Fiction, Essays, and Other Things

  If I must be negative I prefer to do so in the beginning. Pull the stinger out and then apply the ice. Colombia is thus far one of the few countries of which I find the food unremarkable. Maybe because I was told to set my expectations low, I found even the dishes in Cuba more appealing. Of course, in certain countries where the local cuisine is beyond the point (Canada comes to mind), I have no memory to compare. Be that as it may, Colombia has on the whole left me unimpressed in its culinary aspect. Quindio, the area I travelled through, is known for its chorizo and I like a good chorizo, but I failed to find one that was not bland. If anything I found the chicharron in these parts a superior component of the bandeja paisa dish. Instead, what stole my heart in Colombia is the relationship between the people and the land. Agriculture is the pulse of the nation and her people have come, out of necessity, to value the earth. In many ways Colombia is a global example of the pro...

  If the bugs that make your room a constant home at the Hotel Reserva Monarca are a warning that you are now on nature’s turf then the sunrise is nature’s way of compensating you. Let it be said that the sight of the mist-covered mountains in their multi-hued glory is more than enough of an apology for a few crawlers under your bed. There are no better morning greetings than the sounds of birds and other animals meeting the rising sun with you. Of course, Hotel Reserva Monarca is surrounded by natural majesty and breakfast is served in a veranda overlooking the forest. Here your companies are not so much the bugs that crawl into your room through the gaps in the screen door but butterflies that seem to know the hotel was named in their honor and lizards. Breakfast here consists of chorizo, scrambled eggs or a calentado (a “warmed up”, consisting of rice and beans) and assorted fruits accompanied by coffee or hot chocolate. I tried to alternate each day. The first time I tried L...