Party Street
1. The area along Avenida Sexta is also known as party street by locals and tourists. The local nickname came about because of the large number of bars and other late night attractions. In addition to bars and clubs are several salsa clubs and restaurants, Latin clubs, discos and hip-hop clubs. It’s one of the most famous areas in Cali and one of the first places to stop late at night.

Salsa Clubs
2. Salsa clubs are a great place to go if you want to experience local flavor since the clubs are a favorite among locals. Latin music pounds throughout the club and if you don’t have any experience, you can watch a few regulars and even ask for a few pointers. Estadero Momentos is a nice place to go because the club has a large dance floor, couches for relaxing in between dances and drinks made with locally produced rums such as Ron Vejo de Caldas.

Live Music
3. Colombia might not seem like the best place to hear blues, but at the Blues Brothers Bar, live bands play blues music fairly frequently. The club is owned by a former Irish immigrant who loves interacting with tourists and those visiting the club. Kukuramakara is another great place for live music. The bands start at 11 p.m. every night. If you purchase a bottle of liquor, you get a free table for you and your friends.

Nightclubs
4. If you’re looking for a night full of dancing, drinking and meeting new people then you should check out some of the nightclubs in Cali. Caliwood plays salsa and Latin style music and the dance floor is almost always full. There’s also Yavanna, with a nice mix of people and a diverse range of music played every night. Many of the best nightclubs in Cali are located right on party street, or on one of the side streets lining the area.

Warning
5. When you decide to visit Cali, Colombia make sure to follow some specific guidelines to stay safe. Keep an eye on your drink at all times to prevent anyone from slipping something inside it. Avoid drinking too much since it can impair your judgment and lower your inhibitions. The main thing to remember is that you’re in Colombia, which has a reputation for rough and dangerous criminals and a high crime rate.

Identification
1. Corn is a staple in all parts of Colombia. The ripe kernels are traditionally ground by hand into a coarse flour which is mixed with water to form a thick dough. This is cooked like a pancake until the outside is crisp but the center stays a bit mushy. They are called arepas and widely available.

Another traditional corn meal recipe is more elaborate when eggs and either sugar or spices are added to the arepa dough and then fried. The Colombians use immature or “young” corn also to make traditional recipes. The corn is pureed and then mixed with sugar, eggs, and salt before being fried in oil. This young corn is also commonly found in soups.

Geography
2. Indigenous Colombians and descendents of African slaves live on the northern coasts along the Caribbean Sea where the land is low lying, hot and close to the rain forest. Many modern Colombians continue the older culinary traditions by serving fried sliced plantains, called tostones, and using coconut and coconut oil.

They farm cassava, bananas, plantains, corn and beans and for meat they hunt all kinds of game. Peccary, tapirs, deer, turtles, monkeys and most birds are eaten. This area also produces a fatty ant which the people catch and fry. This dish is called culonas.

Features
3. The Cauca Valley of western Colombia has a semi-tropical climate, so bananas, cassava and plantains grow well there. One favorite food resembles a tamale but the spiced meat, green pepper, onion, olive, and raisin stuffing is folded into a green plantain leaf. Baked or stewed, this is called hallacas.

Types
4. The capital of Colombia, Bogota, is located in a more temperate, mountainous area where potatoes grow well so this vegetable is a staple ingredient of the region. Papas chorreadas are boiled potatoes covered in a cream sauce with onions, tomatoes, cheese, chiles and coriander. Another potato recipe is a chicken potato and avocado soup called Ajicao Bogotano.

Considerations
5. In the Orinoco River Valley of Colombia where there is rich grazing land, farmers raise cattle but the meat tends to be tough so traditional Colombian recipes for beef involve long cooking times and strategies to make the meat tender and flavorful. First the meat is cut into small pieces.

Then it is simmered for several hours before being roasted and basted for even more hours. If a traditional Colombian cook wants to roast a large piece of beef, she will stuff it with garlic, carrots, onions and pieces of bacon. First the stuffed roast will be simmered and then roasted until it is tender and all the flavors have spread throughout the meat.

