Sancocho, Aguardiente Antioqueño and Vallenatos are just a few things I have learned to enjoy over the last couple years. What am I talking about? C-O-L-O-M-B-I-A, that’s what I’m talking about! I have referred to the fact before in pasts posts that my girlfriend is “pura paisa” from Medellín, Colombia. Yes, that is the home of Pablo Escobar and formerly one of the most dangerous cities on the planet. However, those days are long gone and now I would consider it one of the most beautiful and inviting cities you can visit. I was there in January of 2008 and I can’t wait to go back (I have a trip tentatively scheduled for September). Yes Colombia still has its problems. The drug cartels (but not the Medellín one) are still in full force and they have the backing of guerrilla groups, most notably the FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia). But President Alvaro Uribe’s hard line stance against them has greatly diminished their power and influence and has brought much needed peace to the cities. In Costa Rica there is a strong Colombian culture. In fact, the people of the Central Valley of Costa Rica and those of the Departamento de Antioquia (where Medellín is located) are strikingly similar on many levels. For one thing the women of both locations are drop-dead gorgeous. The dialect is similar. San Jose, Costa Rica’s Central Valley capital city, is surrounded by beautiful mountains, as is Medellín. The two cities and the surrounding countryside look very much alike, although the population of Antioquia alone is larger than that of the entire country of Costa Rica. But the thing that I like most about Colombia is the culture, especially that of the “paisas,” or people who reside in the Departamento of Antioquia, a mountainous province in the northwest of the country and the second most populous, behind Bogotá. Paisas love their traditional music, called Vallenatos, they love their traditional meal, the bandeja paisa, and they love their traditional guaro, or sugarcane based alcoholic drink, called Aguardiente Antioqueño. They are a very outgoing and party loving group, much like their tico counterparts. It has been a great joy getting to first know the culture of the ticos and now that of the paisas. I guess I am what you might call multi-cultured, although many would assert that I possess no discernible trace of “culture” whatsoever. This weekend I got to taste another novel (to me) aspect of paisa culture, and that is “sancocho,” or what would be called in Costa Rica, olla de carne. Of course, like most things paisa, the making of this delicious stew becomes an event in and of itself. I was visiting with the family of the boyfriend of my girlfriend’s niece. We all sat around for hours listening to Darío Gómez, among other paisa favorites, and waiting for an oddly-rigged contraption to cook the sancocho, which is served from a large pot. It was delicious, as was the company, the music and, especially, the ever-present Aguardiente Antioqueño. Enjoying the culture of Colombia has become part of my every day existence here and just another reason I love this place.

For a little Colombian culture…check this out…

Free 100 Cool Things eBook

100 Cool Things to Do in Costa Rica

10 Crazy Cool Things to do in 10 Super Cool Places - entertaining, informative and the perfect tool to help make your Costa Rica vacation as cool as it should be...