Back to Colombia…
BTW…Please note, that’s spelled ColOmbia – a country in South America – NOT ColUmbia University or the District of ColUmbia (D.C.) in the U.S. or British ColUmbia in Canada. |
Our Lady of Las Lajas, Impiales, Colombia
O.k. so it’s been nearly 6 months since I returned from Ecuador’s neighbor to the north. I’d visited Colombia briefly on my trip north to Quito and surrounds 3 yrs. ago (just a single overnight dash across the border to gawk at the stunning “Our Lady of Las Lajas” cathedral majestically straddling the Guáitara River just a few miles from the northern Ecuador border).
This time I was determined to explore Colombia a bit further/longer.
The truth is, I’d initially been planning a(nother) marathon month+ trip back to Europe (incl. a couple nights in Paris, a week on the Mediterranean isle of Malta, plus 3 weeks exploring Albania), but instead…
Suffice I even had my rt. air ticket to Paris in the bag, when – suddenly (as is uber-rare once I’ve plunked down a pile of C-notes for a non-refundable air ticket) I dumped the entire Malta/Albania plan in a magnificent “U-Turn“. Instead, (in hind-sight, wisely) I decided I’d had enough of strenuous, pricey, cramped long-haul flights across the Atlantic (not to mention the – far more disturbing – rabid social media destination hype both Albania and Malta have been recently getting). Especially given that…
I’ve been calling Ecuador “home” for more than a decade now, and have only managed to explore but a few (Ecuador, Peru, and that singularly “bucket-list” isle 2,000+ miles off the coast of Chile: Easter Island) of the 12 sovereign countries (+ one French territory) that comprise this massive South American continent. Indeed, still plenty of new nations ’round here to explore (e.g. Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil for starters). Not to mention the “3 Guianas”: Suriname (Dutch Guiana), French Guiana, and plain ol’ Guyana (formerly British Guiana) all nicely clustered together along the north Caribbean coast to the east of Venezuela.
In short, I’ve got a lot of work yet to do if I hope to make even a modest dent in the vast continent of South America. So a return north to further explore Colombia seemed a good place to start.
Now Colombia (fully *4 times* the size of Ecuador) most certainly has TONS of interesting corners to explore, and trust that I did my usual earnest research of most all of them. I lately seem to be leaning towards big cities (e.g. CDMX, London, etc.) in my travels – likely b/c of my ever-growing foodie addiction, plus the allure of accessing a wider variety of eclectic attractions when one chooses to live in a smallish (~600,000 vs. multiple millions), sublimely tranquil city on a remote 8,400+ ft. mountain-top in the Andes.
So I initially considered visiting Bogotá as well as its smaller sister-city Medellin (pronounced “meh-duh-yeen”) – both high altitude cities (~9,000 ft. and 5,000 ft. respectively) w/ year-round springtime temps. But kid sister (Medellín) seems to have become a bit of an expat magnet in recent years (not a local crowd that I seek in my travels). Plus from what I could tell from online travel chatter/YouTube videos, it seems more on the radar of the proliferation of “digital nomads” and “slow travelers” these days – that I had just cancelled a trip to Albania in order to avoid. Furthermore, Bogotá is the capital of Colombia, and is known to be more international – esp. when it comes to some seriously outstanding restaurants.
© shankar s.
I also considered a few spots on Colombia’s northern coast (esp. a flamingo sanctuary near Riohacha). But any such remote Caribbean locale was bound to be crazy-hot and humid w/ no doubt armies of mosquitos to contend with (a climate that I had more than enough of in my younger days leading small groups amid the tropical jungles and beaches of Belize and Costa Rica). So I scratched that notion, and instead focused on limiting a tropical Caribbean stay in Colombia to but a week (with requisite a/c sleeps) in Cartagena.
I was/am also keen on shortening my international wanders somewhat these days – no more marathon month+ long trips w/ countless dizzying plane/train/bus connections for this DIY solo dodderin’ lass. A couple of weeks or so at a go has now become much more complementary to my liking/endurance.
Ah but enough preamble – suffice I settled on (an uncharacteristically) conservative itinerary: a bit more than 2 weeks visiting just two (distinctly different) Colombian locales: the bustling (comfy cool) city of Bogotá, and the (steamy tropical) historic Caribbean port city of Cartagena.
Bogotá
Free “desayuno” each morning on the rooftop terrace – with THE most lusciously smoooooth Colombian coffee!
