Colombia, South America

Just curious - am I the only one whose world geography was pretty much entirely based on Risk?

It's sad, but I have an excellent grasp of where Kamchatka and Ukraine are, but Colombia and Uruguay completely escape me - I literally had no idea where I was flying.

This is South America...I thought I was landing on the side facing the Pacific, until I realized Cartagena faced the Caribbean.

And it's pronounced Kart-eh-hayn-eh, not Kart-eh-hayn-Nyuh, like the Niño would do. I got that wrong a few times.

Seriously - I watched the 11th Hour documentary by Leonardo DiCaprio on the way out there, so I was already in an environmental, protectionist, anti-population state of mind...but some parts - most parts - of Colombia are dirty, poor, oppressively hot, and really sad to see. It makes me appreciate the life I have - this wonderful gift that was bestowed on me simply by being born in this country, and having the ability to do what I want and earn a good, comfortable living with minimal effort.

Touring a place like Colombia really brings the world right into view; the rest of the world doesn't live like us, for the most part. Some aspire to, and some abhor it, and the world can't support it long term. We are incredibly, unfathomably lucky to be living in the country we are, in this place and time, (relatively) free from war and famine and disease and trash-strewn streets. Not to sound preachy, but...I will renew my efforts to miniminally impact this earth negatively, and maybe make a difference in how people behave (getting them to grow plants, use the sun, recycle, compost, eat less meat, etc).

It is oppressively hot - I wasn't prepared for the tropics, really. Living in Florida was bad - but in Colombia, it was sweaty and humid from 6am on. We are sweating constantly. Pretty uncomfortable.

Food of Colombia:

I was able to sample some ideal dishes in Colombia, and dove in to some of the local fare. Colombian meals are typically meat, bread, and cheese, or some combination. Fruit is huge, in juices and tropical fleshy fare typically for breakfast.

Here are some key items, and I'll start with Fruits:
Mango - fresh off the fruit stand, usually these are served in baggies, with lime or salt (or both). Mango is fresh and sweet in Colombia, better than what I've had up north.
Papaya - another fleshy melon that is particularly succulent in Colombia.
Mamoncillo - this amazing little fruit really took me by surprise. You crak it open and suck out the fleshy seed, about golf-ball sized, and suck the flesh off, discarding the seed. These are tart and so good, I was addicted.
Lulo, or Naranjilla, is a nice tart fruit, almost like a kiwi in taste, but more like an orange/pomegranate in size and shape. Awesome for fruit juice or shakes.
Granadilla - this one was cool, almost like a mini-pomegranate. You crack it open, then scoop out the seeds and pulp. I was chewing it, but apparently you're just supposed to swallow it. Decent flavor, another kiwi/lime type of taste.
Guanabana, or Soursop - a huge fruit with white pulp - pretty good taste, like citrus/coconut blend, but tough to eat - there are all kinds of inedible pieces. Decent juice as well - but read the Wikipedia link, there's a link to Parkinson's disease for people that consume it a lot. Yikes!
Plantains - like Cuban cuisine, Colombian makes good use of plantains, either as sweet, fried dessert types, or mashed and twice-fried as Patacones. they are larger and sweeter versions of bananas, which when coked, become gooey and delicious. I had one at a Colombian restaurant, KokoRiko, which was a fried plantain covered with cheese. Holy ecstacy.
Guava, Coconut, and many other melons are big down there, but I'm not a big fan.

Other good foods, if you're in the area:
Arepas - corn bread and cheese, with anything stuffed in it
Chicharron - fried pig skin/back, with sections of meat and fat. I don't eat the skin (gross), but the meat and fat part are very bacon-esque. Delicious.
Any huge number of cheese-filled breads. They have hundreds, from rolls to cake-ish breads. All good.
Bandeja Paisa - the standard peasant meal, consisting of rice and beans, with a fried egg, ground beef, avacado, chicharron, chorizo sausage, and plantain (usualy petacone). A heck of a meal.
Empanadas were a big hit with the girlfriends' family, but I don't like them much.