Multiplatinum artist Maelo Ruiz performing his hit "Regalame una noche" in Colombia

Many many people have seen this video in Colombia.



Check this one out and more on Youtube.

Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas, Cartagena. You can't miss it!

The Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas is the greatest and strongest fortress ever built by the Spaniards in their colonies. The original fort was constructed between 1639 and 1657 on top of the 40m-high San Lázaro hill, and was quite small. In 1762, an extensive enlargement was undertaken which resulted in the entire hill being covered over with this powerful bastion. It was truly impregnable and was never taken, despite numerous attempts to storm it.

A complex system of tunnels connected strategic points of the fortress to distribute provisions and to facilitate evacuation. The tunnels were constructed in such a way that sounds reverberate all the way along them, making it possible to hear the slightest sound of the approaching enemy's feet, and also making it easy for internal communication.

Some of the tunnels are lit and are open to visitors - a walk not to be missed. Take a guide if you want to learn more about the curious inventions of Antonio de Arévalo, the military engineer who directed the fortress's construction.

The fortress is just a 20-minute walk from the old town, or take a local bus from the Parque del Centenario. There is a statue of Blas de Lezo in front of the fortress.

Read more about Cartagena on Lonely Planet.

TRAVELLING ALONE IS FUN: WHAT TO DO IN BOGOTA?

Knowledge in any means is helpful to expand your horizons. Reading books on literature, science and technology etc is not the only way to learn something. Traveling is something which not only provides knowledge but also gifts us with a package of experience and adventure. While most of us love to travel with a herd of great pals, traveling alone can be a lot of fun too and can in fact turn into life’s biggest adventure. Time is like an alcoholic spirit which vanishes with the flick of an eye. Today’s fast life is like a punishment for the youth and is increasing the stress. Hibernation of self is very necessary to relieve ourselves from the hectic life. Traveling alone helps one to understand oneself and discover new thoughts. It gives a sense of responsibility, self-reliance and independence. One can also know their likes and dislikes and the way they react in a particular situation. Visiting an unfamiliar place on your own allows you to know yourself better. This is the perfect time to rekindle with the most loyal company you could ever have in your lifetime – your own self.

One of the best places to explore today is Bogota. Bogota is the capital of Colombia and is famous for its picturesque architecture and unique culture. It is the largest city in Colombia with an altitude of 2,640 meters making it the third-highest major city in the world. It is also said that Bogota is about 8,500 feet closer to the stars. It is most famous for its magnificent Andean views and wonderful spring-like weather. Traveling on your own to Bogota can open up an adventure that you could only imagine.

Hop on to your Bogota-bound plane and make sure you do all of these!

1. Explore the Sabana – Take out time to go far away from the regular city life. For people who love to take risk can go for an adventurous trip near Suesca. It is a paradise for rock climbers. You can experience rock climbing, river rafting and hiking with an additional package of beautiful views.

2. Get a plastic surgery – Travel alone and surprise your friends back home with a sexier and beautiful you. Medical tourism is one of Bogota’s biggest prides. In fact, Bogota is among the world’s top three leading countries offering world-class cosmetic surgery. A plastic surgery in Colombia will cost only around 25% of what the developed nations charge. There is no compromise on the quality of the treatment. The patients are provided high quality service with world-class medical facility. A $32,000 Brazilian butt augmentation in the United States can only cost you $5,000 in Bogota. This is due to the low cost of labor. The patients are treated by highly qualified professional doctors and therefore the risk factor attached to the low cost is also diminished. And when we are talking about the plastic surgery in Bogota, a medical tourism company that needs mention is Cosmetic Harmony. Cosmetic Harmony specializes in complete cosmetic surgery packages, including cosmetic procedures, travel, accommodations, transportation to medical appointments, a bilingual personal assistant and medications.Cosmetic Harmony uses only FDA-approved materials.

Read full article on Colombia Travel.

Nightlife in Bogota: The Best Opportunity to Meet the Locals

As most guide books state, the best you can find in Colombia is people. Also tourists that have stayed in the country advise new visitors to try to get in touch with locals because they are amongst the friendliest people on earth, thus before going somewhere, it is important to know which are the best places not only to have fun but to meet people.

As all the big cities of South America, Bogota has a very rich nightlife with the right atmosphere to meet the locals, therefore there are many web sites that give information about restaurants, bars, cinemas, discotheques, shows, theater and all the events that are considered special each week.

It is well known that the best areas of the city to enjoy through the night are in the north part of the city, some examples are El Parque de la 93 which is located in one of the most exclusive zones of the city between the 93A and 93B streets and the 11th A and 13 avenues; La Zona Rosa which is the main nightlife zone of the city because it comprises a great number of bars, restaurants and nightclubs that can that please every taste; La Calera which is a route through the east hills of the city and has a wide variety of restaurants and nightclubs; and the called Zona T in Chapinero with an amazing range of establishments.

Read full article at Colombia Travel.

Colombia pics. Check them out!!!

To see more pics, go to Flickr.

If you're already in Colombia, and you wanna go to the movies, check this out!

