region of Manizales. (March 20, 2023)

Views around our accommodations at the Hacienda Venecia in Manizales. (March 21, 2023)

The beautiful flowers around our accommodations at the Hacienda Venecia in Manizales. (March 21, 2023)

The fan looking palm trees around our accommodations at the Hacienda Venecia in Manizales. (March 21, 2023)

Home cooked meals at the Hacienda Venecia in Manizales. Couldn’t get everyone at the table, but this has been a very nice diverse group of people to hang out with on this Intrepid Travel tour of Colombia. (March 21, 2023)

Unfortunately I did not get a photo of the two women who prepared our delicious, breakfast, lunch and dinner meals, but the food at the Hacienda Venecia has been wonderfully delicious. This lunch is chorizo, white rice and beans, plantains and avocados. (March 21, 2023)

After a delicious lunch and just a bit of a siesta, I joined in on a brief demonstration of a small batch rum making demo with Johan at the Hacienda Venecia. I’m not much of a rum drinker, but it was interesting to taste the various consistencies. Johan was showing the humble beginnings of distilling a small batch of rum. (March 21, 2023)

Rum begins with the sugar cane but in this small rum production, it starts with this chunk of Panella, a sugar cane molasses that gets melted down. (March 21, 2023)

The small rum making has three levels of quality, the head, the core and the tail. The head smells like nail polish remover or acetone and is definitely not good to drink in large quantities. I tried a drop and I could feel it burn going down. The next, the #1 is the core, the good stuff and the last one is the tail, still strong but not for regular consumption. The core was descent to drink, but to me, all of it was just too strong. (March 21, 2023)

Since this a small batch of rum making at the Hacienda Venecia, these are the bottles for sale for the good stuff, the core. It was still strong but had a much smoother taste going down. (March 21, 2023)

Me, holding up the best of the rum varieties at the Hacienda Venecia. It was still strong but had a much smoother taste going down. (March 21, 2023)

Medellín

Today was a different kind of travel day from the flowers in the mountains to a metro cable car ride through Medellín to a Barrio, a section of a city or town with a high level of poverty, that has been transformed from a garbage dump to a community of people working together to make life better.

Here’s to seeing Medellín with different eyes.

Holding onto Ignacio the flower farmer and owner of Casa de Los Flores in the Santa Elena area of Medellín. High up the mountainside, Ignacio opens his family home and flower farm to visitors to talk about the importance of flowers in Colombia. Ignacio, a silletero, grows flowers and creates intricate flower silletas that they can parade through the city during the annual festival to celebrate flowers. Colombia is the world’s 2nd largest exporter of flowers. (March 23, 2023)

Lisa, a member of our Intrepid Travel “Cafe Colombia” travel group, helped owner and flower farmer of Casa de Los Flores, Ignacio, arrange the beautiful flowers silletas that can be paraded through the city during the annual festival to celebrate flowers. (March 23, 2023)

The beautiful flower arrangement or flower silleta created by Ignacio, the flower farmer and owner of Casa de Los Flores in Santa Elena and tour member Lisa. (March 23, 2023)

This flower farm, La Casa de Los Flores, in the Santa Elena area of Medellín is home to Ignacio and his family. The chairs and photograph represent a time when the silleros or silleteros (also called saddle-men) were the porters used to carry people and their belongings through routes impossible by horse carriage. The silleros would even carry travelers, such as colonial official on their backs in the wicker chairs mounted on their backs using a woven strap, made from Agave Sisalana plant grown on the flower farm. (March 23, 2023)

Part of Ignacio’s colorful garden at the Casa de Los Flores, a flower farm, in the Santa Elena area of Medellín. (March 23, 2023)

The woven strap, made from the fibers of the Agave Sisalana plant, is used by the silleros or silleteros (also called saddle-men) to carry the gorgeous flower arrangements on their backs and through the streets of the flower festival in Medellín. (March 23, 2023)

The Agave Sisalana at the flower farm of the Casa de Flores in the Santa Elena area of Medellín. (March 23, 2023)

