Rediscovering the joie de vivre

Back in late 2007, during my first full-time radio job, the general manager of the station in question, a recently-appointed Portuguese man, took to me one side and said, "Brendan, you've lost your joie de vivre."

While he mightn't have been totally correct that at 22 years of age I wasn't happy with life in general, I was certainly dissatisfied with some, largely work-related aspects, and this obviously showed in my behaviour. Like many, I wear my heart on my sleeve.

Contemplating the future. The answers lie within ...

In many ways, that period marked the beginning of a new departure. In a few months I had left that radio station to take up an ill-fated editor position at another one. Before 2008 was out, I'd my backpack in tow, embarking on a 10-month adventure that took me around South America, New Zealand, Australia and parts of South-East Asia.

A return to broadcasting and Ireland followed, before, once again, wanderlust took over. South America was calling. After an initial three-month stint in Santiago de Chile, it was Colombia that became the base in late 2011. That's pretty much how it has been since.

Of course, starting off in a new country from scratch, that is to say moving without a job already secured or any clear plan, makes things a little more difficult. It takes time to get established. 

What's more, in many developing countries such as Colombia, working freelance in an unstable sector and earning the local currency means it's not easy to get into a comfortable situation financially speaking.

Personally, the first two to three years here had enough adventure and excitement, as well as a trickle of cash flowing in, to keep me relatively content. Heck, there was even (and still is, minus the same excitement) the odd TV 'super extra' gigs. The joie de vivre was there.

However, in the last couple of years, this has been on the wane. Again, the root cause seems more job related than anything else. The accidental teacher has become tired with his lot. 

The mediocrity has gone on a few years too many truth be told. On that score, the ante has been upped of late to find something more fulfilling, whatever that may be and wherever that may take me.

It must be pointed out that it's not exactly the location that I've grown tired of; Colombia and even Bogotá itself still excite. However, once you become mired in one important element, even if it is not exactly place specific, it can be difficult to focus on the many other positives. The grey cloud darkens all.

That notwithstanding, another, not-insignificant aspect that isn't exactly a roaring success is in the dating game (yes, here we go yet again).

The Colombia, nay Bogotá, I feel compatible with, at home in, is the tienda, what you might call more campesino/country style of life. Now, this isn't just from a price perspective, as has been explained before.

Unfortunately, in terms of most of the Colombianas I've been attracted to and tried to have something with, going out in such places is anathema to them. The ridiculously overpriced, fancier but fake locations are anathema to me. Plus, as someone who likes to try to be honest from the get-go, it tends to work against you here.

Yes, I've wasted time and money with too many interesadas, but it's generally the nature of the fauna in these parts.

Unlike the work situation, the above is more a problem of place, an incompatibility of sorts (but not in all cases, it's just 'compatibility' has been harder to find of late; you could say I've become more stubborn, not less!).

Looking at it all together, it's not that things aren't working or the joie de vivre is gone, it's just that it's not going exactly how I'd like. Of course, many people live their whole lives that way, a reluctant acceptance of their lot.

As long as you're still breathing, though, there's always time to change and explore other options. For a singleton without children to care for, this is even more so the case.
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A welcoming Ireland (but not for Colombians)

As we looked at in our last post, Colombia is, from a tourism perspective anyway, 'the country of the moment'. In the coming months and years it may be about to see unprecedented numbers visiting its shores as word has finally got out of the many natural beauties the place has to offer.

Hidden beauty (or just pretty much off limits for some people). (Photo from Facebook.)

What's more, for now in any case, it's rather simple for Western tourists to come here should they so wish. 

That is to say, there's no tedious visa application needed if the purpose is solely tourism. Up to 90 days are granted on arrival, which can be extended by a further 90 if you feel the need (many just leave the country and come back in again in order to get that extension, something that is generally the case throughout Latin America).

Yet, this relatively relaxed approach is not reciprocated by all the countries that benefit from it here. 

