Good crazy woman

The Ciudad Perdida (Lost City) Trek in Colombia has become a must on the bucket-list of eco-tourists around the world; many people are disenchanted by the commercialization of Machu Picchu in Peru, and have labeled the Lost City of the Tairona tribe the best challenge in South America.

Compared to the Inca ruins, built around 1450 A.D., it is estimated that the Tairona’s were established 650 years prior, 800 B.C. Moreover, while Machu Picchu can be accessed via foot, train, and bus, the Ciudad Perdida (known as Teyuna in the Tairona tongue) can be reached only by foot on a three day journey of 30 kilometers through the jungle. Continue reading “Another kind of adventure travel”

Last Thursday, I read the news about a mother in Colombia who took her own son to the authorities, after she watched him on a Twitter video vandalizing the city’s public transportation system.

Besides the betrayal of seeing her son become a juvenile delinquent, the single mother had to pay fines, equivalent to a month’s work.

When I read the story I felt pure admiration for that woman. I truly hope her son values what she did for him: saving his life. Perhaps not from immediate death, but from a life of crime that would have wasted the rest of his days. Continue reading “Teaching Moment”

Miami Swim Week 2018, one of the most flashed showcase in America, ended last Tuesday, and it left me worried. The controversial trend that thousands of photographic lenses captured was the adhesive duct tape bathing suits (see pictures.)

Although it doesn’t cross my mind to even try this swimwear, I can’t help but think how painful it must be to take it off. If anything, these bikinis include a free wax treatment!

However, the real sticky business with summer fashion is the stress it triggers for overweight people when planning beach vacations. In real life, the crooked angles and filters from Instagram don’t work to hide those extra pounds. Continue reading “Fasting without Penance”

However, this is where things don’t add up. A year ago I wrote a column with the title The Colombian’s Jersey of Honor in which I described the shame of USA cycling after the dismantling of Lance Armstrong’s–seven times champion of the Tour de France–network of systematic doping and deceit.

Sadly, last week, at the start of the 2018 edition of this prime competition, cycling was again wrapped in a veil of doubt caused by the doping suspicion of the current and four times champion of the tour, Chris Froome. Continue reading “Le Tour de France Pedaling a Scandal”

Last Saturday, I adopted Sweden as my favorite team in the FIFA World Cup Rusia 2018 during its game against England; I was trying to get the bad taste of my home country defeat last Tuesday. Nonetheless, my archenemy was undoubtedly better than Sweden in the field, and two headers gave England the victory.

However, besides the goals scored in Russia, there is a playing field developing with a lot of potential for Latin America, especially for Colombian exporters and entrepreneurs.

The trade war between the world giants, the United States and China, became official last Thursday, July 5th. The Trump Administration imposed tariffs on $34 billion worth of goods coming from China, which reciprocated by imposing its own tariffs on $34 billion worth of American goods. Continue reading “U.S. and China Trade War Opens Doors Elsewhere”

Last Friday I said goodbye to my mother and home country after a wonderful vacation, the perfect mix of watching the soccer matches of the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 and spending time with my loved ones. Nonetheless, I couldn’t leave without some drama at the El Dorado International Airport in Bogota.

My flight, JetBlue 1784 to Orlando, was scheduled to depart at 7:04 a.m. After my son and I checked our bags on time, the airline rep advised me to enter the emigration area to avoid delays. Continue reading “If the world is not ready for the new Colombia, we are!”

The beginning of June was a happy for me. I had a birthday and received hugs, kisses, presents, calls, and messages from all the people I love. But, in the celebrity world, it was a sad. Kate Spade, famous clothing designer, and Anthony Bourdain, re-known chef and TV host, took their life last Tuesday, June 5th and Thursday, June 8th, respectively.

According to the results of a comprehensive study between 2001 and 2015 published by the CDC  on June 8th, the suicide rate in the United States increased more than 30% in half the states of the union, and the age group with the highest rate spike were adults between 45 and 64, across all urbanization levels. Continue reading “Brokenhearted”