Soon, I’ll be on a 737 bound for Bogotá, Colombia. Over the course of the next three weeks, I’m going to explore, research and photograph as many nooks and crannies of Colombia as I can. When all is said and done, my trip will yield dozens of in-depth destination guides, tidbits of travel advice and illuminating photo essays for your consumption.
Colombia has long been on my travel bucket list, but I purposely avoided visiting there during my South America trip last year, having succumbed to “official” warnings that traveling in Colombia is dangerous. Since then, I have met no less than a dozen people who’ve visited Colombia — and every single one of them has listed it among his or her favorite destinations in the world.
In total, I’ll be spending 21 days in Colombia, so here are 21 reasons I can’t contain my excitement about traveling to Colombia for the first time.
1. The notion of “danger” is alluring
2. Colombian men
3. Parties
Hillary Clinton, no doubt ready to text someone (Source: Inquirer.net)
4. David Lee has sold me on Colombia
5. It’s so close, but so far away
6. This:
Salento (Source: LaSerrana.com.co)
5. I miss Latin America
6. I always root for the underdog
7. This:
Ciudad Perdida (Source: TravelBlog.org)
8. Colombian coffee
9. Cocaine (kind of)
10. This:
Shakira statue in Barranquilla (Source: The Sun)
11. Spanish is my favorite foreign language to speak
12. My last trip was to Australia, a “rich” country
13. This:
Taranga Beach (Source: Paisa Tours; beach babe not included)
14. I miss taking photos (I don’t take many at home)
15. I plan to get my SCUBA certification
16. This:
Santa Marta (Source: rutlo on Flickr)
17. The food will be amazing
18. It’s a long time coming
19. This:
Tayrona National Park (Source: Top Travelist)
20. I want to prove the haters wrong
21. I love writing about new places
Robert Schrader is a travel writer and photographer who’s been roaming the world independently since 2005, writing for publications such as “CNNGo” and “Shanghaiist” along the way. His blog, Leave Your Daily Hell, provides a mix of travel advice, destination guides and personal essays covering the more esoteric aspects of life as a traveler.
