In late 2007 and into 2008, a group of airlines petitioned the Department of Transportation for permission to fly to Colombia--a move they had to take because flights there are regulated by treaty. But thanks to recent astronomical price increases on jet fuel, some carriers no longer want to go there--at least for now. So last month, a bunch of airlines filed with the DOT asking if they could keep their slots while delaying their entry into the US-Colombia market. (That's called a dormancy waiver.)
With so many airlines asking, it seemed like the DOT would grant the waiver, but it didn't. The agency's decision basically says "Sorry. Start flying or loose your slots." The DOT will continue to evaluate stuff like this on a case-by-case basis, but on this big one, the department made a pro-consumer call.
Spirit Airlines, which broke industry ranks and filed with the DOT against the waiver, will undoubtedly release some sort of tasteless fare sale soon to celebrate the finding.
Not too long ago, we were full up with stories about airlineseyeingColombia. But that was back before the carriers were hemorrhaging money on jet fuel. So after battling with the Department of Transportation to get access to the country, airlines are now putting off their commitments to Colombia.
A group of airlines (not JetBlue) filed to request a two-year moratorium for starting service awarded for government regulated routes. JetBlue filed a motion generally supporting the filing after the fact.
We believe that the unprecedented rise in fuel costs has presented conditions that warrant a level of leeway from strict interpretation of some governmental requirements. Our motion is not tied to any one specific route.
That said, JetBlue hasn't committed to a start date for MCO-BOG service. Instead, the carrier will stay focused on the Caribbean, where it's taking over for American Airlines as the legacy carrier pulls out of San Juan. No wonder JetBlue has just announced a new Spanish-language website.
If only we could use it to book flights to Bogotá!
Uh-oh. Guide book writers tell lies. Not a big surprise to us, but poor Lonely Planet must be decidedly unimpressed by what former author Thomas Kohnstamm has said in his soon-to-be-released book Do Travel Writers Go To Hell?
LP must surely be wishing that Kohnstamm would go to hell, because he's claiming, among other things, that he wrote a guide book to Colombia without ever setting foot in the country. He claims he wrote the guide in question from his base in San Francisco, getting info from a girl he was dating who happened to be interning at the Colombian consulate.
The story goes that Lonely Planet--and probably a whole heap of other guide book companies--don't pay their writers enough to actually research everything that needs to go into a book, and their policy is not to accept any freebies. Whether this news goes down as a "we can't trust Lonely Planet" or a "Kohnstamm's a big cheat with a newly released book to sell" story remains to be seen, but if you're heading to Colombia, perhaps some other guide book might be a better choice?
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."
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.
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.
If you haven't read Gabriel Garcia Marquez's fantastic book Love in the Time of Cholera you should, now. It's about to become for Colombia what Lord of the Rings was for New Zealand: a major tourism generator. The nice part is that Garcia Marquez really did set his book in Colombia, whereas the whole Lord of the Rings thing was kind of a scam, really.
Anyhow, the town of Cartagena on the Caribbean coast of Colombia is the setting for the film of the rather magical and romantic novel, to be released in January 2008. It's a pretty town with interesting architecture and dozens of book-related spots to check out. Following the spirit of Colombia's tourism campaign Colombia is Passion, we're happy to put a Cartagena stopover on our next jaunt into South America: All that love and passion's gotta work for us somehow.
If Vinny Chase and E spent time in Medellín Colombia it must be safe right? Um, not really. Drug addiction, crime, and a random machete street fight should make you question your travel choice. Then again, beautiful, consistent spring-like weather, streets lined with markets and merchants selling everything from herbal cures to children's clothes and nunchucks, beautiful people as far as the eye can see, and a nightlife scene make Medellín an up and coming choice for many travelers.
The best part? Since this area of Colombia does not see many tourists, most folks go out of their way to befriend the tourist species.
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