Episode 16: Colombia – The Enchanting Country Behind Encanto

Mary Herendeen:

Known for its beauty and incredible biodiversity, rich indigenous culture, mouthwatering arepas, and smooth silky arabica bean coffee. Bogotá, Colombia may be on your mind after seeing Disney's 2021 film, Encanto, or maybe you've heard of the bicycle movement Colombians call Ciclovía.

Welcome to Traveling With AAA. I'm your host, Mary Herendeen. Today, we travel to the gorgeous country of Colombia. We're joined by AAA and ACE publications Travel Editor Jim Benning. Jim is an award-winning travel journalist whose work has taken him around the world to places like Peru to explore ancient ruins, Senegal to check out the music scene, and surfing with his 12-year-old in Costa Rica.

We're also joined by Elizabeth Harryman Lasley, who co-hosted with her late husband, Paul Lasley, the radio show OnTravel, aired to a million listeners in 167 countries on the American Forces Network. She is also the former travel editor of Westways magazine, where she continues to contribute today. Jim and Elizabeth, welcome back to the show.

Elizabeth Harryman Lasley:

It's so nice to be here again.

Mary:

I'm excited to see you again. Thank you.

Jim Benning:

Happy to be here.

Mary:

As am I. Now, I know you both just returned from Colombia. What was the occasion?

Elizabeth:

Well, we are both members of the Society of American Travel Writers, SATW for short. And every year, SATW has an annual convention somewhere in the world. And this year, our convention was in Bogotá, the capital of Colombia. And it was just an amazing experience. We had 260 people, and we had a lot of professional development. Like any convention, there’s a lot of networking, professional development, and a lot of sightseeing throughout Bogotá.

Mary:

Wow, that sounds incredible. What a nice surprise, too. Did you know you were going to Bogotá in advance?

Elizabeth:

Oh, yes. You have to plan these things out years in advance. And I actually just finished being the president of SATW, so it was a big responsibility. At the end of that convention, I was able to pass the gavel to Kim Foley MacKinnon who is now the active president. It was a big responsibility, but it was very rewarding. Did you enjoy the convention, Jim?

Jim:

I did, I had a fantastic time. It was great to see so many people who I hadn't seen in at least several years. It was a chance to meet a lot of writers who will be contributing to our magazines. Yeah, really good time.

Elizabeth:

It was the first international convention since COVID. Last year, the society met in Milwaukee, but this was the first time since the pandemic that we ventured outside the United States.

Mary:

Wow. Well, quite the adventure. What was it like? Jim, if you could tell us about your first impressions of Bogotá.

Jim:

Well, Bogotá is up at about 9,000 feet. It's one of the taller world capitals. First, I was struck by how cool it was when I arrived. I think the highest was in the low 60s at the time when the west was going through an intense heat wave, so I felt a little guilty enjoying the cool weather down there. It's also ringed by mountains, so it reminded me a bit of Los Angeles in that respect. It's on sort of a high plane. It's a big city. I think there were 9 to 10 million people there, so it's incredibly populated, but it's got some gorgeous neighborhoods. Everybody I met was incredibly friendly, welcoming, and happy to see me there. So yeah, I had a very good first impression.

Elizabeth:

That was my first impression, too. The warmth and friendliness of the people. I mean, they couldn't have done enough for us. I came a couple of days before the actual convention started because the board directors meets a couple of days early. And we were in the historic neighborhood of La Candelaria, which was just beautiful. It was established in 1538, but before that, it had been a sacred site to the Muisca, a group of indigenous people. But it’s a beautiful neighborhood of a Spanish colonial era buildings built in the 1700s, plus up through modern times, even Art Deco buildings. You're on these narrow streets that go up and down, and it's just a beautiful neighborhood.

Mary:

That sounds incredible. Now, for some people, there may be an association of violence or drug wars with Colombia. Is that a misconception? Could you tell us about the current situation?

Elizabeth:

Colombia has probably come through about five decades or more of violence, which they call La Violencia. It started in the middle of the 1900s as political parties against each other. Then came the drug wars and Pablo Escobar. The damage that one man did to the country is just… I mean, hundreds and thousands of people were killed. If he didn’t like somebody, he would put out a contract on them. At one point, his net worth was $55 billion, with a B. Mind you, the majority of Colombians are totally innocent in all of this. They don’t participate in the violence. They don’t participate in the drug wars, so they were the victims of this violence. Finally, they killed Escobar in 1993 and the political factions were still fighting.

