Barranquilla: A Local's Guide

This is a guest blog, written by one of my Colombian students. I was so impressed by her homework, I decided it deserved a spot on the page. This way, you can hear about Barranquilla from a native. It was also Barranquilla's 202nd birthday on Tuesday, so here's to the sandy city!

View from the north of the city at dawn

El Centro: The Heart of Barranquilla

The centre of Barranquilla is, in my opinion, one of the most interesting places in the city. It is full of life, from the busy market to the coffee street sellers, to the men in shop doors, singing and dancing all day in order to encourage people inside. There is also a great amount of fantastic architecture, although, sadly, a lot of the buildings are very run-down. In fact, the poverty in this area is very clear - many homeless people are to be seen, lying sleeping in doorways and street corners all around the centre. In short, it sums up - for me - Colombia itself: a country with a wonderful cultural history and much to offer, but still many problems to be addressed.

Wolf-whistles, cat-calls and the lost art of conversation

The time has long come for me to write something about Colombia's cultural attitudes. This week, I'd like to touch on a subject that affects my life on a daily basis here, and yet to many seems widely insignificant - street harassment.

Minca!

Up in the cloud-covered forests of the Sierra Nevada, far from the bustling heat of the city below, lies a small Colombian village. It has all the features of a typical coastal town - brightly painted restaurants, yellow taxi cabs, motorbikes parked on every corner - the only difference is the beautiful tranquility that transcends this location. A place for recharging your batteries, taking a deep breath and enjoying the simpler things in life.

To the end of the earth: Bocas de Ceniza

Barranquilla is a little-known tourist city. In fact, in the Lonely Planet guide to South America it states that 'there's little to detain the traveller here'. While this may be partly true - it is a mainly industrial city - there are still hidden delights to be found for those who look hard enough. And one of these is the ride out to where the Magdalena River meets with the Atlantic Ocean: Bocas de Ceniza.

Ocean to the left, river to the right:
the contrasting colours of Bocas de Ceniza

Medellín: Land of the Paisas

Medellín, the land of eternal spring

Another week, another city - this time, the sophisticated heights of Medellín. After the intense 30 degree heat of the Caribbean coast, the breezy 20 of this metropolis left me feeling a tad chilly (so not British, I know), but with a freshness that was oh-so-welcome - 80% humidity can get a bit much at times! Even aside from the weather, it felt like we were in another world: gone was the relaxed accent of the coast, gone the endless bargaining for taxi fares, gone the crazy dash across the road and praying you don't get run over (well, almost). In its place, the lilting, sing-song voice of the paisas (local residents); a taxi meter; and actual pedestrian crossings! The existence of a metro system was just the icing on the cake.

Let's Face the Music and Dance!

As you are probably aware, life in Colombia is full of music of all varieties - it is extremely rare to walk even 100m down the street without hearing some kind of beat pumping from a nearby stereo, if not several at the same time! What's more, a Colombian cannot hear music and stand still. I'm convinced that if you tied one of them up and played some music - even if it was in the next room - they would start twitching and eventually implode. I mean, it's in their blood. I even walked past a nursery school where they were teaching little two-year-olds how to dance salsa. So unfair!

Locals in 'La Troja' bar, showing off their well-practised salsa skills.
Image: Golden Colombia