#1
|
||||
|
||||
Cyclists in Bogota fear becoming crime victims (NYT)
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/13/w...smid=url-share
Quote:
Quote:
__________________
It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that certain je ne sais quoi. --Peter Schickele |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Colombia is a stunningly beautiful country full of wonderful, humble people that will break your heart. It is a frustrating and impossible place to understand.
I recommend reading Oblivion by Hector Abad if the subject interests you. |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
A few influencers recently spent some time in Colombia and the tourism company had multiple security guards in cars and motorcycles. As much fun as seeing the world is, I couldn't put myself and my wife in that kind of environment. Agree with EB's comments.
|
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Same thing happens in California. And probably any number of other places. Including outside the NYT offices.
Obviously some places are less dangerous than others but ... How many leave the door to the house unlocked or the bikes in the driveway? Jus sayn |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
I actually recommend visiting Colombia. Great people, beautiful country, as I said. For the most part, I felt safer in Medellin than some places in the US, and it’s extremely cheap by US standards and even compared to, say, Mexico. You need to have some comfort level with poverty and you need some Spanish skills as it is the least English-speaking country in South America.
Incredible road riding too if you can arrange it. But it has intractable issues that defy understanding. And it does have quite a bit of crime. And a very long history of political violence that underpins at least some of that crime. But it’s a far cry from say, Ecuador or El Salvador or Venezuela. Oblivion is the only book I’ve found that got me closer to an understanding of the pathology and history that underlies the problems there (it’s not the coca leaf). |
#6
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
Perhaps this article is sensationalism. I don't know, since I've never been in Colombia.
__________________
It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that certain je ne sais quoi. --Peter Schickele |
#7
|
||||
|
||||
When I was there, the saying was 'no dar papaya' or don't show sweets. There is extreme poverty, and people are willing to kill over a shockingly small amount of money. As a gringo, never go out in public with anything you aren't willing to lose, and hand it over if asked. That said, I absolutely loved it. The fruit is particularly incredible. And I would love to come back with a bike one day - easily the biggest cycling scene in south america.
|
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
|
#9
|
|||
|
|||
The few times I’ve been to Colombia we were warned to keep our heads on a swivel in Bogota but in the coffee region things are a much slower pace and I never once felt overly worried about my safety. It is a third world country after all so I think being mindful of that and how you act and treat people is something to pay attention to.
I know quite a few people who have done tours there and they have never had armed guards, I’m guessing that whoever those celebs were did so out of an abundance of caution. I plan on going back for the 3rd year in a row in 2025. |
|
|