In 2016, there was the 2016 Peace Accord. The factions on the right, factions on the left agreed to a peace accord, and it has worked. It has stayed.

I've been reading a book called, Magdalena: River of Dreams. The Magdalena is the main river that goes through Colombia. It starts up in the Andes and the south of the country and flows to the ocean. But the author, Wade Davis, has a lovely thing to say. I think about all of this.

He says, “Colombia is most assuredly not a place of violence and drugs. It is the land of colores y cariño—colors and affection, where the people have endured and overcome years of conflict precisely because of their character. It speaks volumes of the strength and resilience of the Colombian people, that through all these difficult and impossible years, the nation has maintained its civil society and democracy, grown its economy, greened its cities, created millions of acres of national parks, and sought meaningful restitution with scores of indigenous cultures. A progressive record unmatched by any other nation state.”

I don't know how you feel, Jim. It was inspiring for me to be there knowing what the country had come through. So I think the Colombian people’s courage and resilience really inspired me. Did you feel that way?

Jim:

I did, yeah. At one point, I met a former FARC guerilla. The Peace Agreement was signed with the FARC who had been involved in quite a bit of violence over the years. He was living in Bogotá and had launched a new business making beer, selling beer. It’s kind of a microbrew, and sort of what was like a non-profit gathering place where a number of ex-guerillas now hang out, and they’re committed to peace. There were pictures of him on the wall living out in the jungle. And he was so optimistic. I think about the future of the country, and it couldn’t help but rub off on me. It’s pretty inspiring.

Elizabeth:

Yes, and everyone knows Colombia has great coffee, but they also have great chocolate. And some of the chocolate companies hire former guerilla fighters. And there’s one rafting company in a part of Colombia where former guerillas are your rafting guides. It really is in a way, swords to ploughshares.

Jim:

I was just going to say one word of caution, I guess. When I was there, I read a news story about 8 police officers that had been killed in an ambush that they suspected was done by former FARC guerrilla members or ELN members. There had been a number of warring factions in Colombia. They still warn you not to hail a cab on the street. Other Colombians told me, “Look, just be careful. Don’t run around waving your cellphone in the air. Don’t show off any fantastic cameras and attract too much attention to yourself.” So, it’s a place where you still want to be cautious.

Mary:

Yeah. I think with any country you visit, there are some U.S. cities where you need to take some additional safety precautions. So, it sounds like don't attract or call too much attention to yourself, but what else? Any other safety precautions?

Elizabeth:

Well, one of the things you should always do when traveling to an international destination is sign up with the state department's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program or STEP. And that way, they have you on record if any violence or even if an earthquake happens. Also, check the State Department advisories. There are certain parts of Colombia that the State Department says not to travel there, and you shouldn't. And there are certain neighborhoods of Bogotá where you shouldn't go. Like any big city, take your street smarts with you.

As Jim said, never hail a taxi in Bogotá. It almost got to be a joke because that was one of the things that the people we worked with putting the convention together said. You can use Uber, but not from the airport. There’s a line of taxis in the airport, and those are OK. There are apps you can use to bring a taxi or have your hotel call a taxi. And so, it was interesting because my nephew-in-law is Colombian, so when I met him, I said, “Oh, I'm going to find out all about Colombia.” And the first thing out of his mouth was, “Never hail a taxi in Bogotá.”

Mary:

Oh, wow. That's really interesting. I think it’s important that you share that, and also to dispel some of the misconceptions about the country and to share how they've reestablished the people and what it is a beautiful country is.

Now, I know Disney's Oscar-winning 2021 animated film Encanto was set in Colombia. Did you see the movie?

Elizabeth:

Yes!

Mary:

And after visiting, do you think the movie captured something about the country or its culture?