In a movement initiated by Antonio Nariño, who opposed Spanish centralism and which led the opposition against the viceroyalty. After the independence of Cartagena in November 1811, two independent governments formed which fought a Civil War, a period known as La Patria Boba. The following year Nariño proclaimed the United Provinces of New Granada, headed by Camilo Torres Tenorio. Despite the successes of the rebellion, the emergence of two distinct ideological currents among the liberators (federalism and centralism) gave rise to an internal clash between these two, thus contributing to the reconquest of territory by the Spanish, allowing restoration of the viceroyalty under the command of Juan de Samano, whose regime punished those who participated in the uprisings. This stoked renewed rebellion, which, combined with a weakened Spain, made possible a successful rebellion led by Simón Bolívar, who finally proclaimed independence in 1819. The pro-Spanish resistance was finally defeated in 1822 on the present territory of Colombia and in 1823 around the Viceroyalty of time.

The Congress of Cucuta in 1821 adopted a constitution, whose main goal was to create the Republic of Colombia, now referred to as La Gran Colombia, which also included present-day Venezuela, Panama and Ecuador. [29] However, the new republic was very unstable and ended with the rupture of Venezuela in 1829, followed by Ecuador, in 1830.

The Venezuelan Simón Bolívar had become the first President of Colombia, and Francisco de Paula Santander was Vice President; when Simón Bolívar stepped down, Santander became the second President of Colombia. The rebellion finally succeeded in 1819 when the territory of the Viceroyalty of New Granada became the Republic of Colombia organized as a union of Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela (Panama was then an integral part of Colombia).

Part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region of the world subject to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, Colombia is dominated by the Andes mountains. Beyond the Colombian Massif (in the south-western departments of Cauca and Nariño) these are divided into three branches known as cordilleras (from the Spanish for “rope”): the Cordillera Occidental, running adjacent to the Pacific coast and including the city of Cali; the Cordillera Central, running between the Cauca and Magdalena river valleys (to the west and east respectively) and including the cities of Medellín, Manizales, Pereira and Armenia, Quindío ; and the Cordillera Oriental, extending north east to the Guajira Peninsula and including Bogotá, Bucaramanga and Cúcuta. Peaks in the Cordillera Occidental exceed 13,000 ft (3,962 m), and in the Cordillera Central and Cordillera Oriental they reach 18,000 ft (5,486 m).[18] At 8,500 ft (2,591 m), Bogotá is the highest city of its size in the world.

East of the Andes lies the savanna of the Llanos, part of the Orinoco River basin, and, in the far south east, the jungle of the Amazon rainforest. Together these lowlands comprise over half Colombia’s territory, but they contain less than 3% of the population. To the north the Caribbean coast, home to 20% of the population and the location of the major port cities of Barranquilla and Cartagena, generally consists of low-lying plains, but it also contains the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range, which includes the country’s tallest peaks (Pico Cristóbal Colón and Pico Simón Bolívar), and the Guajira Desert. By contrast the narrow and discontinuous Pacific coastal lowlands, backed by the Serranía de Baudó mountains, are covered in dense vegetation and sparsely populated. The principal Pacific port is Buenaventura.

Colombian territory also includes a number of Caribbean and Pacific islands.

During the early seventeenth century much of the valleys of Cucuta were owned by Captain Cristóbal de Araque Ponce de Leon. The land passed by inheritance to his son Fernando de Araque Ponce de Leon, who owned all the territory between the Valley of Cucuta to the town of San Jose, jurisdiction of the city of San Faustino. These fields had been donated to the master Araque by the Governor of the Province of Mérida New Cries of the (local authority as part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada) by means of vouchers issued the September 9, 1630.

The constant hostility of the Indians of the town of Cucuta Motilones against the inhabitants of the valley and their economic ambitions, were key factors in the past requested the construction of a parish that had the name of San Jose and dwell in the kingdom if they obtained license Spain.

Whereas white neighbors to the people of Cúcuta would request the erection of a parish and they had chosen Guasimal site on the banks of the river Pamplonita, Juana Rangel de Cuellar won the June 17, 1733 average stay in cattle ( 782 hectares) on the site Tonchala, which had a value of 50 patacones, [20] for the construction of a church and a place for Spanish families to settle in what is now the Barrio San Luis. It was the seat stay most notably agricultural and livestock Rangel de Cuellar, a prominent family descended from Captain Alonso Pamplona Rangel, founder of the Palmas Salazar in 1583.