The silleteros of today no longer carry people up a mountain, instead they carry these huge medallion-looking masterpieces of flowers around during the flower festival. This one at the Casa de Los Flores in the Santa Elena area of Medellín, carries a powerful message with beautiful flowers to let people know Colombia is moving “From fear to Hope.” (March 23, 2023)

From the Casa de Los Flores in Santa Elena, we hopped back in our van to take the 15-minute drive to the Parque Arví a 39,500 acres or 16,000 hectares of an ecological nature reserve with walkable trails, hiking, cycling and more. We were just there to catch the metro cable car back into Medellín. (March 23, 2023)

This is a model of a “tambo” dwelling built some 2,000 years ago with a circular dirt floor, cone roof and walls built by interweaving wooden materials, coated with a layer of clay soil, mixed with a vegetable binder at the Parque Arví in Medellín. (March 23, 2023)

Also at the Parque Arví in Medellín are food, juice and other vendors by the entrance to the MetroCable car. (March 23, 2023)

The MetroCable car entrance at the Parque Arví in Medellín. (March 23, 2023)

The Metrocable car at the Parque Arví in Medellín is a gondola lift system that complements the Medellín Metro system. (March 23, 2023)

My Intrepid Travel solo travelers shared the gondola ride from the Parque Arví in Medellín on the MetroCable car ride. From left: Jvaria, Jane, Susan, Orla, Julia and me. (March 23, 2023)

Views of the forest above the city of Medellín’s Parque Arví’s from the MetroCable car ride back into the city. (March 23, 2023)

Views from the impressive MetroCable car ride above red adobe brick built and tin roof houses of Medellín. (March 23, 2023)

A transfer from one Metrocable car station in Medellín to another station. (March 23, 2023)

Views from the Metrocable car station in Medellín’s Santa Domingo neighborhood. (March 23, 2023)

The Santa Domingo neighborhood of Medellín between Metrocable car stations. (March 23, 2023)

The entrance to the Santa Domingo Metrocable car station in Medellín. (March 23, 2023)

Taking another MetroCable car ride from the Santa Domingo station to the Acevedo station in Medellín where we transferred to the metro train. (March 23, 2023)

We ended our MetroCable car ride at the Acevedo station in Medellín where we changed to the metro train station. (March 23, 2023)

Views of Medellín from the Acevedo MetroCable car to the metro train station. (March 23, 2023)

We ended our MetroCable car ride at the Acevedo station in Medellín where we changed to the metro train station for our visit to the Barrio Moravia in Medellín. (March 23, 2023)

Waiting outside the Acevedo train station, along the bridge crossing the Medellín River into the Barrio Moravia, for our Moravia guide, Angela. And, yes, its gotten to be rather warm out. (March 23, 2023)

The cafe latte-colored Medellín River. (March 23, 2023)

Walking through the Barrio Moravia in Medellín on our way to a delicious lunch. For years, Moravia was Medellín’s trash dump but thankfully for the people living there, this former landfill has been transformed. (March 23, 2023)

Walking through the Barrio Moravia in Medellín on our way to a delicious lunch. Our Moravia guide, Angela (to the right in black), talking with the local women preparing carrots for sale and yes, greeting the family pig. For years, Moravia was Medellín’s trash dump but thankfully for the people living there, this former landfill has been transformed. (March 23, 2023)

Walking through the Barrio Moravia in Medellín on our way to a delicious lunch. (March 23, 2023)

Waiting on our food at a small restaurant in Medellin’s Barrio Moravia. (March 23, 2023)

My utterly delicious fish soup in Barrio Moravia in Medellín. Once I got started, I honestly could not stop eating this soup. It had potatoes and a chunk of fish in it. But I also ordered Tilapia. (March 23, 2023)

And, as I’m getting into my delicious fish soup, here comes my Tilapia with a salad, coconut rice and plantains. Thankfully, my fellow travelers pitched in to help me eat the fish and the rice. I took the delicious plantains for myself. The fish soup, fried Tilapia plate and maple lemonade drink all came out to less than $7 USD. An unbelievable amount of delicious food at an unbelievable low cost. (March 23, 2023)