Bogotá Sleeps
While I’ve never been one to flit from perch to perch in repetitive 1 – 2 night-stands in my travels, I admit to often cramming a few too many corners into my trip itineraries. So in that spirit, I chose just two Colombian locales with a relaxed week or more in each of them.
Indeed, I (in retrospect, wisely) opted to spend nearly 10 days in Bogotá – split between the beginning (4 nts.) and end (5 nts.) of my Colombia visit. I booked the same lovely hostel (Hostal R10 in the conveniently located Candelaria/Central Historic district) for both stays – in a private room w/ a fabulous rooftop lounge serving a hearty (gratis) breakfast each morning. My private room w/ ensuite bath was just $21/night (!!!) – yet another good reason to stick closer to “home” here in South America rather than wrestle with the ever more breathtaking prices of even the eastern European countries these days.
Bogotá Eats
Ah yes – the EATS! Both street food (ahhhh, the heavenly arepas!), as well as a couple of lauded high-end restaurants. Indeed, speaking of the former – my first authentic Colombian arepa was at a stray food stand just outside of the Emerald Museum. As I recall, it cost me all of $2 and quite honestly – was so delicious I actually SWOONED w/ my first bite. So very tasty in fact, I made sure to go back to that same street food stand on my final day in Bogotá – for one final taste of Colombian arepa deliciousness!
Then of course there was the lure of gourmet eats to consider. Cuenca has a wide (and ever wider lately it seems) variety of good restaurants to be sure. But (as yet) nothing to compare to the World-class dining options scattered around the globe.
Bogotá has quite a number of high-end eateries boasting a string of internationally acclaimed culinary awards. So the only question for this ardent foodie was… which restaurant should I drop a large chunk of my travel budget on?
Long story/boatloads of research later…
“El Cielo” – considered by many to be the “best” restaurant in Colombia and noted for its “multi-sensory” tasting menu – at first seemed promising. But (as proof that I don’t favor uppity eateries merely for the bite-sized “pretties” and “foam and smoke” theatrics), upon watching El Cielo’s “chocolate hand-wash” experience complete with a finish of ground coffee and sugar (ugh) in THIS VIDEO… Suffice it all seemed like $200 worth of gastronomic gimmicks.
Next up was “El Chato” which likewise looked promising w/ a 13 course tasting menu (incl. “candied trout” and a “fist-sized oyster” swimming in clarified tamarind broth) at COP640,000/$162. But reviews seemed to be mixed (and predominantly negative) so I kept looking…
Checking “Leo” (listed at #76 in the World on “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants” site – not too shabby considering there are more than 17,000 restaurants in New York City alone!) with a (normally) $230 12-course tasting menu – I got lucky!
Back then (in November 2025) Leo was offering a “20th Anniversary” special lunch for COP96,800 (little more than $50!) Needless to say – I swiftly locked-in a reservation for lunch at Leo’s for my third afternoon in Bogotá. For my 3 courses, I had a starter of “Albacore – Culona ants dipped in cane honey”, plus an entrée of (I forget exactly what-all was in it but it was delish) creatively wrapped in a steamed banana leaf and smothered in a most delectable sauce. And for dessert: “MongoMongo” A refreshing mango gelato with a (surprisingly tasty) accent of grilled jalapeño pepper).
Um, yup those ANTS. A species of leaf-cutter ants (a.k.a. “big-assed” and only the queens are edible). Trust that my chunk of tuna appetizer only had but a touch of them ground, sprinkled on top. But as I was curious, my waiter brought me a small dish of them whole – and I (naturally) tossed a couple of them down my throat! 😮
As per Wikipedia…“The hormiga culona has been eaten for hundreds (if not thousands) of years, as a tradition inherited from pre-colonial cultures such as the Guanes. The ants are harvested for about nine weeks during the rainy season every year, at the time when they make their nuptial flight. A. laevigata are used as traditional gifts in weddings. There are local superstitions and beliefs regarding the ants as aphrodisiacs.” |
Moving on in my pre-trip research – given the sweet savings on my Leo lunch, I couldn’t help but search a bit more for a second lauded eatery in Bogotá. And my-O-my! Did I find (what turned out to be) THE most fabulous restaurant of all: “Humo Negro” (“Black Smoke” in the style of “Fine Dining Grunge”)
Listed at #41 among 50 Best’s Latin American restaurants (the chef at Humo Negro worked for “El Chato” – #1 in Latin America – for many years). Suffice I very nearly overlooked it. But a few weeks in advance, I managed to grab a reservation for their “OMAKASE” tasting menu (a Japanese dining style that translates to “I leave it up to you” a.k.a. “Chef’s choice”) on my final night in Colombia.