In accordance with the laws and customs of the time, Juana Rangel de Cuéllar, was obliged to say that the donation was in compliance with established ordering real in the sense that was included in a tenth of their property and that it therefore did not affect what was left as an inheritance, or was not a ruin, nor was there any doubt about the nature and character of the property and finally he was “free to roll, commitment and general or special mortgage” so The grant will toward all the formalities.

Once established population, it grew rapidly. One reason was the rapid growth have been created as a necessary step between Bogota and Caracas. Cocoa was the precursor economy, which was carried by the river Pamplonita. On May 18, 1792 the King of Spain, Charles IV by royal charter granted the city of Cúcuta the title of “Muy Noble y Leal Villa Courageous.” [21] José María Maldonado, a lawyer for the Royal Court, made on behalf of the residents filing legal title to the Viceroy Villa Espeleta.
Bolívar, Santander and other heroes of the independence out of the Historic church of Cúcuta, where it was held the Congress of Cucuta.

In the late nineteenth century, the Industrial Revolution came to town with the establishment of Cucuta Railway. The construction was divided into four parts North, East, South and West: [22]

North Zone began in 1878 and was completed ten years later. Puerto Santander Cúcuta connected with international character and was therefore joined with Venezuela. East Zone began in 1893 and extended to the Rio Tachira. The South Zone began operations in 1921, led to Pamplona, but only reached the place called The Diamond. Finally, the West Zone, intended to reach Tamalameque but could not be performed for economic reasons. The company was liquidated in 1960. [23]
Monument to the Battle of Cúcuta (1910).

The early twentieth century in Colombia accounted for the beginning of its industrial revolution, which affected the expansion of Cucuta. One of the milestones that mark his century would be the beginnings of aviation, which would Barranquilla its genesis in the city. Camilo Daza, Cucuta an illustrious citizen, was the first national in 1919 piloted a plane for what was recognized as the pioneer of aviation in Colombia. [24] [25] [26]

Cúcuta was affected by the Colombian armed conflict in the 1990s and first decade of the twenty-first century, with communist guerrillas and paramilitary groups, which have operated in the cities in the form of urban networks that pursue their goals. The violence generated by these activities more directly hit the poorest, in the case of the communes Cucuta 6, 7 and 8 in particular. The largest share of crime in Cucuta were recorded between 1990 and 1991, especially from the so-called United Self-Defense of Colombia (AUC) in their urban networks disputing territorial control of the guerrillas, was a period that coincided with the war against gangs in Colombia.

The Ombudsman’s Office in a 2007 report warned of the high risk of vulnerability in the violation of human rights of certain sectors and associations present in the city. [27] On December 15, 2004 Block Catatumbo and paramilitary front ” The Barge “demobilized, reducing crime rates in the region. Especially the latter front operating in the Metropolitan Area of Cúcuta. [28]

Following the demobilization of the AUC, there were emerging groups known as the Black Eagles were identified as responsible for the increase in violence in 2006 and 2007 and would be intimidating the civilian population, especially young people, and fighting over the control of illegal activities such as hallucinogens outlets, houses of prostitution, trafficking in arms and drugs in poor neighborhoods especially in Cúcuta Juan Atalaya. The presence of this illegal group was due to the interest of controlling the natural corridor Catatumbo-Cucuta-Venezuela used for drug trafficking and illegal activities that fund the group. [29]

Since 2007 the city maintains a dynamic urban development and a process of sustained recovery. In that year he executed several mega-projects: [30] the construction of five bridges elevated [31], a convention center [32] and a transport terminal. It also expanded the capacity of the General Santander Stadium from 20,000 to 45,000 spectators. [33] (2010) is the deadline for conclusion of the Mass Transit System “Metrobus” [34] a project of public transport infrastructure that would unite all sectors of the city.

Colombia is one of the few countries in Latin America where tourists can enjoy almost any landscape, beautiful beaches, tour the woods, cabins in the forest, mountains and deserts, archeological ruins and colonial towns, nightlife and fashion in modern hotels towns, whale watching, diving and hiking, extreme sports and the warmth and kindness offered by Colombians. Easily could be two months traveling around Colombia, but for those with less time, this travel guide will help you decide which is the ideal place to visit on your vacation.

