Posts Tagged ‘south america’
Viva Colombia – Pt 3. Avianca Airlines
It’s surprising how many people don’t know Colombia has a flagship airline. Let me be the one to tell you: Avianca paves the way.
Avianca has been taking people to and from Bogota and points in Colombia for nearly 70 years, and for the modest way they have of doing business they certainly maintain solid operations. With 18 destinations in Colombia and 18 more internationally they have a solid route map. We flew from Los Angeles to Bogota, a 7 hour flight (only slightly longer than it takes to get from New York to LA), and were made to feel quite comfortable. The planes for this particular route were not updated yet with the seatback entertainment but I was told this would be happening before the end of the year. They also have plans to be the first South American carrier to fly Boeing’s new 787s once they go into production—they have 10 on order!
Cartagena is like a hot tamale, it looks innocent but its flavor and wicked heat makes you dance when you bite it. We arrived in Cartagena still wearing jackets, which was a mistake. While Bogotá may be equatorial, the elevation keeps it cool. Cartagena on the other hand stays toasty, with an average temperature in the mid 80s all year round, usually with a 90% humidity. So the first lesson is, dress for it.
Winter home to Colombian novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez (with a surprisingly modest house), Cartagena has the trappings of your average Caribbean tourist city, but without the cliché–or the tourists for that matter. While it is still on the cruise circuit, it’s less of a destination than other island ports and when the ships are gone, there’s definitely a feeling of an undiscovered country.
South America has been a hot topic of late. What with the Olympics finding a home in Rio, the inclusion of Machu Picchu in the “New 7 Wonders of the World” project and the overall positive growth of travel and tourism to that side of the equator, it seems like everyone’s talking about it. Last week I had a rare chance to visit the country of Colombia over what would turn out to be a very enjoyable and fascinating 6-day educational trip.
Put yourself into the times of past centuries via South America while exploring rich cultural history and architectural and natural wonders.
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