Colombia: Impromptu Conscriptions And Endless Possibilities (cont.)

That’s what the news won’t tell you: as long as you’re not pushy and obnoxious, Colombians would love to take you out to party. And brother, Colombians know how to have a good time. They say that peaceful, wealthy Scandinavia has the highest suicide rate in the world, while crazy, war-torn Colombia has the lowest. It may be that in a country where it’s normal for children to live with their parents until marriage, family and social bonds are tighter. When times are hard, people pull together, and family and friends rely on each other more. And it may be that in a place where life can be a real struggle just to get by, and poverty and war lurk out in the countryside, people place a higher value on having a good time when they can get it.

Whatever the reason, Colombia’s reputation is not entirely deserved, as far as the tourist is concerned. No, you won’t be kidnapped. No, Colombians aren’t big consumers of drugs. No, you won’t be anywhere near any kind of fighting.

And there’s plenty to see. Even by car, Colombia’s climate can change hourly as you go from cool high Andes plains to rain forest to desert. They call Medellin the city of eternal spring for its perfect climate, and it’d be fair to call Bogotá the city of eternal fall for its cool, brisk, and cloudy weather.

Cartagena and Santa Marta, on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, are hot and steamy year-round. The islands of San Andres and Providencia offer a breezy tropical getaway, and the jungle town of Leticia gives you a taste of Amazon rainforest and pink freshwater dolphins. Experienced Latin American travelers often cite Colombia as their favorite destination, for the quality of its people, the lack of tourists, and the diversity of experiences available in a relatively small geographic area. If it weren’t for the reputation, Colombia might be one of the most exciting and beautiful vacation destinations in the world.

But the negative reputation isn’t entirely undeserved, either. Colombia is trapped in a cycle of poverty and violence and low-intensity war that may never be resolved.

Colombian society is classist to the point that neighborhoods are stratified and ranked by wealth. The bottom strata is a shantytown, and the top strata belongs to the wealthy elite and foreigners with favorable exchange rates. Everything from electricity to a cup of coffee changes in price as you move between stratas.

It feels like 70 percent of Colombia’s population lives in poverty while perhaps five percent live in luxury. Wherever you were born on the class ladder is likely where you will stay for life, no matter how hard you work.

Colombian cities are beehives of work – you can’t miss the energy of millions of people doing whatever they can to try to get ahead.

So why are so many stuck in poverty? The answers are complicated and ambiguous, but you’ll consistently hear one reason: Colombians have to struggle so hard to get by because Colombia has always been governed by a small, wealthy, corrupt elite that’s happy with things just as they are.

Originally, the 40-year-old FARC rebel army fought to change this system. Along with many other smaller groups like the ELN and M-19, they had a left-wing revolutionary agenda. But when cocaine became big business in the late 1970s and early 80s, things began to change.

The FARC tried to put a tax on the cocaine trade, but the drug barons already had the resources to fund their own private army to fight back against the FARC. Together with certain right-wing elements of the government and the army, the drug lords formed groups of paramilitary militia to combat the FARC. These militia groups are collectively known as the autodefensas or AUC, and here’s where it gets complex.

Every armed group in the conflict, from the Colombian army to the AUC, to the FARC and ELN fight against each other or help each other, depending on circumstances. Civilians are sometimes caught in a no-win middle ground and slaughtered for supporting one side or the other, even if they were forced to do so.

The United States, and to a lesser degree certain other nations, supports the Colombian government in its fight against the FARC and ELN. The U.S. provides military aid under the guise of fighting communist guerrillas, narco-trafficking guerrillas, or terrorist guerrillas, depending on the political season. In reality, all the actors profit from the conflict, and only the average Colombian suffers for it. It’s a conflict without a solution, because no one with any power wants to solve it. It is a unique war, because it is not fueled by ideology, ethnicity, resources, or religion – this war sustains itself on pure money and power.

For the most part, however, this conflict is confined to rural areas. Colombia’s major cities – Bogotá, Medellin, Cartagena, Cali, and others – are a world apart, and the traveler will almost never encounter any direct signs of Colombia’s conflict. There are plenty of security guards, armed police and sometimes even regular army patrols in the cities, but these guys typically look pretty bored.

Just remember, even in the cities – everything is possible in Colombia.

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