COLOMBIA: BUCARAMANGA

Posted February 21, 2010 by Rahul Aggarwal

After a long flight via the US, I finally touched down on Colombian soil. I met up with some of the other operators on the FAM (familiarisation) trip and we were met by the Pro Export representative who escorted us to our hotel. Just five hours later we were back at the airport for our early morning departure to Bucaramanga, the capital of Santander!

It was a short flight above the lush green mountains, and on arrival it definitely felt warmer and more humid than Bogota. Our charismatic reps, Spencer, Siby and Omaira, greeted us and briefed us on the plan for the next few days. It certainly seemed action-packed. Spencer was a colourful character, after many years growing up in Boston, he made his home back in Bucaramanga and could only speak highly of the city and Colombia in general.

We didn’t get much chance for a break, and before we knew it, we were whisked away to an excellent Colombian restaurant for lunch. Judging by the menu, being a veggie in Colombia was going to be a challenge, but I was pleasantly surprised by the truly delicious avocado and honey salad along with fried yuka and spicy dip. Albeit a carnivore’s paradise, Colombia is also home to some of the most diverse and delicious vegetables and fruit in the world. After dragging myself from the table it was back in the mini-van for an express sightseeing tour of Bucaramanga.

There were some intriguing sites, such as the residence of Simon Bolivar, the South American hero who fought against Spanish colonial rule, as well as the lively marketplaces and an Ecological Park hidden in the middle of the city. Vivid red birds and parrots flitted through the trees as we strolled around taking in the scenery. And then, as if lunch was not heavy enough, we made the obligatory stop on the outskirts of Bucaramanga, a place called Floridablanca, for Colombian sweets – arequipe – milk and sugar boiled together to form a caramel-like paste which was then spread between two round wafers. It was also the place where I first sampled Colombia’s infamous aniseed-based liquor, aguardiente, which was not as harsh as I had anticipated and quite a nice contrast to the extreme sweetness of the arequipe.

Spencer continued to entertain us in the back of the mini-van as we weaved through Bucaramanga’s grid-like streets. After a two hour break, we went out for dinner to another superb restaurant, with a tranquil outdoor setting, tall plants, candle-light ambience, all to then be ‘disturbed’ by the sound of Colombians going karaoke mad!

Jenny, the girl from Ecuador, seemed to know the lyrics of every South American song as they popped up on the big screen. It was a fun night, full of singing, excellent cuisine and fantastic hospitality… I could immediately see why the Colombian tourist board had come up with the slogan – Colombia… the only risk is wanting to stay – after just one day, I definitely wished I was staying a good while longer!

This blog is part of an Off-The-Beaten-Track Travel Diary. Click on the link below to navigate through this journey.