A Few Notes on Colombia...

-There is food to be found EVERYWHERE; no need to pack for a bus trip because there are food vendors at least every couple meters of the country. Especially if you feel like any type of deep fried and stuffed corn patty that goes by many different names and comes in various shapes (pancake, lumpy ball, smooth ball, moon-shape, etc.)
-Colombians are among the nicest and friendliest people you will EVER meet. Strangers greet you in the street and some invite you to stay in their homes.
-The "tourist price" is rarely ever different than the "local price"- unlike places such as Mexico, Colombians are generally not trying to rip you off.
-Transport (eg. buses) is expensive but of good quality. This means they are equipped with reclining seats, bathrooms, sometimes a movie, and AC (which is also blasting way too high). The drivers are also less crazy than those in Central America or Asia, but there are still some white-knuckle moments.
-Public bathrooms are usually fairly clean but most cost approx. $0.25 and you must remember toilet paper (no squatters though, thank god).
-Taxis will always honk at you if you are walking somewhere, as if trying to convince you to be lazy and take a ride.
-A woman walking down the street faces very few degrading catcalls by local men (unlike Central America and Mexico).
-There is immense diversity between the various regions of Colombia- in terms of climate, landscape, clothing and accents of the people, etc.
-Mostly everywhere, the day seems to start out sunny and end up cloudy, with occasional rain depending on the region.
-Fruit and fruit juices are abundant, cheap, and delicious. Half of the fruits available do not even have a name in english because they don/t exist back home (eg. lulo).
-There are wide discrepancies in the standards of living here- there are many areas of cities that are modern, wealthy, trendy, etc. but that are usually not too far from the poorest of slums. Eg. on Isla Mukura the Pueblo which was of the poorest condition I have yet seen was less than a km from a 5-star resort and I bet the tourists that visit the island have no idea what is on the other side.
-a few average prices: Beer from the store- $1.00; Empanada- $0.50-$1.00; fresh fruit smoothie- $0.75-$1.50; full meal sometimes as low as $2.50 including drink; 12hr busride- $50.00 (ouch!); average night in hostel- $7-$10.
-Colombians are great partiers
-If you ask someone for directions and they don/t know them, they might still act as though they do and tell you where to go anyways. I am not sure if they are just to nice to say no or what, but this is a similar phenomenon as Central America and Mexico and so it is always best to ask a few sources.
-There is police and military everywhere. Military service is apparently mandatory but not too hard to get out of if you have money. The soldiers are mostly really young, they are all armed, and don/t seem to take things too too seriously. You might find yourself in a conversation about girlfriends and porn, their families, their plans, etc, or you might witness a couple of them drop their rifles in front of you and run off to wrestle each-other.
-It is not unusual have your bag searched upon entering an establishment, including malls, bars, and grocery stores.
-The country is overflowing with green space, even in the really large cities there are many parks and trees.
-Cocaine is not an alternate form of currency used to pay for groceries and other amenities (as I had been told prior to coming here). In fact I have not once been propositioned to buy cocaine and I have not met a single Colombian who actually uses it. Apparently it is mostly for export
(%80 of the world/s cocaine is produced here) and for use by the tourists here.
-The country is full of beautiful people- both naturally attractive and many with surgical enhancement.
-A shot of tinto (black coffee) can be found anywhere and is considered a national drink- the cost starts at $0.25
-Aguardiente may be considered the national liquor and it is not uncommon to see people pull a bottle out of their pocket or purse on the street or in a bar and take a shot.
-Colombia is not yet spoiled by tourism- there are still many places to go where you can be the only tourist around. I have been on many buses and in many public places where this has been the case.
-The tap water is drinkable in many cities.
-I still have no idea what a "typical" Colombian looks like- the population is a mix of mestizo, whites, black and white mixed, blacks, and indigenous; they do have height on the Mexicans and Central Americans
-Colombia is one of the most amazing countries that I have visited!! Viva Colombia!!