By Helda Martínez

The latest film out of Colombia is based on the true story of a priest in a rural town whose passions include a search for justice in an area that, like so many in this civil war-torn country, is hemmed in by armed groups, whether far-right paramilitaries, leftist guerrillas or state security forces.

Gabriel is an idealistic 33-year-old priest who stands up to inept local officials as well as the heads of the armed group that holds real power in the town.

Once an irregular armed group, on the left or the right, has gained control over an area, it begins to interfere with government decisions to forward its own interests – an all-too common scenario that forms the backdrop for the film "La pasión de Gabriel" (Gabriel's Passion), whose star, Andrés Parra, has already won a Best Actor award for his performance as Father Gabriel, at the 2009 Guadalajara International Film Festival in Mexico.

As believing in God as he is ingenuous about earthly matters, he believes he can bring about equality, peace and respect for decisions reached by the local community, and ignores warnings to stay out of things.

The warnings become more pointed as Gabriel insists on the need to repair a bridge linking the town with another town. But the armed group that controls the area is opposed because it knows that as soon as the bridge is built, the army will come in, and fighting will break out.

In effect, once the bridge is repaired, thanks to the efforts of the priest and the community, the army arrives, asserts its authority, asks barbed questions, issues threats and warnings, and finally leaves.

Read more comments on the movie at IPS News.

COLOMBIA: Would you take the risk? video

WATCH THE WHOLE VIDEO, it's worth it!!!
Would you take the risk to travel to Colombia? Have you been informed certainly? Watch this video till the end and know what Colombia means...

COLOMBIA IS PASSION!!!! BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE, BRIGHT CULTURE AND AMAZING LANDSCAPES.






And search for more videos of Colombia in Youtube.

Vibe won a trip to Argentina thru a Bueno Entonces contest. Check out her experience and reviews

Day 5 or 6 in Buenos Aires. Yeah, it's like that.

Ok, so... I’m having a hard time being coherent today because yesterday essentially spilled over in today and well, suffice to say that there’s a never ending supply of places to go out in this city and it never stops. I haven’t even made a dent in it, nor have I done many of the touristy things... I did see the big metal flower that opens and closes and is the place to hang out underneath and drink a mate in the sun. I also went to Malba which is a gorgeous art gallery and it has a great cafe.

Winetasting last night, and after that we went to a restaurant that’s so underground that it’s only open once a week and only twenty people know about it and the food is thai.. the best thai I’ve ever had.

Read full text at beadventuresinba.blogspot

WHAT IS Bueno, entonces... exactly?

Bueno, entonces... is the best selling language-learning program for the iPhone, now available on DVD and instant download! Featured by Apple as New & Noteworthy, tens of thousands are already learning Spanish with Bueno, entonces…

Taking the most effective elements from traditional audio books and software programs, Bueno, entonces... has revamped language-learning by incorporating those features into a 1-on-1 Spanish lesson format, where you sit in on private classes with fresh audio/visual teaching tools, a huge improvement over programs currently available on the market.

Bueno, entonces... takes you inside 30 private Spanish lessons with Jimena, a gorgeous Spanish instructor, and David, her jackass student from London as he learns Spanish in beautiful Buenos Aires. Like learn-Spanish reality TV, but without the guilt of getting addicted, because in just 5 weeks you'll be speaking Spanish conversationally.

To learn more about Bueno, entonces, go to General Linguistics.

Introducing Bogotá

Bogotá is on the move. Once considered a place to avoid, the capital has cleaned up its act and is fast becoming one of Latin America's urban highlights. Improved security, infrastructure projects and a clean-up campaign have helped bring a new face to the metropolis.

Home to more than seven million people, Colombians still flock to Bogotá in search of opportunities. Many find that the streets are not exactly paved with gold and end up eking out an existence in one of the vast shantytowns that line the southern portion of the city.

Graceful churches, excellent museums, cultural events and a thriving nightlife can keep you busy for several days. Bogotá is also the political, financial and service center for the country, and its geographic heart, making it a useful base from which to explore the country. Despite its massive sprawl, Bogotá is a dotted with parks and leisure spots. Cool air and almost daily rain sweep away residual pollution, and there are several high peaks to the east of town that help you to keep your perspective on the ground.

Most travelers spend their time in or around historic La Candelaria, a pleasant quarter of cafés, churches and museums. Northern Bogotá stands in great contrast to the south, turning up its nose to history and moving forward as a modern district of brash capitalist values.

To read more go to Lonely Planet

Bueno, entonces... Spanish Class 6

Check out this video with fun Spanish Classes!



Watch more videos at Youtube

Colombian airlines gain new international frequencies

Colombian Aviation authorities granted 20 new international route permissions to Colombian airlines in an attempt to bring the ticket price down and boost international trips, newspaper La Republica reported on Wednesday.

The permission, which will make the airlines less dependent on domestic flights, was granted to Avianca, Aires and Aero República.

Aires will add weekly flights from Bogota to New York and back, and daily frequencies from Barranquilla, Cali, and Cartagena to Fort Lauderdale in Florida. It will also fly the Bogota-Sao Paulo, and Rionegro-Mexico City frequencies, with Boeing 373-700 aircrafts.

