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Colombia was to be the last country of my trip around the world, and either because I was nearing the end of my adventure, or I simply couldn’t satisfy my curiosity about the place, its people, and culture, I decided to see what it would take to live abroad.  Throughout the previous 13 months of travel through 19 other countries and kingdoms on 4 continents, I was always wondering whether there was a city which would inspire and motivate me to take on the challenge of working abroad.  It feels good to have found such a place.

Despite the concerns about FARC, kidnappings, and crime, I felt safer in Bogota and Medellin than Cape Town and Johannesburg.  While the traditional Colombian food is artery-clogging to the core, the nightlife is awesome (in this gringo’s opinion).  The people on a whole are amongst the most friendly and curious I have met on my trip.  The women can inspire a guy to want to learn Spanish.  And with the snow-capped Andes, jungles, undeveloped beaches, and smaller towns and villages yet to explore, there is enough to keep me busy or coming back again and again.

Highlights -

• Not getting ripped off on the taxi ride from the airport to Laura’s apartment in Bogota
• Couchsurfing with Laura and her roommate
• The Botero and Gold Museums
• The cable car ride up Montserrat
• My Friday night out in Bogota’s Zona Rosa
• The short and scenic flight to Medellin
• Visiting the city’s new aquarium, Parque Explora, and botanical gardens
• Watching the sun set from atop Pueblito Paisa
• Botero Plaza and the Antiquities Museum
• Getting around Medellin on the metro line (and taking the western cable car for great views of the city)
• Free dance performance at Teatro Lido
• Meeting and partying with Medellin’s couchsurfing group
• Tracking down a restaurant where Anthony Bourdain ate on No Reservations last year
• Being recognized by 2 Americans who had read this blog before leaving on their own year long trip!
• Dance lessons with the local girls
• Visiting Pablo Escobar’s grave (I know, it is an odd highlight)
• Attending Carnaval in Barranquilla
• An impromptu sidetrip to Cartagena
• Drinking a caipirinhia on the beach
• Launching MedellinLiving.com

Lowlights –

• Having my computer’s AC adapter ($40), my French corkscrew ($50), some burned music, and USB cables stolen from my bag in a hostel

Eating -

Meat, chicken, beans, avocado, traditional soup, Aguila cerveza, Aguardiente, rum, tinto (coffee), lots of sushi.

# of Days Couchsurfing -

6

Average Cost Per Day -

$44