The obvious one (and most popular for Colombians) is the United States of America. There's nothing surprising in that, however. US immigration makes it difficult for citizens of most nations to enter its territory. And this is only set to get worse with President Donald J. Trump at the helm. ('But Señor Trump, aren't we all immigrants in a sense?' For more on that topic, see Phantom freedom.)

Those insular, loopy Yanks aside, we Irish, for the nation of migrants that we are, don't always return a country's friendly gesture made towards us. 

Colombians, as well as Ecuadorians, Peruvians and Venezuelans to name just the Latin South American countries, need to apply in advance for a tourist visa to allow them visit our rain-sodden little island. 

This is in contrast to the Schengen Area of countries on the European mainland which allows Colombians, Peruvians and Venezuelans (but not Ecuadorians and Bolivians for some reason) visa-free access for a minimum of 90 days.

Now assuming, as it seems safe to do so, that visiting 'the Emerald Isle' isn't exactly top priority for most citizens of these countries -- the costs involved largely see to that -- why do we make it difficult for the few who actually are willing to come? 

Talk about double standards. (It must be noted here that Ireland did submit a request to participate in Schengen in 2002. This was approved by the Council of the European Union but it has not yet, obviously enough, been put into effect; and the political desire to do so seems lacking right now.)

In such straitened times, you think we'd happily welcome anyone who's willing to spend their hard-earned money visiting us, giving the economy a little boost in the process. Why be selective on where the paying tourists come from?

Selective, however, is what we are. We have our favourites, to hell with the rest. 'The land of a thousand welcomes', for those who fit the bill that is.
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Colombia: For better and for worse

In our last post, we saw how the security concerns some may have about visiting the departments of Caquetá and Putumayo may be a bit off the mark. In a way, you could say both places are microcosms of what Colombia as a whole was for the international community just a decade or so ago.

Colombia has plenty to offer on the tourism front. Is it set to become overrun with foreigners?

Only those with a devil-may-care attitude, and slightly crazy to boot, would consider touring the country independently. Only certain spots were seen as relatively safe in an overall dangerous country; now, the opposite is pretty much the case.

Of course, that's a very welcome development, the almost complete transformation of a country's external image from no-go to go-to. These days, as it has been for a while, it's the 'loony left' neighbour Venezuela that's the place to avoid (even Wrong Way has his doubts now; what a difference a year makes).

We only need to look at the various publications that have listed Colombia as one of the top countries in the world to visit in 2017 to get a measure of this bright, new global appeal (for example, Bloomberg, CNN and Lonely Planet, among others).

We expats here have been endorsing Colombia as a tourist destination for years, but it took the recent peace agreement between the government and Farc guerrillas to give the place the 'official' stamp of approval; Colombia is de moda. So it seems in any case.

It will be interesting to see if this new-found love abroad will convert into an increase in tourism numbers in the year and years ahead. 

Considering what the country already offers and its potential, it would appear that things are only going to get better on this front for the foreseeable future. (Do note, the country needs to tighten up significantly on its rubbish management and waste disposal culture when entering the tourism 'big league'. This is to name just one area where work is required.)

Yet, like many places that become universally popular, that this means it's 'better' depends on who you ask.

The tourist influx on Colombia's Caribbean coast has been ongoing for years, with areas that were once tranquil spots now becoming somewhat overrun.

San Agustín: A must-see for many ...

Indeed, for some of the longer-term expats, there's a danger of the country losing a little appeal if big-spending foreigners start flocking here in numbers. A bit selfish and apocalyptic that one perhaps. 

(I must say I didn't feel comfortable on my recent one-day visit to San Agustín's archaeological park just because of all the foreign faces about. But what does one expect at a Unesco World Heritage Site?! Plus, because of the crowds I somehow avoided having to pay; silver lining and all that.)

That aside, and while not trying to pour cold water on things, the peace process currently in place is not, obviously enough, a panacea for all the country's ills. For one, you've the issue of former guerrillas continuing with criminality to make ends meet, but now arguably doing it in a way that's a more direct threat to the civil population.

