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Typical Colombian Villancicos Christmas Music - Inverted Podcast

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Typical Colombian Villancicos Christmas Music This is a mix containing the very best traditional Colombian Christmas music. It is particularly aimed at younger children and elders with fond Christmas memories of the season in Colombia. All tracks are in Spanish but I have compiled a post detailed the Colombian Christmas tradition in English here . Villancico The villancico was a common poetic and musical form of the Iberian Peninsula and Latin America popular from the late 15th to 18th centuries. With the decline in popularity of the villancicos in the 20th century, the term became reduced to mean merely "Christmas carol". Important composers of villancicos were Juan del Encina, Pedro de Escobar, Francisco Guerrero, Gaspar Fernandes, and Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla. More Podcast In Information can be found here .

Importing Your Car and Household Goods Into Colombia

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Is an adventure in Colombia calling your name? Perhaps you are enthralled by the warm people, rich culture or beautiful scenery that the country offers. Or, maybe you are drawn by the prospect of a lower cost of living and the flourishing expat community. Whatever your individual reasons for considering a move to Colombia, you likely have a long list of questions. Chief among these are likely the taxes, duties, forms and customs process you’ll encounter, when importing a car and household goods into Colombia. View to Las Nieves, Bogotá Importing Household Goods: Taxes and Duties. An Exact Figure Can Be Elusive. When it comes to an exact percentage of import tax and duties you can expect to pay for your household items - unfortunately, this information can be difficult to pin down. Some expats report paying different rates when importing shipments at different times, and say that a final figure is impossible to obtain beforehand (1). Some of this variation is due to the customs

Top Expat Hacks to Survive Colombia

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I'm gonna try to keep these Expat Hacks short and sweet. You might be an expat, perhaps even a wannabe expat, I don't know. What I am gonna tell ya here is that there's an easy way to get by in this new land with different people, and a hard way. I could blow smoke up your arse and explain about the '5 best ways to eat avocado in Colombia'. Or 'how to dance Salsa like a Caleño in 5 days'. 'How not to be a gringo in 5 steps', or any of the many '5 different ways to do 5 hundred different things'. But let's keep these Expat Hacks here short and sweet. These are my top Expat Hacks on surviving Colombia with your wellbeing and peace of mind fully intact. Don't scoff at them. If you're full of yourself and think you know better, let me know in the comments section and I might just include them in the list here too.

The Colombian Cemetery on Halloween

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Well, Halloween weekend has passed and the day itself has arrived. From a sleepy Andean town west of Bogotá, I decided to visit one of those places we do not like to think about let alone grace with our presence, a Colombian Cemetery. Away from the typical Halloween celebrations of costumes and fancy dress that Colombians like to indulge in just as much as their North American counterparts. See my snap video of some fairly outlandish Colombians pretending to be the Muslim Mujahideen .

Walking the Abandoned Railway of Colombia. Villeta - Alban

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The Abandoned Railway of Colombia has been the source of unrelenting curiosity since my arrival in Colombia. Even during previous visits spanning over a decade, I have always wondered where the train tracks that I had been seeing dotted all across this Andean landscape led to. Leaving Villeta for the long track ahead. It turns out that this story and the scenery it passed were even more mysterious than I had first thought. The tracks and it some parts have diapered. Telltale signs of the path once forged can in some cases be spotted by the monumental affliction inflicted upon the natural landscape. How did this network of a romantic path come to be intertwined within the Andes mountains? How could this feat of beautiful and seemingly delicate engineering withstand the monumental upheaval that this country would see in the fight for Independence and the subsequent fight to keep the country and it's people free? Only a few of these answers could be enlightened by actually walk

Vlogging The Stuart Oswald World

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So along with my podcast , I am now taking time out to upload some regular Colombia Vlogs. It's not something I specifically set out to do. But I always have my camera or at least my mobile phone with me so I thought why not show anyone interested what I am seeing and experiencing here in my Colombia Vlogs. This is my channel  https://www.youtube.com/c/ StuartOswald and would love you to subscribe and comment on any videos that you find interesting. Below is just my channel intro video. I have many other videos too. I have had my channel for a long time and it wasn't set up to host my Colombia vlogs. It was actually a place for me to share my Japan travel clips for a series of blog posts I wrote on this site. Since then it lay dormant until I found myself experiencing many new things after moving here to Colombia. Despite there being a few other English speaking vloggers here in Colombia, namely Zach , Miguel , and Sam . Although they are great YouTubers, I found tha

