Face it: you’re unlikely to be murdered on your ski trip to Queenstown. And you probably won’t stumble upon a full-scale riot at Airlie Beach. And, unless you make a serious error in judgement when packing your bodyboard, you won’t run into much trouble in Bali, either.
If you are looking for a holiday with some serious adventure, you have to look further afield. Like Colombia, an unlikely tourist haven. Journalist Matt Thompson spent almost a year there in 2006, and, aside from a near-death experience he brought upon himself, he found a country rich with culture, and more adventure than you can shake an AK-47 at…
Head to Medellin
Famous thanks to Pablo Escobar, Colombia’s second biggest city is also its best. “Beautiful place, and an incredible party scene,” Matt says. “For guys interested in triumphs of plastic surgery, that’s the place. They’ve got this tradition of dads giving their daughters breast implants at 15. You go to the parks and there’s guys with eskies full of beer to sell. Everyone wants to show you how to move your hips, and the music is incredible.”
Dance, man!
“Head to Barranquilla, the hometown of Shakira,” Matt says. “It’s loaded with music clubs and has a huge tradition of live bands. It’s an ugly city, but you just have a great time going to clubs and dancing. People just order a bottle of rum and a few glasses and have bottle after bottle. They bring out trays of seafood… it’s glorious.”
Keep your head on
Those stories you heard about the dangers of Colombia? Kinda true.“When I was there, a communist group was shooting up buses,” Matt says. “And you can’t go hiking because of landmines. I tried to go hiking and the locals looked at me like I was retarded.”
Security
Look after your gear by taking a few precautions: “Change your routine – even the time you shower. And when you’re moving in public, change the speed that you’re walking and see who copies you. Look for people who start to reappear a lot.”
Dispelling the myths
It is mental, but don’t be scared off. “I found the exuberance of Colombians a real surprise. They’ve been in this war 40 years, so I was expecting a tense place. But it is so much fun. It’s like ‘F__k America, we’re going to die on our feet, dancing.’”
What Columbia costs per day
Travellers should budget to spend around $35
Bottle of water - $0.35
Litre of Fuel - $0.35
Taxi - $1.30
Bottle of beer - $0.40
Internet - $1/hour
(prices from lonelyplanet.com)
Have you been to Columbia? Catch the Colombian Flu? Get a boob job? Tell us below!