The risk is wanting to stay- a blog post from when I traveled to Colombia.

August 15, 2010

Before I left for Colombia, the only image I had of it was based on a rather careless comment that my boss once made about the Bogota airport: “chaotic and unruly”. For some reason that comment stuck and became engrained in my mind as Colombia: A chaotic country bursting at its seams. It never seemed appealing to visit. I imagined Bogota to be like the airport in Islamabad. Grimy, congested and loud. I reckon my ex-boss has never been to a Pakistani airport to appreciate the true meaning of “chaotic and unruly”. In reality, what seemed chaotic and unruly to him, was serene and composed to a Pakistani.

Strange though, how my image of Colombia were based on a sloppy comment someone once made. Not just anyone though. Someone I looked up to, some one, I considered then, wise and knowledgeable. Regardless of what I learnt of Colombia since then, the heaving image remained — until I tore it apart by stepping foot on the Colombian sands myself.

Bogota’s reputation of being big and perilous deterred me from spending most of my time in Colombia there. I wanted an intimate cultural experience that would allow me to easily interact with locals and the city itself. A place small enough to make home in 4 weeks. I had no idea Cartagena would serve my criteria so perfectly. I set my expectations low and let the city deliver — over deliver.

Every time I take a trip, I think: It can’t get better than this. But it does. Every trip transcends the prior state of elation. It has become such an addiction. A high that lasts as long as the memories remain. Its one of the best things I do.