Posted in Colombia, Reflections on Aug 1st, 2008
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Turbulence within
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Brief history – Drug running – New markets- Neo-prohibition – A modest proposal
No discussion of Colombia can be complete without touching on the topic of the FARC or Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia. Founded during the turbulent period in Colombian history known as “La Violencia“, FARC reached its zenith in the 1ate 1990’s with an estimated 15,000 members and free reign over 40-50% of Colombian territory. Despite its now reduced strength, estimated at 7,500 combatants, it remains one the most powerful illegitimate army organizations.
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Posted in Colombia, Videoblog on Jul 28th, 2008
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Las Lajas
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Searching for a cathedral – Santuario de Las Lajas
It was Lakshmi who spotted the church first. The picture book showed a grand cathedral with an access bridge dramatically spanning a deep canyon. Gothic churches have always been our favorite and this one, spanning the canyon of the river Guáitara, was made all the more spectacular by its surroundings. Close to Ipiales and the border between Colombia and Ecuador, lies the Santuario de Las Lajas. The Virgin here is known for her miracles making Las Lajas a major pilgrim site in Colombia.
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Posted in Colombia on Jul 24th, 2008
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Relaxing by the Rio Magdalena
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Giving a lift – The rude Pole – Our adventure in Tierradentro
Traveling by car puts us in the unique position of having something that’s widely sought after – a comfortable means of transport. Whether to give complete strangers a lift or not is always a question we have to deal with and make instantaneous decisions about. We had decided to keep the rear seats in our car just for this purpose; we thought giving rides would be a great means to help the locals and meet interesting travelers. The idea however, fell by the wayside when we read of the devious schemes designed to extract money from foreigners. So we have contented ourselves by offering the occasional ride to fellow travelers. Until, that is, we met Bazyli.
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Posted in Colombia on Jul 23rd, 2008
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San Augustin
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Statues at San Augustin – Tombs of Tierradentro – Chasing Time
We followed Rio Magdalena from our first encounter in Mompós to a small town about 45 kms from its source. Swift flowing as it was around Mompós, it is even more lively here, its waters boiling, frothing and churling through steep drops and narrow constrictions, cutting a deep canyon in the surrounding countryside.
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Posted in Colombia on Jul 16th, 2008
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New look
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Assessing security – Of Mompos – Wooden ferries – City of art: Barichara (Map this!)
The plan was to avoid Colombia. Entirely.
How to tell whether a place is secure or not? We don’t have any fixed rules but a good indication is how security conscious the locals are. Armed guards at a small convenience store is bad news, but armed guards at a bank is normal.
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