In the footsteps of Simon Bolivar...

After about 1200nm and skirting between Cuba and Haiti, we arrived in Columbia today. Our port was Santa. Marta, the first city settled in Columbia, a country of 55M. While their neighbor Venezuela is collapsing, Columbia seems to be doing fairly well...a tired infrastructure but happy busy productive people. Unlike our own country, they are welcoming refugees from Venezuela...their “brothers and sisters” who are struggling. Everything here seems to highlighting Simon Bolivar...who helped 5 countries, including Columbia, win independence from Spain. He is imotalized everywhere. We visited Santa Marta...the gold museum (Bolivar died here), the cathedral (Simon buried here twice), the botanical gardens (Bolivar monuments everywhere) and also the beach tourist areas where brand new high rise condos are selling for $25,000...$3000 pesos to one US dollar. Their “Starbucks” is Juan Valedez Coffee shops but while coffee is their primary export, they admit most of their best coffee is exported and not available here. They also export flowers and coal. We had a college educated very professional tour guide but most interesting was when his mother called to ask what he wanted for his lunch today...she was at the fish market. Lunch would be waiting for him at home...then a short siesta. This was our first visit to Columbia...we think it’s the 81st country we have visited...and we’re eager to see more.