So far I am loving Colombia. This is due mainly to the lovely people that lives here. It is on an almost daily basis that I am met with kindness by the locals.
An example was yesterday when I wanted to take a cable car up to a nearby hill for a view of the city, but I am short on cash, so the woman in the queue behind me offered to pay the differences!
Another time, I was in a bus, and because I didn´t know how to get to my destination, friendly locals would stay on the bus with me to help me get off at the right place, even if it meant they miss their stop!I have also been offered fruits to tried by locals, whether they are farmers or city person.
But of course, currently being in the capital of Colombia (Bogota) I am well aware that this city has the worst reputation of robery then any other cities I have visited so far. In fact, I have heard so many first and second hand stories that it would make any person become overly paranoid.
Yesterday I met Tim, a Dutch backpacker who caught came directly from Quito, Ecuador. Whilst on the bus, he was drugged by a co-passanger, ended up passing out and waking up in a hospital the following day! How freaky is that! But then again, he was stupid as he took drinks from strangers onboard the bus, his whiskey was laced with drugs. However there was a happy ending as the rest of the passangers on the bus notice what was happening and manage to catch the perpetrator, who is now sitting in a Bogota jail cell.
I have also heard countless stories of arm robberies, sometimes in daylight. One was a guy who had robbers robbing him with guns right in the middle of Simon Boliviar square, the main presidential square of Bogota! Another story was of a girl who got a knife held on to her outside Platypus, my hostel in Bogota. Dodgy!
So there are good people and there are bad people. But overrall, I have yet to meet the baddies. And dispite Bogota´s bad rep, I found it safer walking the streets here then in Quito (Ecuador)!
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