Jim:

I certainly do. One of the places I visited in Colombia was the Cocora Valley, which was one of the inspirations for the setting of the film. It's in coffee country, the Eje Cafetero, and it's this incredible valley up at 7, 8, 9, 10,000 feet with these spindly wax palms that are the tallest in the world. They live in incredibly high altitude. You see this rolling grassland, and these very high palms piercing the sky surrounded by tall Andean peaks. It's absolutely gorgeous. You see horses, cows, and wonderful bucolic pastoral land. It really reminded me of the setting for the film. Of course, in the film, you also have the family at the center where there's so much warmth, which I certainly saw reflected in the people I met in Colombia. And from what I've seen, the film has inspired a number of people to visit Colombia and that region.

Elizabeth:

The colors in the film were so vibrant. When you walk down the street of the Candelaria district, the local crafts are just so colorful. And they have a kind of a poncho they call ruana in Colombia, and they're all so vibrant. And the flowers, there were so many flowers. In the movie, we have a character who can make flowers, and Colombia is the second-largest producer of flowers in the world. Isn't that amazing? And again, the warmth of the people—the movie did capture it.

Mary:

That sounds amazing. Now, I know Colombia is also known for something else. Jim, you participated in something called ciclovía. What is that? Could you tell us about it?

Jim:

Yeah, ciclovía is sort of a worldwide movement at this point, but it's something that began in Colombia in the early ‘70s. It's a public recreation event in Bogotá, for example, in which they close off about 80 miles of city streets to traffic every Sunday so that people can mostly ride bikes and run or walk. It's kind of like a giant street festival in a way, and I read somewhere that it's arguably the largest regularly scheduled recreation event on the planet. They go all out for this every Sunday. It takes an army of workers to close off the streets. They have booths where they sell food and fix tires. And you know, I saw the national police dancing on the sidewalk entertaining the riders. There are various Zumba classes going on out in the street.

Jim:

It's really wonderful, and we have it here in Los Angeles on a much smaller scale. But I was curious to see where it began and talk to some people about how this works in Bogotá.

Colombia as a whole has been in love with the bicycle since the ‘50s. There are ciclovías in a number of cities, like in Medellín and Cartagena. And there are bike routes everywhere in Bogotá—it's amazing. So many people get around solely by bike. And you see bike lanes set off from traffic, and you see bike lanes in sidewalks. They've built them every which way. But for a city of 10 million people, I think it's really helped a lot of people get around.

The other great thing I found about ciclovía is I spent probably 4 hours riding part of the route around downtown Bogotá with a guy who was kind of an expert on the city and one of the guardias, they call him, who's kind of like a first aid guy who rides around and helps people who might be in trouble. I was kind of overwhelmed by the civic spirit of it. Everybody was in a good mood. And this goes on from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Sunday. So for a lot of families, it's just a regular thing they do every Sunday.

Mary:

That's amazing, and it’s also something to stay healthy, fit, and in tune with the rest of the people. You mentioned the civic involvement that everybody is involved with. In my mind, I imagine the attitude being, “Oh, they're shutting the streets down, and all these cyclists taking over the road.” And that might be sometimes, but here it sounds the bikes have taken over and I think that's really cool. A great way to get around, and 80 miles you said of street?

Jim:

80 miles. I mean, the bikes definitely take over on Sunday, and it takes longer to get around. I have to say overall, Bogotá really struggled with traffic congestion. So many big cities in the world have. There are rules. For example, if you have an even-numbered license plate, you can only drive on one day and if you have an odd number, you drive another day. They're trying a number of things to manage traffic, but certainly promoting bicycles and bicycle riding is one big way they're working to address it.

Mary:

Yeah, and a great way to limit the fuel emissions and to keep it a beautiful, gorgeous country as you've described.

Elizabeth, did you get a chance to see any of that while you were there?

Elizabeth:

I did not. I did not.

Mary:

I know you've maybe traveled off the beaten path. Did you go anywhere else?

Elizabeth:

Well, a couple of highlights for me were the Gold Museum. It’s the largest museum of Hispanic goldwork in the world. It's in the historic district of Candelaria, most of the museums you want to see are in this historic area.

I'd always wanted to visit Colombia because years ago I had seen an exhibit of gold and emeralds at the L.A. County Art Museum. The goldwork that the indigenous people of Colombia, from about 500 B.C. to about 900 A.D., the intricacy of the workmanship of the gold is just incredible. I don’t know if you can see, but I got a couple of earrings.

Mary:

Those are beautiful!

