Colombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia

It's taken me 11 years to get to the Colombian department of Casanare and it shouldn't have taken this long. But, under the careful guidance of husband and wife team of Julia Buschmann and Andres Gonzalez Perez (www.aventurecotours.com), I took my wife and three year old son out for a "Colombian Safari" in the plains, savannahs and wetlands of Casanare

Ivan Duque is the new president of Colombia and will run the country from 2018-2022, what does this mean for the peace agreement with the FARC, of which he has been openly critical and opposed to?  Instead of striking dramatic blows against the accord, it’s more likely that Duque and his coalition will kill it through neglect. Casting the accord adrift, failing to take action and failing to spend money, will bring much the same end result as dramatically tearing it up.

It's that time again! The football world cup is upon us and it's in Russia and Colombia take a strong team to face the likes of Poland, Senegal and Japan in Group H. So, it's a great pleasure to have South American football expert and journalist Simon Edwards on the line to Colombia Calling from Medellin talking about what to expect from the Colombia team, the likes of Radamel Falcao and James Rodriguez. 

On this Episode 231 of Colombia Calling, your host Richard McColl will provide you with a summary of what took place and how the voting happened in the first round and what to expect for the second round and the three weeks until then. Tune in to learn more about Colombia's fascinating political spectrum.

Colombia's Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range rises more than 18,000 feet from the Caribbean Sea — a height that makes them the tallest coastal mountains in the world. The national park that houses them is also the world's most irreplaceable protected area for the conservation of threatened species and is home to ancient communities and archeological wonders. So, it is with my great pleasure to invite Santiago Giraldo back on Colombia Calling after an absence of a few years. 

In the light of recent events such as FARC politician Ivan Marquez returning to his jungle hideout in Caqueta and Jesus Santrich under arrest for allegedly cocaine trafficking to the US, I discuss the topics in the news about Colombia this week and it doesn't make for comfortable reading. 

Long-time listener Adam Navarro-Lowery contacted Colombia Calling some weeks ago, full of enthusiasm for his upcoming first visit to Colombia...and yet, Adam is half Colombian and with extensive family links to Tolima and Santander. We sit down to discuss his family tree, look over sepia photographs from a yesteryear Colombia and trace his roots. 

Everyone has an opinion on the war on drugs, and here in Colombia, many are far better placed to make educated decisions about its worth and reach. One of these such people is Carlos Villalon who has been photographing the Colombian conflict, its actors and the drugs trade since 2002. Having embedded himself with guerrillas, paramilitaries and more, Carlos has seen first-hand the effect of coca production for its use in cocaine on Colombia, the economy and on a global scale. 

This week we have an incredibly interesting conversation with Colombian academic Diana Maria Valencia about the upcoming presidential elections here. 

Sitting in the incredible and trendy downtown bar Revellion (Calle 16 #4-23) Colombia Calling sits down with two US expats in Bogota, Victoria Mulgannon and Chris Morfas, to talk about their thoughts on President Donald Trump's impending visit this April to Colombia after the Summit of the Americas in Lima, Peru. 

It's a great pleasure to have Juan Fernando Hincapie, one of Colombia's bright new things on the literary circuit. Already known for the books "Gringadas" and "Gramática pura" he has now published a new novela in English entitled "Mother Tongue."

In Episode 223 of Colombia Calling, we speak to Danny - on the line with us from the city of Medellin - and discuss how he came to here in Colombia, what he is doing with the "Yo Creo en Colombia" foundation and how he will be starting the: "Yo Creo en Peru" branch of this positive outreach program. 

This week on Episode 222, we have invited Venezuelan-born journalist Frank Cardona on the show to talk about the troubles being experienced by the diaspora as they try and seek a new life elsewhere beyond the chaos being wreaked by President Maduro and his followers

Some of you will know that I have been penning a novel about my experiences in Mompós and throughout my "otherworldly experiences" whilst getting the Casa Amarilla (www.casaamarillamompos.com) hotel up and running, and as the search for an editor continues, I have decided to share chapter 1 of "The Mompós Project" out there with the world...have a read and let me know what you think. Here, I have decided to give you a reading.

Given that the past week was the huge tourism fair here in Bogotá, Colombia, it seems timely to invite Alex Egerton, author of the new Lonely Planet guidebook to Colombia out later in 2018, here to Colombia Calling to chat about travel in our adopted country, new travel fashion here and of course, off the beaten path travel.