Colombia for our final week

So, we've reached the last week of our trip, and after much deliberation, we chose Colombia as our final destination. We also considered Ecuador and Venezuela, but supposedly its a bad time to visit the Galapagos Islands (too cold), and more advanced planning is required to truly enjoy Hugo's place. The clinchers were recommendations by our friends Andres (of Colombian descent and who constantly raves about his motherland) and Fred (who recently returned from a 2 week vacation there).

Is it safe?
Both Fred and Andres claim the tourist trail is perfectly safe, as Alvaro Uribe, the country's president, has blanketed it with police and military personnel. Our first impression at Bogota airport: There are cops everywhere. And in Cartegena, we didn't walk more than 100 yards without seeing a policeman. Also, we saw police randomly search through the locals bags.

Getting around:
- The travel books claim renting a car is a bad idea, as is traveling by bus at night.
- If you're traveling wihtin Colombia, consider flying AeroRepublica: It is owned by Copa Airlines/Continental Airlines, and its fleet consists of brand new (and very comfortable) Embraers and ex-Continental aircraft.

Bottom line: We never felt unsafe during the day. Walking at night was a different story, which we don't plan on repeating.

Cartegena:
As soon as Colombia is removed from your country's "don't go there" list, Cartegena is going to be swarmed with tourists. And with good reason: it is an absolutely stunning UNESCO designated historical town. Yes, we know we say that about many places we've visited, but in the case of Cartegena, its our second favorite city (after Luang Prabang, Laos). Walking around really feels like a 16th century town -- far more than Old San Juan, and considerably more than Paraty, Salvador and Cusco.

Santa Marta/Taganga:
We next went to Taganga, a small fishing town on the northern coast. I'll let Marie tell the story about getting there and our initial impressions -- but suffice to say, it was rather nice in the end; a relaxing day on a decent beach, seeing lots of local families, very fresh fish, and all quite inexpensive.

Random thoughts
- Colombian coffee is really good. Even the coffee on our flight was good.
- Colombian elections are just around the corner, and its really wild to see how supporters get the word out. Guys walking on stilts with posters, screaming into megaphones, marching bands -- all part of the "Vote for ..."
- In the town of Santa Marta, practically every cab is a 1980s vintage Renault Alliance (shocking that they actually run).

Famous Colombians:
- Carlos Sanchez, the actor that portrayed Juan Valdez, the purveyor of fine Colombian coffee, retired in 2003. But, the Juan's legend continues to live on in the numerous Juan Valdez Cafes.
- Pablo Escobar, the purveyor of fine Colombian cocaine (so we're told), was killed by the government in 1993.
- Considering the Colombian contingent that came out to support him at the US Grand Prix, I would have expected to see more Juan Pablo Montoya, the Formula 1 turned NASCAR driver, paraphanaila.
- We saw plenty of street performers gyrating like Shakira, the singer/dancer.