Elizabeth:

At the Gold Museum, they have replicas of some of the jewelry that's in the exhibit. The chieftain and the occasional female chieftain would wear breastplates, headdresses, and things on their legs and arms, all of gold.

Mary:

Oh, wow.

Elizabeth:

And then they have a beautiful miniature raft that’s so detailed. When a new chieftain would take over, the prince would become king, so to speak, or queen. They would deck him in all gold, put him on a raft and go out to the middle of this sacred lake. Then he would  jump inside and shed his gold in the lake. And that's what caused the story, the legend of El Dorado. When the Spaniards came, they were all looking for these cities paved in gold, and there never were cities paved in gold. But the workmanship is just exquisite. So, that would be a highlight for anybody who goes to Bogotá.

Mary:

I love that. Thank you for sharing that. Honestly, as I look at your earrings, I'm thinking about anything I've pulled away from a trip or anything I’ve picked up, like a little trinket or something—it's that story. And I imagine every time you put those earrings on, you're going to be thinking about the story of El Dorado and that beautiful gold and that beautiful museum. It's really, really cool.

 Now any other places, any other highlights? What about you, Jim?

Jim:

Oh, definitely. The Valle del Cocora was one of the highlights. I wound up doing about a 7-hour hike through this valley, crossing a river multiple times. There were an incredible diversity of hummingbirds in the area. There were gorgeous flowers with colors I'd never seen before. And of course, this is in the coffee country, so there are also coffee tours that one can do and I was able to get out and experience that. I visited one of the coffee farms, and to see the beans growing and pick the beans off the leaves, I'd never done that before.

Mary:

I'm just thinking about that cool air, all those beautiful plants, the hummingbirds. I love hummingbirds. Really, really cool to see that. Ah, you're putting me there right now. That sounds beautiful. And Liz, anything else?

Elizabeth:

Well, yes. I got outside of Bogotá as well. I went to the town of San Augustine, which is in the south of the country and it is famous for a series of archeological sites, basically tombs. From around 0 to 900 A.D., they would carve these amazing stone figures. Most of them were about 4 to 5 feet tall. In those days, they would guard the tombs of the elite. And there's one archeological park where there are like 500 of them. One thing we haven't mentioned is the whole magical real realism of Colombia. The famous writer Gabriel García Márquez is from Colombia, and the film Encanto captured some of that. Some of these figures represent shamans who might take on the qualities of a jaguar, so his face is carved like a jaguar. Or the qualities of a monkey who's supposed to represent agility and so forth. There’s so much symbolism and dealing with the spiritual world and the world of the imagination. So inspiring.

But the most fun, and Paul and I, always said, “Spend less time in museums and more time in sidewalk cafes.” The most fun was just hanging out with a group of 7 of us who went on this trip after the convention. We spent some time in the town of San Augustine, which is charming. Again, it's like a hill town with a central plaza that the Spaniards established. And our guide happened to have a coffee shop! It was called BC Café, and his sister and niece worked there. When you walk in, the smell of freshly roasting coffee fills the air.

Mary:

I love that smell.

Elizabeth:

Yeah, so we would do some shopping and hang out in the cafe. That was almost my favorite part.

Mary:

Well, I love to people watch. And I just really enjoy sitting, having a coffee and watching the people. What's it like in the middle of town, that center area? What are the people like? Do you see kind of what you would envision in the movie?

Elizabeth:

Well, in San Augustine, everybody's on motorbikes. That's the way they get around and the main mode of transportation. And in the central square, especially in the late afternoon, they just kind of hang out and walk, or they'll sit in the coffee shop. They take time to enjoy life, don't you think, Jim?

Jim:

Absolutely. Yeah, there's a joie de vivre. Definitely saw a lot of people hanging out in coffee shops. A lot of outdoor dining. People spend a lot of time outdoors enjoying the incredible weather.

Mary:

Well, I hear the coffee is amazing. Was it? Did you have the coffee?

Elizabeth:

It was, and I'm not a coffee drinker, but you can't avoid it in Colombia. It was wonderful. In the coffee shop in San Augustine, the coffee was so smooth. And then you could do different coffee tastings. Like he'd make a different coffee from a different coffee bean and it had a whole other almost herbaceous flavor. And Jim, you probably know this from going to the coffee plantation, but depending on the level, the coffee tastes different. The coffee bean is flavored differently, right?

