15 Colombian Questions

As always, I have Dale and Judy to thank for asking me many relevant questions that are good for the blog...here you are for answers!

1. Have you had any Juan Valdez Columbian coffee?
I tried a bit of a friend´s coffee from there. It seems that more or less, it´s the Colombian version of Starbucks, so in general it´s more fun and feels more authentic to buy a small cup of tinto (espresso) from a guy on the street instead of from a major company. According to a Colombian friend, the actual brand name was fabricated...the company picked a name, asked a real coffee harvester to serve as their original image, and just built up a brand name in this fashion. The brand name is intended to signify that is is purely Colombian bean in the mix, with no beans from other places.

2. Do the bars serve a Columbian beer or Budweiser?
More Colombian beers are served (I am partial to the Aguila brand, which is probably very akin to a Budweiser). However, they definitely sell Budweiser in the liquor department of most major grocery stores I´ve been to. The major grocery store chain here is called Exito (literal translation: success) and they actually have their own theme song, which you can here if you ever walk in first thing in the morning.

3. Does Bogota have rush hour traffic congestion? Yes, but it´s hard to distinguish from the normal traffic congestion haha. That´s been one of the major boons of visiting some of the coastal cities; much less traffic. However, depending where you go in Bogota and where you live in the first place, it´s pretty easy to get around by foot and avoid it.

4. Does Columbia have private banks or nationalized banks?
There was a financial crisis back in the 1980s, which led to major government intervention in the banking system, but now banks are privately owned. The biggest by far seems to be Bancolombia. Happily, they allow withdrawals from American debit cards. Our friend Eran from the trip to Parque Tayrona is Israeli and he unfortunately found that he wasn´t able to withdraw from Bancolombia and had to use Santander instead, another major bank.

5. Do Bogota stores take Discover Card?
Mastercard and Visa are the preferred credit cards here. However, many places charge you a 30% fee to use it, so I´ve been relying heavily on cash.

6. Does Bogota have an subway system? Nope. They do have a great bus system, though, which covers the main parts of the city. Medellin, however, does have a Metro system (though aboveground) and it´s been a pleasure to use so far!

7. Where is the Columbia coffee grown? In the Zona Cafetera, concentrated a few hours outside of Bogota. The main cities are Pereira, Armenia, and Manizales. Hopefully I will pass through there and be able to write a bit more on this delicious beverage and how it is grown.

8. Can a tourist get by only speaking english? Definitely in the major cities as well as on the hostel circuit. It´s quite surprising the number of semi-fluent to hardly speaking Spanish at all people that I´ve met, and how much they´ve been able to do. That said, it does restrict some of the fun of being able to meet locals and really engage in the culture if you don´t speak it. It would also be very difficult to travel outside the main tourist path.

9. What is the best Columbian meal, Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner? I like them all! I´ll have to go with lunch/dinner, because often the same types of food are served. A typical meal would include rice and beans, lettuce and tomatoes (generously called salad), a plantain slice, meat of your choice, and perhaps an egg or mini arepa included in that. It´s also relatively cheap- Daniel and I had this for lunch at a cost of 6000 COP, or about 3 USD. My other favorite food here has to be the arepa, which is essentially cheese covered in cornmeal and baked. Delicious!!

10. What country do Columbians go to for vacation? According to Daniel, alot of the wealthier set will go to places like Miami. However, Colombians also like to visit their own country to enjoy the beaches. For instance, this past weekend was a long weekend for a Monday holiday, and we encountered TONS of people who had come from nearby cities to enjoy the beaches at Taganga. In-country flights are also relatively cheap, so it makes it possible for those with some money.
In general, too, the perception that many might have of Colombia as a very poor country is only somewhat true. There are certainly poor areas, especially outside of the cities. But within cities, you can find the same amount of wealth as in the states, depending on the area. I have definitely seen Porsche dealerships and home decor stores where I may never be able to shop! It´s a fascinating blend, to be sure!

11. Are there many American tourists? More from other countries, in particular the UK and Israel. However, I have run into some Americans...most of whom I end up trying to avoid- too many of them have said things like "I¨m trying to get a blowjob" or "Hey, did you score with that chick from last night?"

12. Is the unemployment rate low in Columbia? According to the internet, which knows all, the unemployment rate is 11.8%. However, it does make me wonder whether that includes the more informal businesses, such as the woman near Lake Guatavita selling arepas in her front room, or the people in the city with small pushcarts of their own baked goods. My observation is that people are very enterprising, and certainly nothing goes to waste- one of the best art pieces I´ve seen was a sculpture of bottle caps twisted and dented to look like flowers.

13. What is the favorite make of car driven in Columbia? Renaults and Toyotas are EXTREMELY popular. There are also a decent number of Chevrolets. Also speaking of cars, there seems to be a movement on here to increase the use of natural gas as fuel for your car. Though it´s currently still expensive to get cars prepped for this type of fuel combustion, it seems that a change is being made in that direction in order to save the environment and people´s wallets. Incidentally, the cost of gas here is higher than in the states (about $4.40ish for a gallon).

14. Do Columbians like the USA and Obama? Actually, great question. I need to ask more especially about Obama. I´ve gotten some things both ways. For instance, an older woman heard me speaking in English and asked where I was from. On hearing the United States and Great Britain (the friend I was with) she began exclaiming in Spanish, "God bless you both, your countries give so much to help other people, God bless you!" which was certainly heartening. On the other hand, one gentleman gave me a bit of a rough time over the issue of people coming to work in the States. However, in general he didn´t seem to have a great understanding of politics, so I´ll brush that off. I would say the underlying sentiment above all is that Colombians are both polite and kind, and so if you get to know them and make an effort to converse, they will almost certainly appreciate that, which leads to a better understanding between countries.

15. Why is Bogota the capital of Columbia? Was it always? From my general understanding, when the Spanish landed in the 1530s they began in the coastal city of Santa Marta, where I was recently, and basically fought their way inland against the various tribes who lived here. Spanish numbers went from 500 people down to 70 by the time they had defeated the Muisca (El Dorado people who used Lago Guatavita for sacred purposes) who were living in the Bogota region. So the city was founded, basically out of relief at having "made it", and was the capital since then. It´s name comes from Boyaca, which was an indigenous name for a nearby town.