No less than 16 tastings, at (a gastronomic STEAL!) of just COP420,000/ $122 incl. tip. Seriously, a most delicious, eclectic, and stunningly beautiful assortment of toothsome bites – ranging from a single (HUGE) grilled oyster, to coconut escargot, blue crab ceviche, veal sweet breads, squid, duck, scallops, younameit. Oh and, a generous bit of the legendary “pirarucu” (the largest Amazonian fish in South America, reaching up to 10 feet in length!) Of course… I only had about an inch of it. 🙂
Better yet, how ’bout I simply point you to the entire 16 COURSE MENU HERE.
And here’s just a visual sample of the dizzying assortment of fabulous Humo Negro eats:
Whew! Needless to say, Bogotá proved to (waaay) more than satisfy my (ever democratic) lust for both yummy street food, as well as “OMG!” world-class fine dining.
But that was just the tip of the Bogotá iceberg of treats for me…
Bogotá Miscellany
My “Don’t Try This at Home” art quilt made in 2005
QUILTING: Yet another obsession of mine – I’ve recently reignited my passion for all-things art quilting. I bought myself a used sewing machine about a year ago, but… Suffice quilting cottons (much less the beloved lusciousness of “batik” fabrics) that are abundant in my native Seattle – alas, are but a pipe-dream on my (otherwise) sweet mountain-top in Cuenca. Thus… trust that I crossed fingers and toes that I might somehow unearth a quilt shop in a much larger city like Bogotá. On my first morning I headed for the (single) such shop I’d found online and…
OMG – row upon candy-colored row of 100% quilting cottons!
WOA-BABY!!!
An entire shop filled with a kaleidoscope of *100% COTTON* fabrics! Seriously. quiiite the rare treasure trove of quilty lusciousness down here beneath the Equator!
MUSEUMS: I also enjoyed visiting several of Bogotá’s fine museums: the International Emerald Museum, the Botero Museum (a renowned Colombian artist that favors all things “pudgy”); and of course the (excellent!) Museo del Oro (Gold Museum).
TEJO: Then there was the most interesting game of “Tejo”. Somewhat similar to “horseshoes” but much more exhilarating as it involves hurling a heavy disc at an *explosive* target. The game dates back more than 500 years to pre-Hispanic times and was originally discovered in the town of Turmequé just outside of Bogotá. The indigenous would typically drink “chicha”, a fermented corn drink, and play during their ceremonies or settle differences by throwing a disc made of real gold.
Modern Tejo consists of pitching heavy metal disks (tejos) across a distance of 10-20 meters depending on skill level, at triangular pieces of paper folded around a pinch of explosives. These small targets are placed in a wooden box filled with muddy clay. Upon impact, a violent blast announces that you’ve earned a 3 pt. “mecha” (hit).
Me? I’ve surely sipped my fair share of “chicha” (it’s likewise a very popular drink in the Andean highlands of Ecuador), but… suffice I probably should have ordered some with my lunch at Tejo Ancestral near my hostel to add heft to my tosses, as I didn’t land a single disc at the explosive target. 🙁
I only wish you could see/touch this beaded honey up close – it truly is a treasure!
TRAVEL SERENDIPITY: Unlike many of today’s travelers that fill most every moment w/ seemingly every GetYourGuide “must see” attraction on offer, I’ve always much preferred to “wing-it” and keep most all of my days fully open to whim. Such a free-spirited travel style tends to invite all manner of unexpected delights that often become my fondest travel memories.
Towit: One day as I was aimlessly wandering amid the streets near my Bogotá hostel – a gob of sweet ol’ serendipity struck: I stumbled into a stray vintage clothing store (natch!) and… Though I didn’t find any wearables to tuck into my carry-on rollie, I did find this utterly exquisite, hand-stitched beaded textile that the owner sold me for just COP155,000/~$40.
Cartagena
Um, may as well just spit it out… one of the few places on the globe that I’m not likely to return to. Simply put – faaar more touristy than I can tolerate, plus over-the-top hot and muggy from morning until night.