Visiting the Base Naval ARC Bolivar of Colombia

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Captain in command of this serving #Colombian #submarine. Was a pleasure to board the #ARCTayrona here at the off limits #BaseNavalARCBolivar in #Cartagena, #Colombia. See my website for a report of the visit. A post shared by Stuart Oswald (@stuartoswald) on Jan 16, 2017 at 11:34am PST My exclusive visit to Colombia's Naval Base called locally as the "Base Naval ARC Bolivar" was a very special occasion for myself. Particularly as I am a huge fan of British naval history it was interesting to compare Britain's sea-might to that of another great country. With links with Britain such as Spain being our common enemy and at other links to British pirates and Buccaneers. Before you ask this visit is not available to the public and I was lucky to have met someone who invited me to the base for a personal tour. It was a huge privilege to witness and be present on a functional active base. I am glad to have taken the following photos and to be able to describe

Centra Spike the Hunt for Pablo Escobar in London

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Centra Spike came to London!? So, I live in central London and happen to have a little more than a passing interest in aircraft too. I like to spend my time in a few of the small parks around Islington, especially during the beautiful sunny days. Strangely over the summer back in 2014 and sporadically in the Years following, I notice a light aircraft above. The aircraft came and went but would always circle relatively low to the ground compared to regular air traffic in the area. I noticed it because it became a nuisance after a while. Lying back down on the grass staring through the clouds from Thornhill Square, I see the light aircraft circling. My mind immediately jumps to what I know of Pablo Escobar and how the US assisted the Colombian government in tracking him down. Here's a video  I made of the very same plane later that very day. Below is another video from a news report tipped off by another aviation enthusiast who lived under the plane's flight path. This person al

Visiting the Laguna de Guatavita the Legend of Eldorado

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First of all. The photos that you will have seen on of the Laguna de Guatavita on the internet do not do it justice at all. I thought it looked a bit small and mundane beforehand. In actual fact, seeing this place with your own eyes is almost breathtaking. The sheer scale, depth and view over it with the added historical aspect and importance to the old Muisca people really make this one of the most enchanting places you can visit in Colombia.

Paz! What Peace? In Injustice?!

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I wrote an opinion piece titled; Colombia’s Second War of Independence  back in June 2010, about the war here in Colombia. This was during the climate of an election campaign. The campaign was between Santos, the then defence minister (now president) and Antanas Mockus. I backed Santos like many of the majority of Colombians, with the aim of winning this war and bringing those accountable to justice. How wrong I eventually turned out to be. I am confident however that the situation would not be far from what it is now had Mockus won. It's worth pointing out that in my aforementioned piece, I am keen to stress the issue of injustice. All image credit to Mike's Bogota Blog .

Obtaining a Cédula de Extranjería / Foreigner ID in Colombia

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Feeling a little daunted as to the process of becoming a resident here in Colombia? I read this post by a guy called Jeff Paschke , the founder of a very nifty site called Medellin Living , and thought I could add something to it. This post really stems solely from my recent experience here in Colombia in obtaining my Cédula de Extranjería .

Hot Stepping further through Colombian Animal Species in London

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Just a little post to follow on through from the success of my earlier post of  Walk Among Indigenous Colombian Animals at ZSL London Zoo . Since this post, I've found a few more great places to get your eyes on some truly decent Colombian origin species here in London itself. I'll list them here below. If you know of any more places to see Colombian species (of the Animal Kingdom type) please let me know in the comments or by contacting me .

The Pioneer Adventurers of Colombia - National Geographic Article Archive

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Colombia is really becoming a great passion of mine. My thirst for Colombia related material and knowledge is leading me to new extremes. Current affairs, recent documentaries and the blog circuit all seem to have merged into one common post all agreeing that Colombia is a new and fresh country. Take a step back and you'll realise Colombia is not wholly about the peace processes, cocaine and how to discover the undiscovered for the hundredth time. Colombia is something much richer and deeper than that. I won't attempt to define it here right now in this mere blog post. I'll let you read it for yourself through this collection of amazing National Geographic features covering the most intriguing interactions with the very founding fabric of Colombia itself. An age of travellers reporting on Colombia like no other. The first and last time you'll see it on video can be seen here at my previous blog post . Fur Sale outside Hotel Grenada Bogota

Walk Among Indigenous Colombian Animals at ZSL London Zoo

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After many Years of visiting this wonderful zoo on an almost weekly and sometimes even daily basis, I have found myself linking my interest for Colombia with a connection to dedicating the majority of my visiting time to all Colombia relevant species found at London Zoo. I found myself studying their habits and learning more about the specific species and conservation stories in their Colombian homelands. I have even visited Bogotá's Zoo of which I've written a review over at TripAdvisor . Over the course of the recent two years, I've found myself becoming really very attached to the majority of animals mentioned here. I've compiled this article to give anyone in and around London, including those willing to travel to London, as great an experience of as much Colombian origin species found at London Zoo as possible. Perhaps those planning a trip to Colombia or returned from Colombia. There may be Colombians raised in the United Kingdom finding themselves out of touch