Aviaca will fly Bogota-Orlando-Bogota everyday, and Bogota-San Jose (Costa RIca)-Bogota. It will also add frequencies from Bogota to Sao Paulo, Fort Laudrdale, Los Angeles, New York, Washington, Aruba, and Curaçao.

Aero Republica will add frequencies from Bogota to Santo Domingo, Aruba, San Jose (Costa Rica), Panama, Sao Paulo, and Miami.

The report says that Colombia aviation authorities are brokering a bilateral agreement with Dubai for new direct flights between the two countries.

Read more info on Colombia at Colombia Reports

Useful info you need to know before you visit Colombia

Costs

Colombia is a reasonably cheap country to travel in, provided you are traveling overland. Backpackers should be prepared to shell out US$15 to US$25 per day on average. If you want a more comfy trip, with midrange hotels, some better restaurants and a flight from time to time, you'll average somewhere between US$25 and US$45 daily. Some resort areas, especially along the Caribbean coast, have all-inclusive resort packages that cost US$100 to US$150 for two people, a good value anywhere. You can save money by going to free days at museums (often the last Sunday of the month), or using a student card when buying plane and museum tickets. Also remember that bus ticket fares are always negotiable. A little haggling can usually knock off around 20% to 30% of the cost, though you may need to shop around at the various bus company windows.

Money

Credit and debit cards are the safest and easiest way to access money in Colombia. Traveler's checks (Amex are by far the easiest to change) are safer than cash, though some US dollar bills may be useful.

Large amounts of counterfeit US dollars 'made in Cali' circulate on the market. According to rough estimates, about a quarter of all fake US dollars, virtually indistinguishable from the genuine article, circulating worldwide are printed in Colombia.

Generally, Bancolombia and the Banco Unión Colombiano are the banks to visit if you need to change money or do any over-the-counter transactions. However, you will find half-a-dozen other banks in most medium-sized towns that have ATMs.

Read more practical info about Colombia at Lonely Planet.

About Colombia

Colombia officially the Republic of Colombia (Spanish: República de Colombia), is a constitutional republic in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean. Colombia also shares maritime borders with Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Colombia is the 26th largest nation in the world and the fourth largest in South America. It has the 29th largest population in the world and the second largest in South America, after Brazil. Colombia has the third largest Spanish-speaking population in the world after Mexico and the United States.

The territory of what is now Colombia was originally inhabited by indigenous nations including the Muisca, Quimbaya, and Tairona. The Spanish arrived in 1499 and initiated a period of conquest and colonisation which ultimately led to the creation of the Viceroyalty of New Granada (comprising modern-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama) with its capital at Bogotá.^[12] Independence from Spain was won in 1819, but by 1830 "Gran Colombia" had collapsed with the secession of Venezuela and Ecuador. What is now Colombia and Panama emerged as the Republic of New Granada. The new nation experimented with federalism as the Granadine Confederation (1858), and then the United States of Colombia (1863), before the Republic of Colombia was finally declared in 1886.^[2] Panama seceded in 1903.

Colombia has a long tradition of constitutional government. The Liberal and Conservative parties, founded in 1848 and 1849 respectively, are two of the oldest surviving political parties in the Americas. However, tensions between the two have frequently erupted into violence, most notably in the Thousand Days War (1899-1902) and La Violencia, beginning in 1948. Since the 1960s, government forces, left-wing insurgents and right-wing paramilitaries have been engaged in the continent's longest-running armed conflict. Fuelled by the cocaine trade, this escalated dramatically in the 1990s. However, the insurgents lack the military or popular support necessary to overthrow the government, and in recent years the violence has been decreasing.

Finish reading about Colombia at Wikipedia.

Map of Colombia

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The General Linguistics Method for Teaching Foreign Languages

Created by linguists, teachers and students from a half-dozen countries, General Linguistics developed Bueno, entonces… to incorporate all the best elements of the software and audiobook language learning methods like Pimsleur and Rosetta Stone that have been around for decades.

We mixed the comprehensive learning material of the audiobook courses with the addictive, fun and universally beloved format of a television show to create the Bueno, entonces… series. Each of the 30classes is 30-40 minutes long, proven as the perfect length for a language course - long enough to cover vocabulary and grammar topics but short enough to keep you interested the whole time. The challenging fast pace and edgy, entertaining style of Bueno, entonces… will keep you coming back for more.

Learning Spanish doesn’t have to be boring and monotonous. Bueno, entonces… infuses a witty, engaging storyline into the learning process - and by following along you absorb more Spanish, morequickly than you ever thought possible. By the end of the 5-week, 30-class series, you
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Bueno, entonces… incorporates the following 5 principles to make learning Spanish fun, painless and effective:

1. Make The Classes Interesting & Engaging With Wit and Charm.

If you are not engaged, you are not going to learn or remember anything. Learning doesn’t have to be boring — remember your favorite teachers? Well, wait until you meet David & Jimena…

Read more about the Method at buenoentonces.com/blog.

One semester of Spanish

This is so much fun. Check it out!