Now I KNEW that Cartagena would be tropical hot/humid. And I eagerly embraced a full year of such when I lived in stifling Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. But that was more than a decade ago, and (much like my sweetly temperate old hood in Seattle) I’ve since grown accustomed to the blessedly year-round “springtime” climate here on the top of this 8,400+ ft. mountain in Cuenca, Ecuador.
I’ve also grown several decades older now, and like-it-or-not, my younger days of blissfully romping through steamy tropical beaches and jungles in Belize and Costa Rica are clearly behind me. I simply don’t have the stamina to endure uber-sultry temps, nor have I ever favored the sudden chill of constantly moving in/out of icy air-conditioned shops, restaurants and my hotel room.
Seriously, this is NOT what I traveled 1,000+ miles to do… 😒
That said – it honestly wasn’t so much the sweltering temps of Cartagena that disturbed me, but rather… the inescapable gimmicky kitsch at every turn. Clearly I’d not read the fine print in the 2026 travel brochure of a popular destination like Cartagena. Silly me – I honestly expected to experience at least a semblance of authentic Spanish colonial charm that was once (not that long ago) the hallmark of this South American port city.
Instead – though I traipsed in the heat from one Cartagena neighborhood to another (Getsemani to the UNESCO lauded Walled City, to the beachside high-rises and shopping malls of Bocagrande – a.k.a. the Colombian “Miami”) – every blessed corner seemed to be Disney-esqued up to attract the swollen crowd of tourists and day-trippers disgorged from mammoth cruise ships (more than 10,000 passengers per day!) that perpetually line the harbor.
Yes, of course I too am one of those “tourists”. But then again, arguably an entirely different breed who neither seeks the festively painted cattle-car tours around town, nor the trinket shops that line even the most (otherwise) pristine beaches of this ancient colonial city.
In short, while I found Cartagena’s blistering temps a good bit challenging, I swiftly adapted by emerging from my a/c hotel room only for late afternoon lunches and evening strolls. BUT… sadly – it was the over-the-top gaudy commercialism – targeted exclusively to tourists, with nary a shred of local authenticity that cancelled any appeal for me.
That said… of course (as always) I nonetheless tried my level best to make the most of my time there. Lemonade from lemons, after all – and I did manage to find a few memorable experiences over my week in Cartagena de Indias.
Cartagena Sleeps
As I said – I KNEW that Cartagena was going to be a good bit tropical, so naturally I carefully chose my sleeps there. And while the city is fairly walkable, I likewise researched the various neighborhoods and settled on Getsemani (described as “…gentrified yet retaining an unmistakable local and authentic vibe.” (emphasis, mine). Um, yes and no…
My “Casa 1811” hotel – situated across from the leafy Centenario Park – proved excellent, with a lovely staff, and a hearty free breakfast each morning for just $48/nt. dbl (curiously… that same room is presently showing $75 for the same dates in ’26 – um… what does THAT tell us about sky-high inflation ’round the globe.) 😒Better still, blessedly sweet a/c, plus a lovely private balcony – perfect for sipping a bit of vino in the evening when the city temps finally fell to bearably pleasant).
Cartagena Eats
Charcoal gelato – actually quite tasty!
Trust that I of course I had my fair share of tasty Colombian eats in Cartagena including plenty of fresh seafood ceviche, a wide variety of succulent arepas, plus a most interesting cup of “charcoal” gelato one blistering afternoon in the Walled City (surprisingly good!)
But honestly it was a single lunch that proved the absolute HIGHLIGHT of my entire week-long stay.
Thank GOODNESS for “Celele”! The lauded eatery I chose to dine at in Cartagena. Rated at #5 in Latin America (and among the top 50 in the entire World).
I ordered the colorful “Ensalada de Flores Caribenas” with pickled cashews and passion fruit dressing, along with an entrée of “Pota Squid” (a.k.a. Jumbo or Flying squid) and “Escabeche Costeno” style mussels. Both were absolute works-of-art, and utterly delicious! I didn’t have room for dessert, but let me tell ya – the “Cremoso de Chocolate de la Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta” that a neighboring diner was enjoying looked so ridiculously tasty… it might actually be worth a revisit to Cartagena just for dessert! Better yet – the tab for all that gastronomic heaven came to just $60 with tip.
Cartagena Miscellany
Though I honestly was underwhelmed with Cartagena from the get-go, I did manage to enjoy a few of the sights and attractions. On Day 1 I dropped a quick COP10,000 (~$2) for the requisite photo with the “Palenquera fruit ladies”, then snapped a pic of the lemony “Clock Tower” before wandering around the Walled City a bit (grabbing a virtual geocache – natch! – at the Botero sculpture at Plaza Santo Domingo).
