Get high in Colombia
Get high in Colombia
Disneyland has a fight on its hands. Colombia is officially the happiest place on earth according to a global barometer of hope and happiness survey released by the WIN-Gallup international association at the end of 2012.
Colombians were asked if they personally feel happy, unhappy or neither happy nor unhappy about their life. The global average ranked 40 while Colombia recorded the highest result of 75. So what is it that they have to be so happy about?
First of all, they have a staggering 18 public holidays a year as well as an average 15 paid leave days. This quantity of holiday is beaten globally only by Argentina. That's one reason to celebrate. Not that Colombians need an excuse. Monday night is just as suitable for a party as Saturday. Family bonds are tight and big get-togethers involving food, music and dancing are common, any day of the week. Colombia has capitalised on its former reputation as one of the most dangerous nations in the world with a tourism motto of "Colombia: the only risk is wanting to stay".
FOOD
Just try to be unhappy in a country that sanctions churros – long fried donuts – for breakfast. Better still, you can knock it back with what is arguably the best coffee in the world. Sourced from lush enclave plantations found all over the country, this coffee has a vibrancy that can only come from a local product. A great tip is to grab a tiny cup of burly coffee called tintos from street vendors who resourcefully pour them out of thermoses.
Empanadas are must-taste speciality. Different to their Spanish or Brazilian cousins, the fried crescent pastries are filled with meat or potato and served with spicy sauce or a lime wedge. Arepas is Colombia's answer to bread and is served with most meals. The flat dough is sold from street vendors and often comes served with cheese.
Colombians have a collective sweet tooth. They like to mix cheese with sugar and a fine example is arepas served with cheese and condensed milk. An even wackier combination is a bowl of hot chocolate served with a side hunk of cheese. This duo redeems itself when you discover that the hot chocolate contains no sugar and as such is more savoury in character. An obleas Colombiana is a large round wafer sold kerb-side and if you ask for one with the lot be prepared to eat a wafer sandwich of caramel and cheese.
To wash it down, try aguapanela which translates to a teeth-aching sugar cane water. If you need something stronger, aguardiente is a liquorice flavoured tipple that locals say is unlikely to trigger a hangover, another notch on the happy meter. There is a hangover cure in the culinary arsenal just in case – changua, which is literally poached eggs cooked in milk and water and served as a soup for breakfast. They're also a creative country, soaking and roasting large ants which apparently ratchet up your sex drive.
BEAUTY
Besides their happiness quotient, Colombians are renowned for being among the most beautiful on the planet. Take a leaf out of their beauty regimen by travelling one hour from Cartagena. Here you will find a mud bath so dense that your feet will not touch the bottom. Instead you will be suspended above the thick gloop and the male attendants will give you a mud massage or take a photo for you, for a small fee.
Beyond the locals, there is a wealth of good-looking wildlife. This nation has one of the highest levels of biodiversity anywhere in the world – rating second only behind Brazil. You can explore nature's blessing, contrarily enough, in the hectic city of Bogota at the botanical garden of Jose Celestino Mutis, which is a sanctuary for butterflies, orchids and tropical plants. Colombia is home to more than 25,000 butterfly species, and if the bright wings of the life-short beauties don't captivate you, there's dozens of native hummingbirds to catch your eye.
Colombia has access to not one but two epic oceans – the Pacific and the Atlantic. It's also home to a wide desert, the mountains of the Andes, as well as the earth's oxygenating Amazon. Situated near the equator, the weather is warm and sunny year-round, unless you decide to trek to the mountains, where there is no reliability in weather. And for a visual spectacle, visit Cano Cristales, a rainbow river near Macarena (not to be confused with the dance, this one is a town). This waterway looks like a science experiment – in summer the water levels dip and the sun grows algae blooms to shades of red, orange and pink below the surface.
CULTURE
Cartagena is the quintessential fairytale city, like Europe transplanted into a warm and happy Latin quarter. Cobbled lanes, ornate churches and plazas made for daydreams are set off by purple bougainvillea and even more colourful locals. The bright paint has peeled and paled to pastel thanks to the searing sun. Gabriel Garcia Marquez based his magical realist novel Love in the time of cholera on the characters he got to know as a journalist in this extrovert of a city.
Botero is another one of Colombia's famous exports – he is an artist who specialises in chubby statues. His sculpture style is immediately recognisable with horses, women, men and children all wider than they are tall. The artist also has a collection of his own, the Botero Museum in Bogota, Colombia's former crime riddled capital. It displays works by Monet, Picasso and Renoir as well as Botero's exaggerated shapes.
If it's all getting a bit heavy, you're in the right place to shake it out. Colombians have a dedicated word to describe late night carousing which sounds as fun as it actually is. Rumbear means to go out and party, dance and play music. It's a wise move to take a nap before going out at midnight for dancing until dawn. If you're no night owl, Colombians know how to throw a great daytime party, hosting the world's largest salsa festival as well as the biggest flower parade. Then again, who needs an excuse.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
Latest News
Voyages celebrates 40 years at Uluru with two new immersive experiences
No plans for celebrating your 40th this year? Here's a hot tip from us.
SkyDeck: The inflight entertainment you could never have imagined
Forget those external cameras you can live stream while in the air... With SkyDeck you can check it out for yourself.
Second Boeing whistleblower dies of ‘mystery infection’
Joshua Dean died from a fast-growing mystery infection on Tuesday.
Aussie winners of American Airlines ‘Sell Your Way to the USA’ announced
Show me the money! For the winners, Sell Your Way to the USA was worth getting involved in.