The Vice of Colombia's Scopolamine (Devil's Breath) Drug

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Above is a picture I took by a rural river in the central Colombian department of Cundinamarca. This plant, one that can be found all throughout populated and rural areas including Colombia's capital, is becoming known for a particular vice. It is being used as a drug to rob, rape and kill people. It has become a legendary story of an infamous drug in itself. I myself have had no experiences of the drug nor have I known anyone personally affected by it. However, Colombian's are great at making thin stories sound real to them. Then again I may have simply fallen victim to its use and just not known about it. I have confidently never been on a 'millionaire's tour of Bogotá', unwittingly clearing my account of cash from various ATMs around the city. Perhaps its use, criminally, is relatively low to even affect the regular visiting gringo.

From Michael Palin to Timothy Ross in Colombia

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I often think about my first accounts of Colombia (normally during the regular transatlantic flights). My memories pan back to my first of many trips to this vast and wonderful land. The people I met and the places I visited. All wonderful in their own right. At that point, I have to snap out of it. I have to be truthful and really quite honest with myself. Each time my mind jumps from Michael Palin to Timothy Ross in Colombia in this one episode that brings it to me vividly. This one BBC episode of Michael Palin's Full Circle  ( DVD / VHS / Book / Kindle ). It depicted the most memorable scenes from the whole series, and for me at least came to be the most influential imagery on travel and perhaps even the world. These truly are my first encounters of Colombia. This is where it all began.

Resistencia: Hip-Hop in Colombia

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Brought to you by a guy called Tom Feiling . Unashamedly, a former campaigns director for the  TUC 's Justice for  Colombia campaign, a left wing  out of touch union operating in the UK. This and other unions donate vast amounts of funds accumulated by it's members and used explicitly to influence a party's  political agenda  against the interests of democracy. Photo depicting Tom Feiling as part of a group of foreign professional agitators visiting Colombia as trade unionists.

Hitler In Bogota

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My long-standing affection to Bogotá and Colombia as a whole, linked with my German connection makes me sad but also intrigued to find this link between socialism's little man and my favourite part of the world. The document immediately below had been scanned from an old reportage on rumours of Hitler's whereabouts, might Hitler be in Bogota, it makes an interesting thesis on what might just have been. I myself am wary of taking such hearsay on board. There is a popular opinion that Hitler and associates may have made to this very continent. In many cases, this actually had been the case. However, the surprising fact of the matter is that there had been less of an influx of fascists to South America but rather those of an equally uglier side of the political spectrum, Marxists and Communists and all shades of leftists. They fled Hitler's Europe for new pastures to seed their indoctrination where they were not the underdogs.

Polyacrylic Acid (Viscotears® Liquid Gel) and Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose (Tearsoft® Eye Drops)

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On a recent trip to Bogota I was advised by a local optician to take eye drops throughout the day. The eye drops prescribed were Procaps' Tearsoft eye drops. Their active ingredient being Carboximetilcelulosa Sódica, that translates to Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose (or also known as carmellose sodium, a lubricant that reduces water loss) in English at 5,0 mg. Product information can be found on their official page here . But otherwise here's their contact information: Barranquilla, Calle 80 No. 78B - 201, Tels: +5753530783 - +5753530090 Bogotá, Carrera, 15 No. 106 - 65 Pisoa 6 y 7 Edificio Colpatria, Tels: +5715230123 - +5715230130 Product Website .

A Journey Beyond the Trail - La Esperanza Rural School, Vergara, Colombia

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My mobile’s alarm rings. It wakes me abruptly with the same ringtone I hear each morning back in London. The ringtone that wakes me to rise’n shine for work. I open my eyes and turn it off, lifting my head I realize it’s pitch black and I am in a foreign land. The day is about to break over this beautiful and innocent realm. Still dark, I get dressed, have a bite for breakfast as I rush for the motorbike. I am all set for a trip of a lifetime, for this morning and for the day I will journey with my friend Carlos on a journey up and along a mountain trail to a remote rural Colombian school called La Esperanza (meaning Hope). Carlos just so happens to be this school’s one and only English teacher and lives two hours bike ride away from the town I was visiting in the same department called Cundinamarca . The school is some 120 kilometres journey from Colombia’s capital Bogota  from where I'd arrived earlier.

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