Caribbean Coast of Colombia

The most important tourist destination in the Colombian Caribbean coast is Cartagena, which is surely the most beautiful colonial city in all Latin America and the destination for those traveling to Colombia. Nearby you can find beautiful beaches in Islas del Rosario and Tayrona Park (perhaps the best beaches in South America). A 4 hours from Santa Marta Cartagena find the starting point for a wonderful tour of six days through the jungle toward the spectacular ruins of Ciudad Perdida.

If you travel east you can discover the remote indigenous communities in the peninsula of La Guajira, where you can see the barren landscapes and secluded beaches with flamingos.

From Cartagena you can take a short flight to the beautiful Caribbean islands of San Andrés (more developed) and Providence (virgin and idyllic) where you’ll find beautiful beaches of colors, water sports, scuba diving, among others. Another alternative is to travel to the West due to the beaches rarely visited the islands of San Bernardo and Capurgana.
Travel to Colombia’s Interior

The capital Bogotá is the gateway to Colombia from here you can make a trip to any destination in the country, also find the Government Palace, museums, nightlife, places, and fantastic hotels that attract the most demanding visitors . Travel north to meet with Villa de Leiva and Mompos, two of the most quiet and charming colonial towns in Colombia, Bogota a few hours from San Gil find adventure nature destination in Colombia and the epicenter of water sports.

Traveling south we find Medellin, known as the city of eternal spring for its pleasant climate. Most tourists who visit Colombia and Medellín match pass is one of the most beautiful modern cities in Latin America. From Medellin will be possible different trips to the outskirts of Antioquia department that offers a particular vision of what rural life in Colombia. The fences and more popular tourist attractions include El Penol where there is a majestic rock surrounded by a beautiful lake with small islands. Santa Fe de Antioquia is a small traditional village two hours Paisa Medellin. Three hours from there take the road to Bogota Rio Claro is a wonderful place to relax, hike nature trails and enjoy the colorful crystalline river. Additionally, the coffee in Colombia is a few hours drive from Medellin and is the gateway to exciting walks in the Parque Natural de los Nevados.

Continuing our travels in Colombia are many places to visit and explore including the capital of salsa, Cali, Popayan, a beautiful colonial city and the mysterious archaeological ruins of San Agustin and Tierradentro. Additionally, may take a plane to travel into the Amazon where you can stay in eco-lodges in the forest near Leticia.
Travel to the Colombian Pacific Coast

In the Colombian Pacific find more beautiful beaches for activities such as surfing, in the department of Choco one of the wettest places in South America and most biodiverse in the world. In the Pacific Coast and more precisely the particular and charming Gorgona Island are the ruins of an old prison closed some years ago, it is possible to buy a tour to spot humpback whales between July and October. Additionally, offer trips to different beaches in Bahia Solano Nuqui and vacation spots popular among Colombians.

Court decisions they can appeal and for that are the courts. But to question the judicial independence using the popularity of the ruling only further weakens the languid democratic institutions.

The conviction of the Third Criminal Court of Bogota Specialized against Colonel (r) Luis Alfonso Plazas Vega for the forced disappearance of eleven Colombian citizens is a landmark ruling that struck impunity and military interests that lie behind it.

Plazas was not convicted for the retaking of the Palace of Justice. Plazas Vega was convicted of forced disappearance, for their part in the disappearance of defenseless citizens in the days of the takeover of the Palace of Justice.

Activation of the solidarity of the body of the military and the ruling bloc is a call to impunity.

Squares have the right to appeal the ruling of the court and the government, along with the military, are obliged to respect the course of justice.

The hysteria of the government and the military is a reflection of their fear for the advancement of justice in this and other cases. Pending a ruling involving the general Arias Cabrales and a group of officers and NCOs, also for the case of the Palace of Justice. And the case is progressing rapidly and pikes of false positives.

Colombia needs more justice and less impunity. Colombia needs to strengthen democracy, not weaken, putting political power in the service of impunity.

