Category About Colombia
When ‘On my way’ doesn’t mean on my way
Colombians’ time perception translated – for the benefit of newly arrived foreigners who are still acclimatising to the culture here. I’ve often been deceived (perhaps unintentionally, in their defence?) when meeting the locals, when the person I’m supposed to meet says ‘ya voy en camino’ (I’m already on my way). The expression actually means something really […]
How to say no in Bogotá
Foreigner: My dear, let’s go to the cinema! Bogotano: We’ll see. Foreigner: Can we go to the supermarket to get some tea? Bogotano: Er.. Foreigner: It’s Sunday! Looks like it’s gonna be a nice day! Shall we go to La Candeleria and have tamales and go to the Museum of Central Bank? Bogotano: Let’s […]
Bogotá’s human side
I might have written a lot about how terrible the busetas are in Bogotá, but it’s also on these vehicles that you get to experience the warm and fuzzy feeling among human beings. Passengers help each other on these busetas. It’s quite a strange sight, especially given the stigma of asking a passerby on the streets for directions or […]
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Halloween turns out to be the biggest event in Bogotá! Absolutely amazing! The whole city turns itself into a mega fun fair. It’s the ultimate spectacle of the year before the ‘festival of lights‘ begins in November. It was like a carnival! Everyone seems to have left work early and hits the streets in their […]
The Arty Bogotá
This is a very important weekend in Bogotá! It’s the art weekend, which coincides with the International Contemporary Art Fair in Paris and Frieze in London. The biggest show is, of course, ArtBo (Art Bogotá), held at the second exhibition hall of Corferias, housing over 65 galleries from predominantly the Americas, an individual artists’ show, […]
I got my share eventually..
Perhaps it was bad luck; or perhaps it’s just the standard experience that everyone has to have in Bogotá. Yes, I got mugged, after 8 months of immunity. It’s a testimony to all those who have criticised me for being ‘uptight, exaggerating, scaremongering’ whatever name you want to brand it. Well, you can never be […]
The neck-breaking ride
I’ve previously written about the busetas of Bogotá, the bad boy minibuses. Their aggressive tendency is like the killer high speed minibuses that have been coined flying coffins for sprinting through Hong Kong at 60 miles/hour. In Bogotá, fortunately, they can’t go at super speed (even though the drivers would certainly love to), because of […]
DUNK IT like Dunkin
Dunkin has done very well in Colombia, especially among the middle class, by offering good value. And they fit in well here because Colombians have a very sweet tooth. Their desserts are very sweet and a lot of which are made from milk and a kind of caramel (arequipe). So Dunkin has definitely got their […]
Learning about the regional nuances of Colombian cuisine
For those who have had enough of beans and potatoes from the Andean cuisine, costeña food offers a reprieve with its interesting fusion of Caribbean presence (fish-bias) and Arabic influence (which includes falafel and aubergine-filled tamales!). The sweet and fluffy coconut rice and round, ball-shaped butifarra sausages certainly make an interesting change from plain rice and […]
Colombia’s indigenous people
er.. Yes.. I am cheating and posting something that I have written for a local newspaper here.. Well technically it still fits the bill – something about Colombia and something that I have written! This exhibition of the Muiscas gold offering objects is a fascinating view into the past of Colombia. It’s a pity that the […]
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