ANZCRO celebrates 30th with special edition of iconic New Zealand Book
Choice bro! ANZCRO celebrates its 30th with a special edition of its iconic New Zealand Book. Chur!
Room to move at Cairns Harbourside Hotel with ‘spacious’ new family package
Moody teens can eat two-minute noodles while younger brothers and sisters get to eat free with mum and dad. Win, win!
A&K unveils lavish around the world wildlife adventure in private jet
The kind of holiday that if you need to ask the cost, you probably can't afford it.
Flight Centre and Reforest hit one million trees target early
Nice one Flight Centre, we think you've earned an early Friday knockoff.
New cruise options spearhead stacked APT 2025 program
Just in case you thought you were running out of cruise itineraries, APT's here with a fresh batch.
Travel Weekly announces a new team to helm Australia’s No.1 travel trade title
Some shameless self-promotion from us, but we thought you needed to know who's bringing you the news.
IHG reveals plans for Brisbane’s first Kimpton in 2028
Just another reason to book that trip to Brisvegas. But don't jump the gun, it's not open until 2028.
Cruiseabout’s first store in five years opens in Perth
Perth gets a break from being behind the rest of the country with the addition of the first Cruiseabout store.
ATAS complaints process acknowledges non-economic loss
A High Court case win over 'disappointment and distress' on a cruise gone wrong prompts ATIA complaints change.
Cunard previews new Queen Anne
Yep, this one does exactly what it says on the tin.
Bunnik Tours unveils latest expansion to Iceland
Just as the Icelandic vikings did many years ago, Bunnik is expanding into new territories.
Australia’s first glamping retreat turns 25
25th anniversary gifts usually come in silver. Ours comes in the way of a news story.
Embrace the journey: Traversing the world with the Shokz OpenRun
If you’ve been on the wrong side of a final call in the airport, or missed the stop on rail journey, it might be time to invest in a pair of Shokz OpenRun headphones. Originally marketed as headphones for fitness fanatics, runners or cyclists with a keen to steer clear of a prang with a car, […]
Tourism Western Australia MD Carolyn Turnbull departs
Turnbull hints her new role will see her staying in the tourism and hospitality industry and who can blame her?
DriveAway launches Brit-Euro Blitz campaign
If agents can put the foot down quick enough and get involved, there are some great prizes to be won.
Fly and Stay Free with the Great Southern
Unlike those dodgy scam phone calls you're getting more and more of, there's no strings attached to this deal.
Sober travel and TikTok guide Australian Gen Z trips
Can you call it a sober holiday if you enjoy a few glasses of red on the flight? We think yes.
Travel DAZE Exec Agenda REVEALED: top execs to speak on airline competition
As the industry reels from Bonza's implosion, it is more important than ever to ask the big questions.
TTC: Deals are driving up demand for September trips
The latest market research from TTC Tour Brands shows interest in international leisure travel remains high for 2024, with 77 per cent of Australians over 18 still planning trips this year. Notably, 28 per cent of those travellers are eyeing September for their journeys. Europe continues to be the most popular destination, with 68 per […]
Skroo says Rex will need deep pockets to fill lost Bonza slots
The door is open for Rex, and anyone else who wants to launch a regional Aussie airline...
Sno’n’Ski Holidays unveils 2025 mega famil to Colorado!
Let the games begin - this is certainly not a famil that you will want to miss!
Walk Japan launches Kyoto: Mountains to the sea walking tour
There are two types of people, one who enjoys walking on holiday and another who enjoys sipping Mojitos by the pool.
Which destination had a 48% boost in bookings following 10 MILLION TikTok views?
Here's a clue: it's not Malabar Beach.
Asher Telford appointed General Manager of SeaLink Whitsundays
Telford has plenty of reasons to smile after SeaLink doubles down and makes him GM after buying his tourism operation.
Qantas ‘working urgently’ to fix app data leak
Qantas is looking into customer reports that passengers have this morning been able to access other passengers’ personal information on the airlines app. X user Lachlan posted that he was able log into different accounts every time he opened the app. My @Qantas app logs me in to a different person each time I open […]
Hilton Expands Presence in North Queensland with the signing of Hilton Garden Inn Townsville
Heading to a North Queensland Cowboys clash? Hilton Garden Inn Townsville is set to open, but not until 2026.
Rail Europe ANZ: making dream journeys come true
Rail Europe's running a lottery! You're not going to win millions, but you might just snag a free holiday.
UPDATE: Bonza hole deepens as administrators investigate financial affairs
Administrators dig deeper as struggling airline unlikely to be revived.
Revamped Wailoaloa Beach hotel opens as Crowne Plaza Fiji Nadi Bay Resort & Spa
Crowne Plaza Fiji Nadi Bay Resort & Spa is open and ready for bookings after the first phase of a multi-million-dollar transformation. Part of IHG Hotels & Resorts’ premium collection, the transformation has seen the completion of 106 guestrooms showcasing contemporary interiors reflective of the premium Crowne Plaza brand and is a first for the […]
Nielsen Data reveals brands spending big to attract Aussie tourists
Trip A Deal, Virgin and Ignite Travel walk into a bar, blow their cash on travel advertising instead of the pokies.
Kamalaya Koh Samui clinches clutch of wellness awards
Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary & Holistic Spa has so far clinched five prestigious awards in 2024, including being inducted into the ‘Hall of Fame’ at the World Spa & Wellness Awards in London. Founders of the Koh Samui sanctuary and spa John and Karina Stewart expressed their heartfelt gratitude for the awards. “We are profoundly honoured […]
Jetstar offers 200,000 return for free flights to celebrate 20th anniversary
Jetstar hits 20 and everyone else gets the presents with free return flights to domestic and international destinations.