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23rd May 2008 - Bradt Travel Guides
Colombia
FIRST EDITION
People are funny about civil war, drug lords, gang violence and paramilitary death squads, and as a result, Colombia has an image problem that even Max Clifford would find difficult to spin. However, what much of the world has yet to realise is that for the most part Colombia has moved on. As author Sarah Woods confidently states, ‘The widespread common delinquency of the 1990s has given way to a fierce national pride… Today Colombia is a safer place to visit than much of the US and Mexico… travellers are unlikely to encounter anything more dangerous than a hungry mosquito.’
Twice as big as France (over 60 times bigger than Wales, if that helps!) Colombia dips its toes in both the Atlantic and the Pacific. Landscapes vary from coastal rainforest to lofty snow-capped peaks and arid deserts. In the Amazon, the country encompasses 10% of the world’s total biodiversity. Specifically, Colombia has the highest recorded number of bird species on Earth. Elsewhere, pre-Colombian gold and archaeology has proved a catalyst for myths of El Dorado, and in the interior over 60 languages are still spoken by indigenous tribes. In 2006 Colombians ranked second in the Happy Planet Index, and in 2007 Colombia attracted the third largest share of tourism in South America.
In Woods’s guide the acknowledgements bear testimony to her positive experiences in Colombia; ‘I slept soundly in the girls’ simple beachside posada comforted by human kindness, and lulled by rhythmic, lapping waves’, ‘Thank you also to the Indian men who guided me through the fast-rising waters of the Amazon… and to the rugged Llanero cowboy who shared his life story with me on the cattle-clad rolling plains.’ Woods’s writing brings Colombia to life and owes as much to her experience of daily life as to research. The warmth of her affection for Colombia is testimony to that fact that there’s more to writing a good guidebook than filling in a template, ticking off historic sites and adopting house style.
Sarah Woods has criss-crossed the globe in several directions, clocking up almost a million kilometres and visiting over 60 countries along the way. Since her first brief unscheduled visit to Colombia she has returned and travelled the country in-depth. As well as contributing articles on Colombia to magazines and newspapers worldwide, Sarah sponsors an SOS village for abandoned children in central Bogota.
For review copies contact Travel Media – 01830 540 440 or info@travel-media.co.uk
Title: Colombia Author: Sarah Woods
Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides Publication: May 2008
Price: £16.99 ISBN: 978 1 841621 242 2
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