Colombia

Garbage Museum

The moment you arrive in Bogota you will smile as it’s a city with tremendous energy and vibe. I was escorted around Bogota and its surroundings in 2016 by Nadja Grote who runs the company AlternativeColumbia.com.

Picking coffee beans

Bogota is absolutely choked by traffic which can challenge any visitor’s patience. Before visiting, its best to decompress and just enjoy, paying no attention to the world’s worst city-wide traffic jam.

I started off my time in Columbia with a bike tour through the central city. Weaving through the city’s streets was both energizing and incredibly informative. We visited many different parts of the city, new and old, learning its history along the way. The following two days I visited a coffee plantation, located about 2 hour outside of Bogota (strongly recommended). I helped some migrant farm workers pick carrots, cut bacon at a carniceria and hauled potatoes at the city market.

One of Bogota’s coolest hidden treasures was the Garbage Museum. Overall, a wonderful place and I am eager to return to see Medellin and the mountain coast.

Maldives

The capital of the Maldives is Male. There are approximately 650,000 people living here. The majority of Maldivians practice Sunni Islam. The official language of Maldives is Dhivehi, but English is also widely spoken. The major export of Maldives is fish. When...

Lebanon

Yep, Hesbollah controlled territory! At the famed cedar forest, two-thousand year old trees Jim's Perspectives: I loved staying in the vibrant Hamra district near the Corniche and American University of Beirut (2012). I This was a great place to people watch, and...

Brazil

Legendary Iguazu Falls Jim's Perspectives:  Tropical Brazil is the largest country in South America. After nearly three centuries of Portuguese rule, Brazil gained independence in 1822. Because of this Portuguese is the most widely spoken language of Brazil and is the...