Before he was gunned down by Colombian troops working with the US government, the infamous cocaine baron Pablo Escobar built Hacienda Napoles, a headquarters near his hometown of Medellin.
According to the BBC, Escobar's massive estate was
A fantasy land with concrete dinosaurs, a bullfighting ring and a private zoo that would have made Michael Jackson jealous, with giraffes, elephants, kangaroos and hippopotamuses.
We love checking out the world's most dangerous airports--at least via YouTube. The latest to join our list is Alberto Carnevali Airport in Merida, Venezuela. Reader maky0317 writes:
The airport of the city of Merida, Venezuela is in between a valley with 17,000-foot mountains and houses at the end off the runway... As of matter of fact a passenger plane crash after take off on the 21st of February.
That was Santa Barbara Airlines Flight 518, and the crash killed all 46 people on board. The turboprop plane didn't get far from the airport because of the mountains surrounding the runway: Flight 518 slammed into a rock face just 6 miles from MRD.
Know another dangerous airport? Fill us in.
Related Stories:
· UAK: Narsarsuaq, Greenland [Jaunted]
· LUA: Lukla Airport, Nepal [Jaunted]
· World's Most Dangerous Airports coverage [Jaunted]
Hey, did you hear about all the great coke in Colombia? It's becoming the point of trips to the country rather than a sideline, says The Guardian:
It's hardly shocking that some travellers in Colombia can't resist trying the country's most famous product, but it seems the drug is becoming a tourist attraction in itself. Just as you try steak in Argentina and caipirinhas in Brazil; in Colombia, you sample the coke.
Backpackers are doing lines in their dorms, signing up to visit cocaine factories and word is going round that somewhere in San Augustin lies a place where you can make your own.
True enough. It's on the road to the Ciudad Perdida.
Of course, The New York Times was all over this trend way back when. Remember the sophistonauts? Totally into blow!
Related Stories:
· The Rise of the Cocaine Tourist [The Guardian]
· Adventures in Colombia: Cocaine! [WorldHum]
· FlyGlobespan Passenger Snorts Cocaine off Tray Table [Jaunted]
· Drug Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo of Cartagena: *L*u*z*a*]
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by pbb
The worldwide leader in scandalously-named fare sales, Spirit Airlines, just locked down an interesting new route. The LCC will now get to operate seven flights a week between Ft. Lauderdale and Bogotá, Colombia, which is rapidly becoming 2008's It destination.
Spirit had to get Department of Transportation approval for the routes because they're regulated by a bilateral treaty. When the US and Colombia decided to up the number of flights between the two countries last year, a heap of airlines clamored to get in on the action. Delta, JetBlue and Continental will join Spirit in the newly-open skies.
American Airlines--which had a near monopoly on the route--still offers the most frequencies of any carrier. But when the low cost players start flying in April, it's almost a sure-thing that fares will fall. The only thing in doubt is what kind of off-color marketing campaign Spirit will use to hype the new flights.
Related Stories:
· Spirit Finally Wins the War [Airline Biz Blog]
· Battle for Colombia Heating Up [Jaunted]
· Everyone's Excited about Bogotá [Jaunted]
Imagine Pamplona's running with the bulls. Now turn it up about 75 notches. Colombia's amateur bullfighting competitions--called corralejas--put rodeos, cage fighting and most military combat to shame.
Corralejas go back centuries in Colombia's Sucre Province, a poor, rural area kept afloat by cattle ranching. Of course, today's corralejas have a decidedly contemporary twist--and a lot more booze on hand to give fighters liquid courage.
The New York Times managed to find 26-year-old Adrian Manzano at the first aid station at one event. He's from Queens and went down to Colombia to see the fights firsthand. His reason?
"I've run with the bulls in Pamplona, but this is riskier," he said, pointing to the place on his head where a horse's hoof had trampled him. "It felt like my brains were coming through my ears."
Sounds... fun?
Related Stories:
· At Amateur Bullfights in Colombia, Alcohol and Blood Flow Freely [NYT]
· More Corralejas Videos [YouTube]
· Running of the Bulls coverage [Jaunted]
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by laurenuta
In Cartagena, the average high throughout the year is around 88 degrees, and the temperature doesn't often drop below 77. Sure, there's 90% humidity for most of the year, but that's just part of the joy of the eternal summer.
With the expected influx of tourists after the release of the movie Love in the Time of Cholera, which was largely filmed there, Cartagena is ready for visitors. Parts of Cartegena are already World Heritage listed, including 500-year-old forts and the old town center. It's also interesting to visit museums such as the Palace of Inquisition, and to stop in to some of the beautiful churches like the Iglesia de San Pedro Claver and the Iglesia de Santo Domingo.
Cartagena is turning up on travel trends lists everywhere for 2008, so try to get there this summer before it starts to get overrun. And if you believe in the magical romance of the Garcia Marquez film, perhaps Cartagena is the perfect place for a summer fling, too.
Related Stories:
· Films Will Inspire Tourism Boom [UK Independent]
· Why Cartagena is the Next New Zealand [Jaunted]
· Colombia Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: drpritch]
The Museum of Bogota opened its new exhibit, called "Museum of Laziness," last week, and it didn't take long before people were coming by to flop down on the couches and start watching TV. But, says the curator, that's not a problem at all:
We always think about laziness as an enemy of work. So we wanted to explore that and make people think about the social issues implied in taking a nap, in being jobless or in feeling that maybe we are wasting time.
Families in particular have been enjoying the show, which also includes notes from the city's children on what they want to be when they grow up. It's a good thing they're thinking about it, too, because the show's already wrapping up. Not to worry though: Next week brings the debut of an exhibit about the city's security guards.
Related Stories:
· Laziness Museum Displays Couches [NPR]
· The Week of Laziness [El Tiempo, in Spanish]
· Bogota Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo of hammocks in Bogota: Ronald Newell]
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Under pressure from JetBlue, Spirit and US Airways, Delta isn't surrendering its lock on Colombia without a fight. The carrier hopes to add daily service from JFK to Bogota as well as service from Atlanta to both Cali and Medellin. It already serves those cities from Miami and New York, and can only expand with Department of Transportation approval.
Delta will be going head-to-head with American Airlines, which begins offering even more service to Colombia this Thursday. All of American's new flights are out of Miami, though the airline has lots of connections to New York City.
With all the new flight options opening up, we'd like to predict an increase in leisure travel to Bogota, Cali and Medellin. But we need to see a few more articles about sophistonauts before we declare Colombia the hottest destination of 2008.
Related Stories:
· Sophistonauts Are Marching to Colombia [Jaunted]
· Everyone's Excited About Bogoá [Jaunted]
· New Routes coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo of El Dorado International: Aguno]
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