Waiting outside the Moravia restaurant in Medellín for a walk around the barrio. (March 23, 2023)

Walking through the Barrio Moravia in Medellín. (March 23, 2023)

The community park area of the Barrio Moravia in Medellín. (March 23, 2023)

Our guide, Angela, introducing us to her twin sister and community leader, Sielo, at the community park and garden area of Barrio Moravia in Medellín. (March 23, 2023)

The community park and garden area of Barrio Moravia in Medellín. (March 23, 2023)

Here we are at the community park and garden area of Barrio Moravia in Medellín being serenaded by a group of special needs young people who are being supported by the community. (March 23, 2023)

Walking through the streets of the Barrio of Moravia in Medellín. (March 23, 2023)

It was a free day on our Intrepid Travel tour but in an effort to see a little more of Medellín, I took one of the free walking tours which began in the Botero Plaza featuring the work of hometown painter and sculptor Fernando Botero Angulo. I saw his work in Bogota and in other places around the world so seeing his work in his hometown was a delight for me. Jvaria (left) and Jane (right)

Known as “Boterismo”, his work depicts people and figures in large, exaggerated form. Botero’s donation of 23 bronze sculptures for the front park area of the Museum of Antioquia became known as the Botero Plaza.

We also got in a good walk of the city. By we I mean my two Intrepid Travel mates, Jvaria and Jane, exploring a little more of Medellín.

On our own we took an Uber to the Museo Casa de la Memoria (House of Memory Museum) is a multimedia museum in Medellín dedicated to honoring the victims of urban conflict in Medellín and Colombia. The museum is a place intended to give voices to Medellín’s victims of violence and provide a place to grieve, reunite, remember, and develop strategies to avoid future violence.

Getting in a selfie in front of one of Fernando Botero Angulo’s sculptures in the Botero Plaza in Medellín. Botero, a figurative artist and sculptor, was born in Medellín. His signature style, also known as “Boterismo”, depicts people and figures in large, exaggerated form. His donation of 23 bronze sculptures for the front park area of the Museum of Antioquia became known as the Botero Plaza. (March 24, 2023)

One of 23 bronze sculptures by Fernando Botero Angulo in front of the Museum of Antioquia and the Botero Plaza in Medellín. (March 24, 2023)

The Botero Plaza in Medellin with its 23 bronze sculptures by the Colombian artist Fernando Botero Angulo in front of the Museum of Antioquia. (March 24, 2023)

The Botero Plaza with the Rafael Uribe Uribe Palace of Culture, a public building in Medellín. (March 24, 2023)

The Man on Horseback sculpture by Fernando Botero Angulo in the Botero Plaza with the Rafael Uribe Uribe Palace of Culture building in Medellín. (March 24, 2023)

A small concert took place at the Botero Park in Medellín. (March 24, 2023)

The bronze sculptures by Fernando Botero Angulo at the Botero Plaza in Medellín in front of the Rafael Uribe Uribe Palace of Culture. (March 24, 2023)

Mujer con espejo or Woman with mirror bronze sculpture by Fernando Botero Angulo in the Botero Plaza in front of the Rafael Uribe Uribe Palace of Culture in Medellín. (March 24, 2023)

Pensamiento or Thought bronze sculpture by Fernando Botero Angulo in the Botero Plaza in front of the Rafael Uribe Uribe Palace of Culture in Medellín. (March 24, 2023)

Soldado Romano or Roman Soldier bronze sculpture by Fernando Botero Angulo in the Botero Plaza in front of the Rafael Uribe Uribe Palace of Culture in Medellín. (March 24, 2023)

Cabeza or Head bronze sculpture by Fernando Botero Angulo in the Botero Plaza in Medellín. (March 24, 2023)

The Rafael Uribe Uribe Palace of Culture is a in Medellín was under construction from the 1925 to 1937 and designed by Belgian architect Agustín Goovaerts in a Gothic Revival style. (March 24, 2023)

In Medellín people hustle to make a living. They set up their business stands along the sidewalks or in the case of this sunglass salesman, carry their business around with them.(March 24, 2023)

