Safety and Colombia

I got some looks when I said I was moving to Colombia.  Looks I imagine some of our brothers and sisters in the armed services got.  “You’re going where?“

Well, it ain’t Iraq.  And thank God for that, right?  We grew up with images in movies that the bad guys are from Russia, Germany, Colombia, Outer Space… those were pretty major ones in the movies, ay?  Nowadays a lot of bad guys are from the Middle East.  These images linger…

It serves for an enticing premise, the Colombian Drug Lord, mighty and ruthless.  Poisoning our children while they disco!!

Colombia’s changed; from everything I’ve heard, it has changed.  It’s pretty amazing to see, too.  In less than 10 years things have turned around so sharply;  the festivals are more festive, people are in the streets and feel safe being there.

Friends who have traveled here get the looks too.  It’s be kind of like saying – Yeah, Northern Ireland, let’s go there to relax.

Even Hector, born here and immigrated to the States when he was 9, got the looks from his family.  Some of them watch us and this blog.

I see a people recovering.  Recovering in the physical sense, with a president that they chose to re-elect, which meant amending their constitution as elected officials can only serve one term.  He’s done good, organized the people so that the guerillas are pushed back into the most hard to get to regions of the country, and further destabilizing them by offering the men who (most of them) were forced into service a way out.  It’s a good plan, it seems to be working, too.

I see a people still scared, and how could they not be?  A decade earlier and it wasn’t safe to travel here, much less live here.  Gunshots everyday.  5 million, they say, emigrated from here.  And another 8 million were displaced and stayed in their own country.  The nation does not want those things to happen again.

I see a people dealing with the trauma of the past.

As Latin America comes into its own, things are going to continue to change.  I think one of the biggest threats to life here right now is that the President is pushing for a free-trade agreement with the US.  This would allow stores like Wal-Mart to build here.  And that would be sad.

I think it would hurt the economy here, as the country is held together by small business.  It’s easy to start your own business, too – just put a grill out in the front of your house and start selling arepas!  Try doing that in the states.

It’s pretty cool, going from store to store to get your tupperware, your socks, your electronics, and the fresh fruit being sold on the street is ka-bam good.  The pineapple and mango’s!  We’re talking cents, here, people, just cents!

I keep hearing from friends that some Colombians in the states say that it isn’t safe in their country.  So many of these natives resist even the thought of moving back.  I don’t blame them, who wants to trust an abusive home healed?

But as it does heal, the country and the people open up.  Did you know that Colombia accounts for 10% of the world’s biodiversity?  They have found three new species of plants in the nearby national park.  Which means, they say, that new species of insect life will be found also.

I’ve been on four continents so far.  Traveled pretty extensively in countries like Italy, France, Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Thailand, Bali (of Indonesia), Singapore and plenty of spaces in the states, Canada, and part of Mexico.  I’ve never once felt unsafe here.  And that’s saying something.

I didn’t feel that safe in Naples (Napoli), Italy.  I got bum-rushed by Gypsies at a train station somewhere in Tuscanny.  I’ve walked from the Seine to the outskirts of Paris one night, using the maps at the bus stops for my guide.  I felt ok then, too.  Parts of Bangkok would be a no. There were areas of Portland, Oregon that I curtailed my time in.

Like anywhere in this world (including Anchorage, Alaska), there are parts you gotta watch yourself in.  It’s like being in the woods, it’s beautiful and awesome, but don’t forget where you are, and keep an eye out.  Not to be paranoid either, life is an adventure!

Even when we got to this small town, Hector told me not to walk through this certain part at night.  Well, give me a month, and I gave it a go.  It led to a fabulous walk where I have taken some awesome pictures (which I’ve been using here).  He was like “Huh, that’s cool.  Things really have changed.”

I do not feel in danger here.  I find the people inviting, friendly – with a sensitivity to customer service that we in the states would LOVE.

Travel here. The country is blossoming.  There are so many opportunities to do things just a bit off the beaten path.  Colombia, if it keeps on its way, will become a world hot-spot, I wager.  Some amazing fashion designers are from here.  One of the worlds best writers, and some amazing artists and musicians (beside Shakira).

It isn’t built (yet) for tourism.  That doesn’t mean its inaccessible.  That’s the difference between travel and tourism, yo.  I’ll be constructing a website in the next couple of months, catering to travel in the coffee district.  With Hector’s connections (he’s related to everybody and befriends everyone else), we got coffee tours, horseback riding, hiking, cabins, bird watching, butterfly watching, and some damn good food.

And for all you Colombians out there, keep your eye out.  Maybe you’ll want to come home soon.  Peace.