Jim:

Yeah, and the quality varies of course. But the folks I was with were incredibly proud of the quality of the coffee they were making. And there were milder coffees and darker roasts, depending on how long they roast it. We actually watched them roast the beans, which was really interesting. And there's a real science to it. They had charts and graphs they were showing us. But yeah, a lot of Colombians drink their coffee black, and it’s called drinking it Tinto. And so, I had a variety of roast black, some very intense and flavorful.

Mary:

Is that usual for you having a black coffee?

Jim:

Well, no. I tend to drink my coffee with a little cream, so it's different drinking it black, of course. And in general, I prefer a darker roast since I’m adding cream, so I can really taste it through the cream. But I enjoyed drinking a wide variety of black coffee. And they're often served with little sweet biscuits, which was wonderful.

Elizabeth:

And speaking of the food, you mentioned in your introduction the arepas, which look like a grilled English muffin. They're made of corn, and they serve them in the morning, and they're just delicious. In Bogotá, there’s a wonderful local soup dish, I think it's called… ayaka?

Jim:

Ajiaco

Mary:

One more time!

Elizabeth:

He says it better. Go ahead!

Jim:

Ajiaco

Elizabeth:

There you go! And there’s chicken, corn, and potatoes in it.

Jim:

Sometimes capers, I think.

Elizabeth:

They serve it with things you can add to it like capers and cream. And they serve it with avocado and rice. You can put rice in it or eat the rice separately. They also love avocado.

The fruit! There’s all kinds of fruits I'd never heard of that are so delicious, and all these different drinks they make from them. And most of them are non-alcoholic. It's like they make these amazing cocktails and AAA would definitely approve. You can definitely drink these fruit cocktails and drive. They’re just so delicious and all different varieties of flavor.

Jim:

Yeah, one of the things we talked about with Colombia is the biodiversity. The Amazon runs through Colombia. And there’s an incredible array of fruit grown at various altitudes and climate zones. It was incredible.

Mary:

Yeah, you mentioned the altitude. I know it's pretty high up. Did it affect either of you?

Elizabeth:

I was a little headache-y the first day. They just say to drink plenty of water and eat carbohydrates. I was hungry all the time, but I guess that was my body telling me I needed to eat. But fortunately, the food was very good.

Mary:

And that's okay. Any reason to fill up on those arepas!

Elizabeth:

That's right!

Jim:

They will also serve you coca tea if you are suffering from altitude sickness. I felt fine in Bogotá. When I was in Cusco, Peru a few years ago, I really felt the altitude. I had headaches for a day and a half or 2 days. I drank a lot of coca tea, which I think helped. But yeah, I did meet several of the other writers there who were suffering a little bit from altitude sickness the first couple days. So, it's good to arrive and take it easy. I think one of them thought that he had imbibed a little bit too much shortly after arriving. I think that's to be avoided.

Elizabeth:

Stick to the fruit juices!

Mary:

Stick to the fruit juices and the water!

Jim:

Exactly.

Mary:

Well, that's important to know, especially for those who haven't traveled at a high altitude like that. If you are planning a really full agenda just be aware that you could suffer from that, and the cure is coca tea.

Jim:

And the coca tea, yeah.

Elizabeth:

I don't want to leave Colombia without discussing a couple of things. The dogs in San Augustine are so gentle, friendly, and sweet. There were 3 dogs at the hotel we stayed in, in San Augustine. And they would just come up, and they would beg to be petted.

Mary:

Aww!

Elizabeth:

And then there was one dog that we met in a place called the Salt Cathedral. Do you want to talk about that, Jim? The Salt Cathedral?

Jim:

I mean, the Salt Cathedral was incredible.

Elizabeth:

Did you not meet the dog?

Jim:

Well, I saw the dog sleeping among all the people dining.

Elizabeth:

Well, first tell us about the Salt Cathedral.

Jim:

First, they developed a salt mine outside Bogotá, about an hour and a half drive from downtown Bogotá. And originally, they used explosives to kind of create the cavernous rooms where they were mining the salt. And then, at some point, they decided to build this cathedral underground within the salt mine. And you're walking through what feels like a mile of underground tunnels with sort of large rooms all surrounded by salt. It's an incredible sight.

