Colombia has an underserving reputation of being a dangerous country filled with drug lords waiting to kidnap you so they can take your slippers and your 200 euros!!!
The reality is that, such preconception is more of a stereotype than the actual truth!!!
These are the most common fears people have when visiting Colombia and this is what Colombian locals have to say about it:
1. GETTING KIDNAPPED:
Worrying about kidnapping in Colombia is like worrying about visiting the American south and thinking you're gonna be lynched by the KKK in downtown Atlanta!!! Or that you're gonna go to LA and a chicano/mexican gang is gonna beat you up while walking down the Santa Monica pier!
Yes, kidnappings happen but they are rare, in 2013 there were 292 kidnappings in a country of 50 MILLION PEOPLE, and these involved high ranking military officers kidnapped by las farc in exchange for las farc prisoners, ONG and high profile westerners involved with the colombian government or las farc, and just farc and soldiers kidnapping each other in their conflict in the middle of the jungle.
https://www.osac.gov/pages/ContentRe...aspx?cid=15445
Your chances of getting kidnapped as a nobody from Europe or the US are next to none.... why? because kidnapping occurs for political reasons, NO ONE WANTS YOUR 800 DOLLAR BANK ACCOUNT!!!
2. I AM BLACK I'LL BE DISCRIMINATED BECAUSE MEXICANS IN LA DONT LIKE BLACK PEOPLE
the stupidest claim I heard.
FIRST LET'S MAKE ONE THING CLEAR.... Colombians are NOT in any way shape or form Mexicans, we might speak the same language but that doesn't mean we are the same people, just like Americans and Jamaicans are not the same despite speaking both english!
Colombia's population is about 30% mulato or black or mixed with black to some degree.... so seeing a black face in Colombia is as common as seeing women in bikini on the beach on a summer day!!! If you're black and speak english people will assume you're a gringo and stereotype u with michael jackson, shaquille o neil, will smith and whoopee goldberg and see you as an American. Other than that I doubt people will have animosity towards you.
3. I AM WHITE, AND BLONDE, I'LL STAND OUT AND PEOPLE WILL KIDNAP ME
about 30% of colombia's population could easily pass for your average white people in America or Europe that is if they don't open their mouths and say they're colombians.... and they live normal lives and no one kidnaps them, kills them or robs them.
Seeing white people is not that rare, I myself have dark blonde hair and green eyes and no one looks at me (other than to give me compliments "the men that is")
the point is, don't walk around in bermuda shorts, with sandals and white socks up to your knees, looking like Al Bundy on holiday with your giant camera hanging from your shoulder walking like a moron around a favela/shantytown completely unaware of where you are.... dress like you would normally dress back home and you'll be ok! The places in Colombia you will frequent as a tourist as usually the places tourists frequent, they'll just say, oh yeah another tourist!!
4. HOW DO I KNOW WHERE TO GO?
There are entire websites dedicated to colombia written by backpackers and visitors who go to the country often and know the country more than most colombians.... read them or ask the local hotel on which areas to avoid.
Don't think this is some serious situation though... think of it as visiting big US cities (you know there are rough spots that you don't go to, and then there are parts you stick to) common awareness anywhere in the world.
in Bogota avoid the south side of the city, most bogotan locals don't even venture there either, so you don't have to.... and go there only if a local takes you and you want to see bogota's rough side.
in Medellin avoid the communas
and so on.
5. PEOPLE WILL ROB ME
People will rob you like they rob you in brooklyn, paris, shanghai or barcelona. I have never been robbed in colombia in all of my life, the only time I was robbed was scary and at knife point and it was when I lived in SWITZERLAND and a blonde hair blue eyed handsome guy took 298 euros from at knife point in Geneva (SWITZERLAND, ONCE AGAIN SWITZERLAND)
be street smart
Colombia has a delicate political situation because of LAS FARC but that doesn't involve you... its a conflict that has over 60 years of existence and it is between the government and the guerrillas.... the average person tourist is pretty much unaffected by it. Colombia rough years in the 80's and 90's are over.
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