As the history of literature, that of Colombia has its origins in the oral tradition: Yurupari Myth, legend and epic Vaupés, first published in Italian in 1890, contains an original history of the river basin and Vaupés told without the influence of the Western canon, which reflected the interests of the natives of the Amazon.

After several centuries of development, the Colombian literature had its highest growth in the twentieth century, rich in poets and poetry movements in Colombia. From post-modern poets Luis Carlos López, humorous and profoundly simple, and Porfirio Barba Jacob, intense, thoughtful and melodic, to the more recent poets of very different styles as Dario Jaramillo Agudelo, Juan Manuel Roca, Mario Rivero.

Include the new ones, among which León de Greiff, the piedracielistas, with Arturo Ramírez Camacho, Eduardo Carranza and Jorge Rojas, the myth group, led by Jorge Gaitán Durán; the nadaístas, led by Gonzalo Arango, the beat generation Dice, whose members account Jattin Raúl Gómez, María Mercedes Carranza and Piedad Bonnet, and the Barranquilla Group, which spent José Félix Fuenmayor, Álvaro Cepeda Samudio and Nobel Garcia Marquez.

In recent years Colombia has been in a boom of writers whose works have been widely welcomed by readers and some of them have been made into films. These authors stand Juan Gabriel Vásquez, Santiago Gamboa, Jorge Franco, Mario Mendoza, Enrique Serrano and Fernando Quiroz. Some are younger, are beginning to publish works that demonstrate not only the interests of the publishing industry in literature but also the excellent Colombian literary scene today.

In recent years, the fusion of tropical rhythms and traditional genres like pop and rock, performed by artists such as Shakira, Carlos Vives and Juanes have awarded the internationally renowned Colombian music.

One of the most popular rhythms outside the Vallenato, which has its origins in the Caribbean coast where the mixing of African slaves, European conquerors and indigenous native rhythms generated from various percussion instruments like the box and the drums, Accordion including German and flutes and pipes of Indian origin. To this area belong other rhythms like Cumbia, Porro, the Mapalé, the Champeta, the Merecumbé and puja, which are among its most famous interpreters Toto La Momposina and The Pipers of San Jacinto.

The music of the Andes takes African and indigenous elements, but his greatest influence came from Spain, hence its typical instruments are predominantly of strings. The Spanish guitar, the treble, the four, the mandolin, sometimes accompanied by percussion instruments, elegant melodies give us Bambuco, Guabina, Hall, Whirlpool, vals criollo, and more popular as the carranga, the Lane, the guasca and partying.

In large cities, there are significant movements in genres like rock music, pop, funk, jazz, punk and metal. Bogota, Cali, Medellin, Barranquilla and Cartagena, is the epicenter of major artists are: Aterciopelados, The Hall Effect, Superlitio, the rock scene, Cabas and Fonseca on the pop, the pestilence in the metal, Diva Gash, are some internationally recognized names. Likewise, there are many scenarios to show the new talents, such as the Park Rock Festival, one of the most important in Latin America dedicated to rock.

On the surface, the historic city of Cartagena in northern Colombia on the Caribbean coast, is an upscale tourist destination, an old walled city where the cruise ship passengers walk through a maze of narrow streets, while tourists take refuge in air-conditioned shops and cafes to escape the tropical heat that prevails in the country. But behind the charm worthy of a travel agency brochure, the town hides a face far more seedy. Backpacker hostels that line the picturesque street, located just outside the old city lie in a famous red light district and, for many, men dozing on benches in the park on the corner do not nap, they expect to address sex workers.

According MAYERLINE Verqara Perez, program coordinator at Fundacion Renacer, a nongovernmental organization (NGO) that works to prevent the exploitation of children and adolescents, after a certain time of night, the streets of Cartagena, nearly one in two people involved in one way or another in the sex trade.

The man in black T-shirt, smoking a cigarette, is a notorious pimp, says she and the girl in the yellow dress and tight-fitting European-style man in shorts are almost without doubt a sex worker and his client. Even the group of teenagers on their thirty-one lying near the entrance of the old city presumably sell their bodies “It has become much worse over the past 10 years,” says Ms. Perez. “There are more children engaged in sex and they are starting younger