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2000s: What is Colombia really like? Is it really the Narco state? Tom Felling goes in search of the truth
Short walks from Bogota
What you need to know before your trail
Many people believe that Colombia is synonymous with drugs nowadays but was it always like this? It has suffered years if not decades of violence yet is emerging to be one of the strongest South American countries in financial teams and journalist Tom Felling wants to know more.
So, he travelled around the country – something he knew he would not have been able to do just a few years previous due to the violence and went in search of the truth.
Locations
ResetTravel Guide
Locations – Bogota, Medellin, Cali, San Jose del Guaviare, Villavicencio, Los Santos, San Gil, Bucaramanga, Valle du par, Santa Marca, Cartagena and Cabo de la Vela. A map can be found in the book.
The journalist in this book is British and he returns to Colombia in order to see if the country has changed and shed its image that it still receives in much of the world’s press.
This forms the thread for his book – part travelogue and part historical diary of what the country has been through, its history and plans for the future. There are a range of topics covered from the Spanish colonisation, the country’s liberation by Simon Bolivar, Bolivar’s legacy and of course the drugs trade.
Tom is in an interesting position for he knows, understands and has a deep love and respect for the country but he also wants to get to the truth and to not paint a rosy picture if one does not exist. He is pleased to see that the streets are safer, tourists do now flock to various sites and the fight against drugs is well publicised.
Tom has a way of really letting you see the real Colombia –
The country he says `is a project, not an inheritance, and it demands ambition, not stewardship … this is a good way of looking at a country going through such change.
Streetview Maps
A) La Candelaria - Bolivar Square
E) Bucaranga Cathedral
Booktrailer Review
Louise: @thebooktrailer
For students of Spanish, this book paints a good picture of a country in flux and explains much history of Latin America as a whole. His views on those who travel through the country is interesting to read about. I found out a lot about Colombia that we had never thought about.
A history and travel lesson from a ‘cool’ teacher.
Booktrail Boarding Pass Information: Short walks from Bogota – Journeys in the new Colombia
Author/Guide: Tom Felling Destination: Colombia Departure Time: 2011
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