Colombia is an astounding country that will forever hold a place in my heart as the country where I learnt that humanity can be beautiful, warm and inspiring. I know, it has some of the worst human rights abuses in the world, but I still found such beauty everywhere I turned. I implore you to visit this land, with an open mind and a zest for exploration.

Nature

Colombia is the second most biodiverse country in the world, home to the Amazon, Pacific, Caribbean, jungle, mountains, desert and more. On a walk over a mountain in San Gil, with Loucho the dog, we got lost in fields of tobacco, coffee, tangerines, pineapples and much more. I was in heaven, and the dog was unimpressed with my lack of orienteering skills.

The beginning of a rainbow near some ancient thermal baths, an hour or so outside of Bogota

A beautiful butterfly

A Fallen Friend: Medellin Botanical Gardens

Over the Mountains: San Gil

Over the Mountains: San Gil

Sierra Nevada: La Cuidad Perdida Trek

Sierra Nevada: La Cuidad Perdida Trek

Over the Mountain: San Gil

Coffee Beans

Ocean Art: Baru Island

Mystical Woods: San Gil

Heaven’s Gate

Orchids: Down on the Farm

The Birds are Coming Home to Roost: Leticia

Nature’s Paint: La Cuidad Perdida

Trade

People work very hard to earn a living in a country resplendent with enough to go around for all. Those at the top have been fighting very hard to maintain the structures that were installed during the dark days of colonialism. The rest work hard, create, cook, sew, toil the fields, and pace the streets, eking out a living from what the elites leave behind.  And the government wonders why the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia persist. Go figure!

Plaza de Bolivar in Bogota, where you can have your photo taken with a lama.

Sweet Gelatin Spinning: Medellin

Cartagena

Cartagena

Tobacco Dries

Medellin Cafe

Canine Fashion: Medellin

Solar Mandala

Cartagena: Colombia

Flying

Garage porn

Gone Fishing: Cartagena

Sunsets

I saw some of the most breath taking sunsets in Colombia, in fact, the most artistic displays were often in the skies. There was always a thunderstorm brewing in the distance, and dramatic clouds filled with ellipsis.

Sunset in Taganga

On Baru Island, my faith in humanity was restored.

Sunset on day one of the trek in La Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta

Doors

There’s always a story that lies behind a door, and sometimes it would be revealed, and at other times, left to the imagination.