The staff at my hotel were especially kindly – pointing me to a nearby (blessedly air-conditioned) local hair salon for a mani/pedi (COP50,000 / ~$13), and one sweet lass even guided me personally to a local clothing thrift shop late one afternoon when the midday temps somewhat abated.
And um, while we’re on the subject of travel photos:
About those colorful parasols above…Agreed, the festive Cartagena street canopy in the feature image at the top of this TL post is no doubt mighty pretty. BUT… Honestly? If I never see another “umbrella street” in my travels – it will be too soon. Seriously. The proliferation of this exact same kitschy street glitz in most every blessed city/town in the world these days – imho speaks VOLUMES about the “Disney-fication” of the entire travel scene today. Indeed, what with the massive increase in the number of folks who have suddenly (since covid) “discovered” that there’s an entire world beyond their comfy native land couch (yet who insist that even the most remote, hitherto pristine village in Asia supply them with a 5-star high-rise hotel experience – complete w/ infinity pool, a requisite “top sheet” and a personal “wash cloth” in the bathroom of course)… Suffice – it seems almost impossible to avoid the proliferation of cookie-cutter tourist magnets like the ubiquitous “umbrella street” nonsense. Sadly, it seems the recent upsurge in travel these days is swiftly transforming the entire globe into one big homogeneous blob until… tragically, it soon won’t matter WHERE you are – every corner of every country will look exactly the same. 😒 |
Wrapping it Up…
(Whew! More than 3,500 words on but a 17 day trip!)
O.k. so Cartagena proved to be a bit of a disappointment, but tbh – that single lunch at Celele pretty much made up for it.
This travel thing is definitely a YMMV affair after all, so not every corner of every country is going to tickle every traveler’s toes. Nonetheless, as evidenced here – my little return romp in Colombia blessed me with quite a wide variety of my own peculiar travel treats. And I remain ever grateful to still be collecting such eclectic memories after all these many years of circling the globe.
About the Author
Dyanne Off-the-beaten-path travel is my passion,and I’ve always lived life “like-a-kid-in-a-candy-store” – eager to sample as many flavors as I can. Indeed, my life motto has long been: This ain’t a dress rehearsal, folks!
Off-the-beaten-path travel is my passion, and I’ve always lived life “like a kid in a candy store” – eager to sample as many flavors as I can. Indeed, my life motto has long been:
Oh no! Yep, that nasty loved/hated spellchecker changed my spelling from ‘o’ to ‘u’ and I did not catch it in my own blog posts! 🤨
Your travels to Columbia (with a ‘u’ !) largely mirrors ours of a few years ago.
I did want to call out Chile as a good future travel though. We spent our 50th anniversary there, and loved it (despite the fact that a revolution began while we were there and we had to “flee the country” or be stuck weeks while the airlines shut down… 😃)
Lima is considered the world’s top food city. We invited several friends to join us for the celebratory dinner at Central. It may be over your budget, but I do recommend your checking it out.
Our favorite was actually Valparaiso though. They invited graffiti artists to come in and transform the city. The result drastically reduced the prior gang trash, and turned the city into a destination. Here is our first (of two) blogs on that city – https://www.mindstormphoto.com/2019/07/21/chile-8-valparaiso-street-art-2/
BTW, we will be back in Cuenca from Dec 10 through sometime in January. Maybe we can get together over dinner during that time and swap stories?
No worries Burt – your comment posted just fine (though I do – necessarily – have my comment widget set to require my approval).
And yes, I agree that Chile is a lovely place to visit. Though I’ve only been to Santiago (loved the “European” vibe) and the wondrous Isla de Pasqua (Easter Island) – the latter I wrote a TL blog post on.
Likewise Central. lol, “over my budget”? While I surely don’t make a habit of dropping $200 for lunch – that’s exactly what I did back in 2017 when Central was ranked as the #1 restaurant in South America (and 5th in the entire world – steadily moving to #1 in in 2023). I wrote a TL post of the amazing 17 course “Mater Elevations” tasting menu here:
https://www.travelnlass.com/2017/10/28/central-restaurant-mater-elevations-tasting-menu/
And yes, yes too – do give me a holler when you two are back in Cuenca come December. You might be surprised at the many new choices for eats in Cuenca these days, and I’d love to have dinner and swap travel stories w/ you and Evelyn.