26. Colombia
Unfairly or not, Colombia is still known for its cocaine cartels and street violence, but cool-hunting travelers are calling it Latin America’s next affordable hot spot.
Bogotá, its capital, has emerged as a role model of urban reinvention. Starting in the late 1990s, the city underwent a breathtaking transformation. Sidewalks, once used mainly for parking, are now lined with bicycle paths and tree-shaded cafes. An innovative bus system zips residents across the traffic-congested city. And museums and restaurants have opened in its historic center, including the refurbished Museo del Oro, which houses pre-Columbian treasures.
Getting there is affordable, too. JetBlue recently began nonstop daily service to Bogotá from Orlando, Fla., joining other carriers including Delta.
Meanwhile, the picturesque coastal city of Cartagena, a Unesco World Heritage site, which has been experiencing a tourism surge in recent years, gets even more stylish. The latest addition is the Tcherassi Hotel + Spa (www.tcherassihotels.com), a seven-room boutique hotel designed by Silvia Tcherassi, a Colombian fashion designer. It has even prompted some travel bloggers to call Cartagena the next Buenos Aires. — Denny Lee
This was a journey into the unknown and, the untold. Armed only with cameras, 12 people from different nationalities, backgrounds and walks of life agreed to take part in an experiment, to experience the true Colombia. Told to leave their pre-conceptions at home they documented the truth exactly as they saw it. Witness the unimaginable places, the characters and the experience of a lifetime as they saw it.
This is their story.
http://www.shootingcolombia.com/
Colombia Reports now reports:
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awarded the Medellin public libraries with US$1 million for providing computers and internet access to citizens in 34 libraries throughout the city.
The EPM Foundations Network of Public Libraries (NPL) is located throughout Medellin in some of the city's most marginalized communities. The libraries have become cultural centers "for accessing knowledge, learning and also as areas of community action and pride," Clara Patricia Restrepo, executive director of the EPM Foundation, said.
The majority of NPL's guests are from low-income communities who do not have a computer at home, like Hugo Patiño. The 50-year-old cook, who came to Medellin in 2007 after violence displaced him from his home in northern Colombia, had never used a computer before. But through courses at the public library, he learned how to create cost estimates, keep books and to promote a business online. Now Patiño is inspired to open his own restaurant.
The NPL has more than 500,000 visitors per months. "Their work is a stunning example of how a country can use the power of public libraries and technology to transform people's lives," Deborah Jacobs, director of the Global Libraries initiative for the foundation, said.
The EPM Foundation will use the money to expand their services on its web portal and to develop information and communication technology training programs.
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