About Colombia Corners

colombiacorners@gmail.com

Colombia is a big country covering 1,141,748 square kilometres – more than Spain and France combined – with a dizzying variety of geographic environments. It has mountains, jungles, savannas, deserts, wetlands, moorlands, to name a few, and spans two oceans and its rivers run off more fresh water than outflow of the US, Canada and Mexico combined. You could live here for years and only see a small part of it.

For some years I have been lucky enough to visit different parts of Colombia, and share some of these experiences on this site. I’ve also written for local newspapers on a variety of topics, and share some of these stories to give you some background on this complex and fascinating country.

The site is for visitors – or residents already here wanting to get out more – perhaps are on a budget, don’t have too-tight timelines, and want to see the road less travelled. Most trips were made with my kids, but have still been adventurous. Colombians love children and having them along makes every journey richer and opens doors.

Colombia Corners has no hidden corners. There are no financial interests in this site. Information is given freely with the best intentions. In many parts of the country, it’s fair to say things change slowly. There is a measured pace of life that brings old-world Latino charm to many towns and villages, particularly in rural areas. But in other aspects – mostly in the big cities – things are moving faster. New roads are being built. Maybe some old roads are now impassable. Prices change.

Please take note of the dates on the travel posts, and be aware information may be from some years back.

I’m Steve. I first visited Colombia in 1994 as a traveller, returned frequently over many years as a truck driver, NGO worker and visiting friends family. I now live in Bogotá but get out and about whenever I can.

You can contact me at this email: colombiacorners@gmail.com

Many of these trips have been made in Mitzi, our 1989 Mitsubishi Montero, a great little 4×4 campero that gets into Colombia’s tightest corners. Where possible I’ve put some directions and road tips to get the places. There are also posts with general advice on driving, buying and running cars in Colombia.

Many travel posts previously appeared in Travels With Mitzi, my blogspot, though in 2019 Google reset many blogs and I lost half of the photos. Most posts have been recreated here on Colombia Corners.

Journalism articles and opinion pieces posted here are based on stories I wrote for the print and on-line editions of the The City Paper and The Bogotá Post , two English-language newspapers based in Bogotá that provide an essential service to both foreigners living in Colombia, and Colombians who like reading about their own country in English with an extranjero twist.

Use of photos: I took 98% of the pics on this blog with a nice compact Lumix camera. Any (appropriate) is allowed, please let me know in advance, credit me Steve Hide and if possible link to Colombia Corners. I can email you hi-res if you request.

Please send feedback through comments.