The Colombians I meet are often curious to know why I traveled to their country.
They are well aware of the world’s perspective, which is why I am usually smiling coyly when I give some variation of the following response.
In 2005, I met a Swiss backpacker my last night on vacation in Costa Rica.
He had traveled through Colombia and spoke of the beautiful women and safe conditions. I knew then that I would be going, it was just a matter of when.
The next year, I met a few other travelers in Central America who also spoke of Colombia as a beautiful country.
In 2009, as my trip around the world was wrapping up, I had a decision to make.
I had enough money to visit one country in South America, and I gave myself the choice of either Brazil or Colombia.
Brazil is a known entity, filled with tourists from around the world partying it up. I was also hearing it was as expensive as the United States.
Meanwhile, Colombia was the unknown. A country flying under the radar for most travelers, yet already gaining credit on the Latin American backpacker trail.
I chose to visit Colombia because I wanted to visit a beautiful country before the rest of the world’s tourists knew what it was missing.
And it has surpassed my every expectation, especially in Medellin.
The climate, geography, and women are gorgeous. The culture is vibrant, the nightlife exciting, and the dancing a challenge waiting to be conquered.
Now if I can just manage to earn a living here!
