Jared Bloch
Fruit stand on the road from Bogota to Mariquita
Colombia - At least once a day, my Colombian-born wife will say (usually around breakfast time) “oh what I wouldn’t give for a batido de lulo or curuba” or one of any number of exotic fruits native to her home country.
To someone raised in a northern climate, the fruit selection at Migros pretty well represents my vocabulary of sweet succulents: apples, pears, bananas, oranges, and heaven forbid, pineapples and mangoes when they are “in season,” that is when shipping allows.
Jared Bloch
Horse carriage and fruit seller inside the walled city of Cartagena
Cartagena, Colombia (GenevaLunch) – When my wife suggested combining a December work assignment in Cartagena, Colombia with holiday vacation, my first thought was “I am going to miss some great early snow!” Three weeks later, with a nice tan and saltwater still seeping out of my ears, I am thanking my wife for her wisdom. Here is what we found traveling the country largely by bus, from the Caribbean to the Pacific Coast, with a passage over the Western and middle branch of the Colombian Coordillera.
Our trip began in Cartagena de Indias, on Colombia’s Atlantic or Carribean Coast.
The city is probably the most well known tourist destination in Colombia. The 500 year-old colonial city is a UNESCO World Heritage site, as well as home to white sand Caribbean beaches.