The most revealing thing about Medellín is how the people hustle to make a living by selling their wares on the streets. Sidewalks are filled with different kinds of stalls from food to clothing. (March 24, 2023)

A street artist doing his thing in Medellín. (March 24, 2023)

The Plaza Bolívar in Medellín was was inaugurated in 1892 and named in honor of the liberator Simón Bolívar. (March 24, 2023)

The Metropolitan Cathedral of Medellín, officially the Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, is a Catholic cathedral dedicated to the Virgin Mary under the title of the Immaculate Conception. It is located in the central zone of the Medellín. (March 24, 2023)

Me at the Bolivar statue with the marble base around it at the Plaza Bolivar in Medellín. The plaza was inaugurated in 1892 and named in honor of the liberator Simón Bolívar. (March 24, 2023)

Me at the mural to the entrance of Plaza San Antonio in Medellín. (March 24, 2023)

The Plaza San Antonio in Medellín which has several sculptures by the famous Colombian artist Fernando Botero. On June 10, 1995 an alleged FARC, peasant self-defense groups, bomb was detonated under the sculpture during a concert, killing 23 people and injuring dozens more.T he destroyed remnants of his statue titled the “Pajaro de Paz (Bird of Peace)” sits next to an identical replacement as a reminder of the park’s violent history. In 2000, Botero had an identical sculpture placed in the park as a “homage to stupidity,” a symbol of peace, and a memorial to the victims. (March 24, 2023)

An explosion by this dove sculpture by the famous Colombian artist Fernando Botero at the Plaza San Antonio in Medellín killed 28 people and injured 200 from a June 10, 1995 alleged FARC bomb. The destroyed remnants of Botero’s statue titled the “Pajaro de Paz (Bird of Peace)” sits next to an identical replacement as a reminder of the park’s violent history. (March 24, 2023)

The Parque de las Luces, or the Park of Lights, also known as Plaza Cisneros, is a public park in what was once a rather dangerous part of Medellín. It was here that farmers and traders gathered to sell their wares, and where the train came in from the countryside, laden with goods to unload at the train station just across from the market. Today, the 300 illuminated pillars stand in the space, providing shade by day and light by night. (March 24, 2023)

The Parque de las Luces, or the Park of Lights, also known as Plaza Cisneros, is a public park in what was once a rather dangerous part of Medellín. (March 24, 2023)

The Museo Casa de la Memoria (House of Memory Museum) is a multimedia museum in Medellín dedicated to honoring the victims of urban conflict in Medellín and Colombia. The museum is a place intended to give voices to Medellín’s victims of violence and provide a place to grieve, reunite, remember, and develop strategies to avoid future violence. (March 24, 2023)

Cartagena

Cartagena is truly a Caribbean city with beaches (that I did not partake in) good food (which I did partake in) with color and art galore surrounding you. There’s also the mixture of indigenous, African, Spanish and a variety of migrants that add to its history and culture.

While the city of Cartagena was founded in 1533, the fortress that was built to protect it, the Castillo San Felipe de Barajas (San Felipe de Barajas Castle), was built in 1536 on the Hill of San Lázaro overlooking Cartagena’s land and sea.

The city became a center for a major slave market. It’s been revealed that a minimum of 487 slave ships were known to have arrived in Cartagena between 1573 and 1640, disembarking at least 78,453 enslaved Africans in the city and neighboring ports.

The use of slave labor turned out to be essential for the economy of the Cartagena Province, both in the urban and rural areas. With the death of the vast majority of the native population, the work of the Africans became highly relevant.

Cartagena has the highest representation of African Colombians among the 15 main Colombian cities. More than one million people live in Cartagena, and almost 45 percent are of African descent.

In addition to the fortress and a historical walk within the walled city of Cartagena, I also explored a walk through the neighborhood of Getsamani. Once a poor, crime-riddled area, it has now been gentrified and known for its block after block of unique street art, shops and restaurants.

Come explore some of Cartagena with me as I say good-bye to Colombia and hello to being back home in Dallas…at least for a little while.