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Stellar Estrella
The word suburb usually evokes boredom in the minds of North American expats, but it bears reminding that in Colombia, satellite cities are often self-contained and started out as totally independent villages and towns long before they swelled from the presence of a nearby city. Many have done a great job preserving their past. One…
Caldas, Gateway to Medellín
If you want to live in Medellín, you don’t have to live in Medellín! There’s many municipalities, each with a character of its own, in the greater Medellín area to choose from. The southernmost one is Caldas… Caldas, the city, not the departamento, is a narrow town of 82,000 souls (2020) with green mountains on each side. While it’s…
Which is Better? Medellín’s Rum OR Caldas’?
Stay here long enough and it becomes likely locals will ask you a trick question: Which rum is better? Ron Medellin or Ron de Caldas? (Ron is rum in Spanish) The Safe answers Say the rum that the one asking is drinking and now she/he’s your best pal! Failing that, say the one of the…
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Hacking Colombia: News Sources
Most adult Colombians love their news fix. A lot happens in this country, so there’s never any shortage of news. Where you get your fix is up to you. Here we lay it all out for you… Television If you watch your news on cable TV, almost all news providers have their programs during weekdays…
Who is Gabo?
Gabriel García Márquez (1927-2017) was Colombia’s most famous writer. He’s commonly referred to as Gabo. Nobel Prize Winner In 1982, Gabo was awarded the Nobel Literature prize. Not the only award he received during his long, productive career characterized by his “magical realism” style. Magical Realism Magical realism as the expression implies, injects magical events…
Who is Fernando Botero?
Fernando Botero is arguably Colombia’s most famous painter and sculptor and its greatest gift to the art world. His creations are on display all over the world and especially in his hometown of Medellín National treasure Fernando Botero was born in 1932 in Medellín, thus 90 years old in 2022. The photo above is from…
Who is Amparo Grisales?
It’s almost impossible to live in Colombia without hearing about Amparo Grisales, just like you’re sure to hear about one Kardashian or another in the USA. Who is Amparo? Amparo’s celebrity status started at just 14 as a Colombian soap star in 1970. Her beauty is legendary and remains so to this day at 66.…
What are Falsos Positivos?
Not all victims of violence in Colombia were at the hands of narco-terrorists: Around 6,500 innocent citizens were murdered by the military and passed off as rebels. The falsos positivos (false positives) massacres are still in the news many years after the crimes were exposed, as the military officers who orchestrated the subterfuge are still…
Colombia is Cheesy!
Colombians love cheese more than the Swiss! They put cheese in foods you couldn’t imagine putting cheese in! Cheese is both for the main course AND desserts! Let’s look at some cheesy options… Ham and cheese baked inside a croissant This can be breakfast, lunch or a snack. The croissant is actually more bread than…
Colombia’s Jon Stewart?
Biting political satire directed at Colombia’s ruling class is what you get with the long running YouTube channel “Me dicen Wally” Bogotano Walter “Wally” Rodriguez, a lawyer in real life, scripts and produces his own popular YouTube Channel, Me Dicen Wally / Wally Opina. He relentlessly skewers politicians of all stripes, especially if they say…


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