My great food interest couldn’t keep me from entering this restaurant kitchen in Ráquira.
The restaurant is located next to the village square. The tables are found at the courtyard, and in connection with the courtyard you find the kitchen. The local nenas were happy to pose, one of them in front of the wood stove.
The food being cooked is all local style: pork, corn on the cob, soups etc.
Anders
The mix of old fashinoned means of transportation and the modern variety of cars and aircrafts is striking in Colombia.
This one photo is from Ráquira, a very rural place. I’d guess that the young lady bought some potatoes at the Sunday market and is now on her way home with the cargo, loaded upon the donkey.
But even in Bogota’s better-off northern parts, you see the occasional horse carriage. In fact, I hear the horses walking by the house where I stay almost every day. In Bogota, horse-based transportation is being used for trash, moving and more.
But just as horses are getting out of fashion in Poland, the same thing is happening here - at least in Bogota and the other big cities.
Anders
Last Sunday my friends and I rented a cab for half a day and went to Ráquira, the Colombian capital of pottery.
We left the hotel in Villa de Leyva in the morning hours, then driving thru a dry landscape. First stop was “El Fósil”, a tiny museum built up around the fossil of a kronosaurus, originally 12 meters of length.
After a drive of somewhat less than one hour and 25 kilometers, we arrived in Ráquira, a village of a little more than 1.000 inhabitants. A rural but very lively place, and the ultimate mix of local peasantry and tourism.
The main village street is crowded with shops, most of them selling fine pottery - anything from typical souvenirs to sets of plates and cups. The village square, caught on this photo, is complete with restaurants, the church and chatting locals. Just a block behind the square, the scenery was the Sunday market.
Tourists probably bring quite a bit of money in, but in many ways the economy gave the impression of being very local.
Anders
According to my Lonely Planet travel guide on Colombia (edition 1995/97) Colombian wine is “poor, not popular and best avoided”.
I decided to find out for myself, and found this little Vineyard at the outskirts of Villa de Leyva. The business is run by a German farmer, Don Joachim, who decided to settle down here a number of years ago. He started out with 15 different kinds of grapes, and finally decided to continue with two of them: one red, one white. The vineyard produces five different wines, ranging from sweet to dry.
So what’s my conclusion? White wines seem to be difficult in this kind of climate - the taste was not too impressive. The red wines are better, especially the sweet ones. I bought a few bottles of the red wines, so further tests will be undertaken during the time to come.
In general, Colombians are not very much into wine drinking, and the supermarkets do not offer much of a selection. If you want a good wine, imports from Chile is the most common choice. However, according to Lonely Planet there is one exception in Colombian wine production: Viñedo de Puntalarga, not very far from Villa de Leyva and Bogotá. Wines from the world highest situated wineyard - 2.500 meters - are said to be some of the best ones in Latin America. Conditions are similar to Rhine and Alsace, as are the wines. A difference is that the climate permits two harvests a year.
Maybe Colombia has a future as wine producer. But before that happens, more Colombians have to learn about the difference between liqueur and wine…
Anders
Last weekend I spent in Villa de Leyva, a town of some 5000 inhabitants a few hours north of Bogotá.
Villa de Leyva is a beautiful, extremely well-preserved colonial town, founded in 1572. Nowadays the town is a trendy weekend spot for Bogotanos, but still a lot of genuinety remains. Situated on 2.140 meters above sea level, the climate is very pleasant. Days do not get really hot, and nights do not get very chilly.
The central square of Villa de Leyva measures some impressive 120 X 120 meters. It’s paved with cobblestones and lined with whitewashed colonial houses, and of course the parish church.
The rural colonial architecture, as shown on this photo from Villa de Leyva, largely consists of a simple outer surface. But once you enter a building, you walk into a lovely, square courtyard. Many of those buildings with courtyards have now been turned into either picturesque hotels, like the one I stayed at, restaurants or “shopping malls”.
Handicraft shopping, especially clothing, is a must in Villa de Leyva. And what a relief not to run in to one single street vendor!
Anders
The Old town of Cartagena is listed by UNESCO as world heritage. The well-preserved old town with plenty of Spanish colonial architecture is the main reason.
At this photo you find one of the more colorful examples of colonial architecture. The building houses a bar/disco called “Mr. Babilla”.
Not only buildings are colorful. Blacks are numerous at the Caribbean coast, since this part of the country formerly was a center for slave trade. This is one of many factors that make Cartagena very different from Bogota where almost everyone is either mestizo (mixed white/Amerindian) or white.
According to statistics, mestizos constitute 58 per cent of the population, whites 20 per cent, mulattoes 4 per cent, mixed black/Amerindians 3 per cent, and finally Amerindians, 1 per cent.
Unlike Peru and Bolivia which have high percentages of indians, or Argentina and Uruguay where whites predominate, Colombia is much more of a racial blend. And yes, the variety compared to what I’m used to in Europe is really striking!
Having spent a few days in Cartagena, I can guarantee that this city is well worth visiting. But the street vendors of Cartagena really know how to drive you mad. It’s understandable that extremely poor people are trying to sell you anything from lobsters to jewelry. However, compared to how tourism industry is run in some other parts of Colombia (and the world), it’s more than obvious that a lot can be done to improve the way things are done in Cartagena.
One of these days there are elections held in this Caribbean city - the locals will choose a mayor to run the place for the next few years. Corruption among politicians, lack of education among citizens and absence of big money are challenges that have to be dealt with.
Cartagena does possess the power of attraction. But will the city be able to fully exploit it?
Anders
Caribbean music has many faces. At Paco’s bar a few of them showed up in the shape of a band playing Cuban music.
There’s said to be quite a bit of nightlife in Cartagena. But my short stay didn’t permit a more thorough exploration.
Anders
A view from the beach in Cartagena as the sun is descending. Even though it’s not summer, the water is very warm.
But enjoy with care - in Cartagena the sea is aggresive and the waves powerful.
Anders
Colombia’s history is as complexe as it is fascinating. The country’s size, natural resources and geographic position are reasons for the world’s super power, the U.S.A., to show a continous interest in Colombian affairs.
This photo shows a U.S. military airplane at the airport of Cartagena last week. The U.S. puts respectable amounts of money into the war against the Colombian drug production. More recently, the U.S. has got deeper involved also in the Colombian war on terrorism, i.e. the Colombian government’s battle against the powerful guerilla groups in the country. Immense amounts of money flow from Washington. The military presence of the U.S. is quite limited though - less than 1.000 troops and contractors.
The Colombian Army is visible all over. The current objective is to increase the number of soldiers from around 200.000 in 2004 to at least four times as many by 2008.
President Alvaro Uribe’s investment in military capacity and hard line policies against the guerillas seems to give positive effects. Larger areas are considered somewhat safe, and people I talk to agree that the situation has improved.
But still a lot of problems remain.
Anders
Cartagena lives with and from the sea. The city is built on islands and peninsulas, almost surrounded by waters.
Considering that the water is The Caribbean, that’s not too bad at all. Taking a bath is pleasant, and the shrimp dish called ceviche is more than delicious.
I stayed at a cheap hotel in Bocagrande, a part of the city located at a narrow peninsula some five taxi minutes away from the old town. This modern part of the city consists of villa suburbs, apartments, and numerous hotels, fancy and un-fancy shops as well as restaurants.
The beach is quite ok, but if you want a real Caribbean treat you need to go by boat to the archipelago of small coral islands called Islas del Rosario.
New projects are underways in Bocagrande. Climat change and ascending water levels may be a threat, but if you can live with the risk, you may wanna buy an apartment in a skyscraper with Caribbean panorama.
Anders
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