Elizabeth:

Well, they traded salt for gold. Salt was as precious as gold back in the day. But this salt mine is an actual practicing Catholic cathedral. They have mass there on Sundays, and they also have weddings there. And they have all the stations of the cross, carved with different iterations of the cross, and it's absolutely gorgeous and spectacular. It's like a whole city. They also have stores and cafes all underground.

Mary:

I'm just envisioning this. It’s like you go underground, and then it just opens up like a city.

Elizabeth:

Yep, yep. These big caverns all crusted in salt.

Mary:

Salt city underground.

Elizabeth:

There was a dog, a very pretty dog, lying on floor.

Mary:

Jim was blown away by the sight of the cathedral.

Elizabeth:

Yes, but the story about this dog is that he's a stray and lives there. He lives above ground some of the time, but then he hangs out in the Salt Cathedral, and they feed him. Her, it’s a girl, they take care of her.

Mary:

That just sounds like she's not a stray. It sounds like she belongs to the city.

Elizabeth:

That’s very well said, Mary. Absolutely.

Elizabeth:

I think that is indicative of the Colombian people.

Mary:

It sounds that way. So, these other dogs you met, are they owned by the people?

Elizabeth:

Oh, yeah. They were owned by the hotel, but they were just so sweet and cute. I just couldn't not mention the dogs.

Mary:

I love it. I'm an animal lover, too. I have a dog of my own.

Elizabeth:

You can identify.

Mary:

I would probably notice the dogs. Well, that's amazing. Now, you saw a lot of beautiful things, especially the coffee farms, and being at the high elevation, seeing all that greenery and flowers. Was there a most beautiful place that you saw and haven't told us about?

Elizabeth:

First of all, these high mountains are all covered in green and the checkerboard patterns of the coffee farm. And then there's also sugar cane, banana leaf, and all. Then the second day we were there, we saw a waterfall that wasn't there the first day because the rain had come. The hotel where we stayed in San Augustine, it's called the Yuma, and it's a collection of different buildings around several acres. The view from my room is this gorgeous green landscape, and there was a horse in the distance with white egrets around him. And then over here, as part of the grounds, they have hammocks, which was especially appealing to me after the convention.

Mary:

Well, it sounds like it. And when you're soaking in a view like that, it sounds amazing. Jim, did you already capture it for us?

Jim:

Probably the Cocora Valley, but I guess I'll put in a plug for what many in Bogotá considered to be like the city’s central park. I think it’s called Parque Simón Bolivar or Simón Boulevard Park. And it's a sprawling park with lakes and bike trails. I took a different bike tour one day, and we rode quite a bit through the park. There was a whole pond devoted to dogs! It was like the dog pond, and they were swimming and bathing in there. At some point, riding the bike off road, we felt like we were in the woods and this is all in the middle of Bogotá. So, even from the big capital city to the beautiful countryside, there's a lot of beauty to be seen there.

Mary:

What an amazing experience. Maybe I'm in the wrong business and need to be in the travel writing business, but that sounds amazing. What a beautiful trip. And it sounds like you captured a lot of memories for sure. Did you capture many pictures?

Jim:

Oh yeah, I still haven't finished going through them.

Elizabeth:

Yes.

Mary:

Oh, very nice. I'd like to see some of those. Now, before we wrap up, I always love to hear one bit of advice. If you could both share, what's the one thing that you would say is the most important for people to know about visiting Colombia?

Elizabeth:

The warmth of the people. I think you feel the warm embrace from the moment you get off the plane.

Mary:

Very nice.

Jim:

Stay hydrated!

Mary:

And avoid that altitude sickness! Stay hydrated, don't imbibe too much when you get there. Especially if it's going put you down and steal any of that time you have on that trip.

Jim Benning, with AAA and ACE publications, thank you so much for being with us. And Elizabeth Harryman Lasley, thank you for joining us as well.

Elizabeth:

Thank you for having us.

Mary:

And thank you to our listeners for being with us. If you're planning a trip, be sure to connect with a AAA travel advisor, check out aaa.com/travel, or visit your local branch. And if you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe. I'm Mary Herendeen. Thank you for traveling with AAA.