Colombia

Garbage Museum
Picking coffee beans

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.

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.

Mauritania

Country Information: The capital of Mauritania is Nouakchott and the country’s population is about 5 million. The government declares the entire population is Muslim. The main language is Arabic followed by French.  Away from city life, travelers can brave the Sahara...

Kazakhstan

I was fortunate to be able to drive hours upon hours through the Southern part of Kazakhstan and its rolling hills and mountain vistas were spectacular. This is a huge country which is about 5 times the size of France and ranks in the top 10 largest countries. It’s...

Mali

Public transport in Mali! Country Information: The capital of Mali is Bamako. There are approximately 21 million people living here. The official language of Mali is French, with Bambara also spoken by a large percentage of the population as well. The majority of...