Latin America: Colombia (Tourist) Questions What do I pack?

I would pack different maps, list of places to visit, information on each place you visit and the country itself, some water and food items, a first aid kit, sunscreen, a camera, and clothes. What unique foods are in Colombia? Apart from burgers, fries, beef and pork, Colombians also love donuts, cinnamon coffee, Colombian pecan dainties. Occasionally, Colombians would like to try out dishes such as the ajiaco, a traditional dish of Colombia, fritanga, macaroni and cheese and many more. Ajiaco is a stew made from potatoes, chicken, corn, avocado and herbs. This is usually served with rice or bread. Ajiaco is sometimes eaten as a whole meal with green salad as a side dish. Another dish that is greatly favored by the Colombians is fritanga. Fritanga is a set of barbecued dishes. This is one dish that is favored by the young and the old. Fritanga includes grilled chicken and beef and barbecued sausages, accompanied with sweet corn and mini potatoes. A drink that is favored by many of the Colombians is coffee. They start the day with coffee and end the day with the same. Some of the favorite flavors include cinnamon, mint, cocoa or a combination of both mint and cocoa. What will the weather be like? The weather in Colombia is mostly humid, tropical, and warm, year-round. There is a certain time where there is some rainfall. When I will travel there? During the holidays would be a good time to travel to Colombia. What are the seasons like? The seasons are similar in weather- mostly humid and warm. But, in the fall, there is usually a large amount of rainfall for a short period of time. What is the trade currency? The trade currency in Colombia is the peso. There are bills and coins used in Colombia. 1 US Dollar = 1,781.15 Colombian Peso and 1 Colombian Peso (COP) = 0.0005614 US Dollar (USD) Is it safe? There is a risk of diseases, including, water/food borne illnesses, vectorborne diseases, and water contact diseases. An example of water/food borne illnesses is bacterial diarrhea.

Vectorborne diseases, include, dengue fever, malaria, and yellow fever. Water contact diseases, include, leptospirosis. How are you going to be a good tourist? I will research about each place that I will visit in Colombia ahead of time so that I have some background knowledge of the places. Also, I will always look for attractions along the trip. Lastly, I will be very observant of the people, culture, and the environment in Colombia. Where are you going to visit? I will visit the Walled City, the Gold Museum, the Medellin Metrocable, and many other places in Colombia. What are you going to do in those places? I will observe the historical sites, learn more about the culture of the people of Colombia, and experience a Colombian lifestyle. What does your country have to offer you as a tourist? Colombia offers tourists an experience that will educate them about the culture, lifestyle, and people of Colombia. What is the cost of traveling to Colombia? Taking a round trip to Colombia costs about $800 and living there costs about $25 per day. People : Adult Colombians wear dress clothing like dress pants and shirts and most of them would wear jeans and shirts when they are not working. Women are very careful with their clothing: they wear tight pants. They like to wear blouses. Young females wear short t-shirts that show their bellies and, for pants, they wear trendy pants, many with decorations and many wear waistless jeans (they call them "descaderados"), which show some of the skin below the waistline. Men dress very casually. Many would be very casual while their females next to him would be extremely well dressed. Colombians would wear different kinds of footwear depending on the rest of the clothing: if jeans then tennis shoes, occasionally sandals or dress shoes depending on where they want to go and what they want to do.

Poltical System: Currently, the political system is stable and the government is in the form of constitutional republic. Current Issues: Since the 1970s, the demand for natural resources and energy and the contamination of the environment has continued to grow in Colombia. The need for energy and natural resources has increased greatly overtime. The Reefs at Risk analysis rated nearly 45 percent of Colombias reefs as threatened by human activities. The most pervasive threat is overfishing, threatening nearly 40 percent of reefs. Land conversion and agricultural activities are estimated to have had an impact on reefs along the continental coastline, about 25 percent of Colombias reefs. Coastal development was rated as a threat to 14 percent of reefs, and marine-based activities to an estimated 3 percent. Overfishing on Colombian reefs has caused the depletion of a number of commercially important fish stocks. Large fish such as snappers, groupers, grunts, queen triggerfish, hogfish, and barracuda are almost absent from San Andres. As a consequence, normally despised non-traditional catches such as parrotfishes have become a major target for the local fishery. Queen conch is a highly valuable fishery for the Archipelago, but according to landing statistics, the fishery peaked in 1988 and has been in decline ever since because of overfishing. Economic System: In South America, Colombia is the second largest exporter of crude oil to the US and is the third crude producer - 785,000 barrels per day in 2010