There's also what could be seen as the more worrying and difficult-to-tackle problem of general crime in a vastly unequal country that happens to be an important source of one of the world's most popular illegal drugs. This 'common or garden' safety issue will more than likely keep tourism numbers in check, as it does in other Latino countries.

So while Colombia's doors may now be open to the outside world like never before, there's no guarantee that this will have any positive impact on the average local. It might just make things worse, in a number of ways.
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Caquetá & Putumayo's friendly fire

There's a school of thought that suggests that travellers who seek out non-tourist areas are generally doing themselves a disservice. Basically, the reason why some places aren't holiday hotspots is that there's just nothing of interest in them. There's merit to that of course.

Puerto Rosario's 'port' on the Putumayo River.

Yet, places off the beaten track have very often appealed to this writer; 'the only tourist in the village' kind of thing. 

What's more, especially in relation to Colombia, why some locations aren't popular isn't necessarily because they're dull, it's more a case that they're seen, or at least were seen, as being potentially dangerous.

The sparsely populated departments of Caquetá and Putumayo, with large tracts of them once being guerrilla territory, are examples of this. Other Colombians, never mind foreigners, would generally only go there if they had to, and for many that's still the way.

Fair enough, in a country full of beautiful landscapes, the argument could be made that whatever these two departments have to offer you'll find similar in other more trusted – and more 'happening', perhaps – regions.

That might be true, but for those looking to step off the tourist trail somewhat yet still be entertained, Caquetá and Putumayo (from the little bit we saw of these large departments) don't disappoint. Impressive sights, refreshing clear-water rivers to escape the heat and very friendly people await.

On that last one, it's largely due to the fact that tourism has been pretty much alien to many of the towns we visited that practically everyone goes out of their way to help – even more so than the Colombian average.

Indeed, if you were being overly picky, at times it gets a bit too much if you're just looking for a moment to yourself or with your fellow travel companions. You can't have it all your own way all the time, though.

As for those clear-water rivers, the brown-tainted Putumayo excepted, they serve as decent substitutes for sea and sand in this sweaty tropical region on the doorstep to the Amazon, hundreds of miles away from the nearest coast. Caquetá's capital Florencia and the adjacent Belén are well-equipped in this regard.

A land of rivers, many refreshing rivers ...

The town of Curillo marks a departure point to make a crossing into Putumayo via the voluminous river of the same name. 

The route we took was a two-hour speedboat journey up-river to Puerto Rosario. Only a few short months ago the idea of a couple of foreigners travelling solely for tourist reasons to Curillo, Puerto Rosario and, further into Putumayo, the town of Puerto Guzmán was largely unheard of. But a modicum of ignorance on our part worked in our favour.

It all felt very safe, despite what some Colombian friends in other parts of the country were telling us. The friendliness of the locals was apparent throughout. 

Only in Curillo, the local teenagers apart, did people seem a little more stand-offish. That wasn't in a cold way, however. It was just they appeared less interested to ask questions and engage compared to the other towns. That might be down to a policy of minding your own business in an area with a recent violent past.

Putumayo's principal city, Mocoa and the nearby Villagarzón are a bit more 'on' the tourist map, but there's no sign of the locals suffering tourism weariness. 

A big reason why they appear more popular is down to the Fin del Mundo ('End of the World') trek situated halfway between the two urban centres. It's certainly worth checking out, but if you go during a holiday season as we did, it's not exactly a remote escape into the wilderness as you'll have plenty of companions during the 30-minute or so hike to 'World's End'.

That aside, it will probably be some time before the areas we visited become as popular as the more established places on the Colombian tourist scene.

Yet, with a few important fundamentals already in place and the region becoming, hopefully, more stable in a post-conflict Colombia, there's no reason to completely rule out these parts just because they don't tend to be featured in the guide books.

Sure there are no better guides than the friendly locals you'll meet there.
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