1. Literature. Here is my previous post on Garcia Marquez; I forgot to mention Love in the Time of Cholera.
2. Painter: Fernando Botero. Most of the Boteros you are likely to see are very weak, but his early work can be stunning; at ArtFair in Miami I saw a watermelon still life from the 1950s. Rest assured, he was once a painter of genius, but I cannot find a convincing reproduction on-line. I don’t think he sold out, rather he felt compelled to paint as much as possible, I don’t know why.
3. TV show: Betty La Fea, I have yet to see the U.S. "Betty the Ugly." Here is what the actress really looks like, or try this one.
4. Music: I don’t feel ready to judge Aterciopelados until I see them live. Yana has played plenty of Juanes for me, it is good Latin pop with hooks. Afro-Colombian music is noteworthy, here are some styles. I’ve never found a really good CD of Cumbia.
5. Movie: I thought Maria Full of Grace was overrated — too predictable, yes cocaine mules run great risks — but it is the only one I know.
6. Continental Liberator: Simon Bolivar.
7. Blogger and sociologist: Fabio Rojas, occasional guest-blogger here at MR. Here is his page on art and music, recommended.
8. Random category: Sofia Vergara ought to count for something. Often she dyes her hair dark to look more Latina for U.S. roles.
The bottom line: My knowledge here is patchy, and that is one reason why I am visiting. By the way if you live in Bogota, do drop me a line.
How about Romancing the Stone? That was filmed in Cartagena – the prettiest town in the Americas. Not exactly great cinema though…
The ABC version, “Ugly Betty” is a poor copy of the real thing. For a much better version see “La Fea Mas Bella” currently showing on Univision.
great post. there’s much more to Columbia than drugs and coffee.
A recent Colombian movie you might want to try is Rosario Tijeras. Technical production is very good, yet I still find some of the roles and part of the story weak.
Regarding music, have you heard of Carlos Vives and the whole genre of new-Vallenato that he sparked (i.e. fonseca, amaya, etc.)?
My mother-in-law grew up in Barranquilla and tells me their Carnaval rivals that of anywhere else in the world. I think you’re there too early for that however.
Bolivar was born in Caracas , Venezuela.
I am an “Economist” who lives in Colombia (Bogota)
Some more things have come to mind for your Bogotá visit.
I urge you to try some of the drinks made from fresh fruit – you can get them at almost any nice cafe. They have extraordinary fruit in Colombia – some of which I’ve never heard of but they are much better than I’ve had elsewhere. They puree these fruits into a thick juice cocktail. You can have it either “with water” (jugo en agua) or “with milk” (jugo en leche).
My two favorites are made with maracuya (passionfruit) or mora (like a cross between blackberry and raspberry).
To really appreciate Colombian music, you must DANCE to it. I’d suggest you try Andres Carne de Res – go for dancing ’til late at night, then after go outside and have broth on the street.
Zona G – best part of Bogotá for restaurants.
Here is a recent list of best restaurants in Bogotá from El Tiempo
http://www.eskpe.com/secc_eskpe/rest_eskpe/otrasnoticias/ARTICULO-WEB-NOTA_INTERIOR_ESKPE-3357720.html
The OMA Brian mentioned above is I think on Parque 93 (not 97).
For Columbian music that takes a little cumbia and a lot of pop, try Bacilos. They have a lot of great songs for karioke(sp?) or just general listening.
For movies I’d suggest “La gente de la Universal”, truly colombian in every sense. Unfortunately, a lot of the movies that reach foreign audiences are just about drugs and/or made by foreigners (which doesn’t always give you the whole picture if accurate at all)
“Betty la Fea” — well, as Colombian women go, she is pretty average.
Another great thing about Colombia is the soap operas and historical miniseries. The former give Mexico a run for its money, and the latter flat out crush.
Colombia is the bes place to live. Barranquilla is one of the cities, there you could find the spontaneity and charmind people to share jokes and good experiences. You should not miss it
Sorry Stuart, But “Romancing the Stone” was NOT filmed in Cartagena, or any place in Colombia. It was filmed in Mexico. We do not have alligators in our old forts!
Please come to cheap requiem lant, we will give you a great surprise.
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