Colombia's 'lost world'

'The Not Very Lost City'; now, where's 'Postlandia'?

It will come as no surprise to most of you to hear that Colombia is a land of many treasures. 

The majority of these are natural, although it has even got a man-made Indiana Jones style Lost City; well it's very much found now but it was lost, or at least hidden, at one stage. (Perhaps it can give advice to those of us who still feel a little wayward in this life? 'The Lost City Counselling Services' – you heard it here first.)

Impressive as that and the other treasures are, there exists what must be a truly magical place in these environs – aside from, the as of yet discovered, El Dorado that is. 

For somewhere out there, we can only assume, is a land awash with a host of goodies from both near and far. You could dub it Postlandia – the perpetual resting place for all that undelivered post. And by all accounts, it must be pretty extensive.

That's because there aren't too many expatriates here who haven't experienced at least one non-delivery of post from their respective homes – and generally, the bigger the item, the greater the chance of its finding its way to Postlandia rather than the addressee.

In fairness, I had been somewhat lucky in this regard; the main issue being a very long wait for post from afar to arrive, but it would arrive at some stage. 

However, that good run looks to have come to an end. Unless, that is, something sent over three months ago happens to turn up unexpectedly – for it will be an unexpected surprise now.

Being the altruistic person that I am (it's true), I only hope that whoever has got to enjoy the sweet goodies that were meant for me is a deserving candidate – a thin cat rather than a fat cat. 

Indeed, there are plenty of that former variety here who could do with some nourishment, even if it's not the healthiest fare. With Bogotá's La Perseverancia by my side, I'll soldier on without it.

Yet, this whole postal inefficiency – or non-existence to be more accurate – does raise the point of what you are supposed to do to get something delivered here from overseas when you don't have big bucks to spend on a courier service. 

The best solution, it seems, is the old refrain, 'If you want something done, do it yourself.' For the Colombian post 'service' is just another one of those things you can put into the 'unreliable' category in these parts.

Of course, you shouldn't come to Colombia looking for reliability. And sure wouldn't life be dull if it was too prim and proper? Plus, there's always the prize of discovering Postlandia to be won.