Reflections of Colombia

It's the first time we've been to Colombia and we've both been very impressed by the country. The areas we've travelled to have felt very safe in the main and we certainly didn't see anything that reflected the country's bloody image from the 1980's/90's. Having said that a significant proportion of the country is still 'off limits' to tourists (both national and international) due to ongoing conflicts and bandits. It's definitely somewhere that we'd recommend to include in any South America trip or as a destination in it's own right:

• The landscape is very beautiful, mountainous and lush but lacks any really "wow" areas
• It's really easy to get around by bus in the 'in limits' areas with a reasonable infrastructure although journeys are often slow due to winding roads and volume of freight moved by road.  The quality of the buses themselves are first class and we found it really easy to travel from the Ecuadorian border to the Caribbean coast via the major hubs. Everything leaves slightly late but usually within 30 minutes of the scheduled time
• There is a very heavy military presence armed with very noticeable heavy duty guns, especially in the south of the country. It made us feel unsettled and reassured at the same time!
• The people are very proud, friendly and extremely helpful
• We didn't see many (hardly any) western travellers away from the Caribbean coastal areas. A place to still "get under the skin of" and see how people go about their day to day lives
• English is rarely spoken away from the Caribbean coast so you need some basic Spanish or travel with someone who has to get by
• Traditional Colombian food can get a bit dull (fried fish or chicken with rice, plantain and salad) but the choice of food in most places has been varied 
• Like other South American countries everything seems to close on Sundays (and it really is then dead!) outside the big cities or tourist hotspots
• The quality of accommodation has been very good and reasonably priced
• Whilst we didn't find any Colombian wine, the beer (especially Bogota Beer Company and Club Colombia) was very good. Surprisingly the coffee was tasteless, instant stuff but we believe all the best beans are exported!