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1 " Colombians might live in one of best places in the world to grow coffee beans, yet their cups of coffee come from dehydrated granules in tiny plastic packages. This is the definition of tragedy. "
― Bryanna Plog , Misspelled Paradise: A Year in a Reinvented Colombia
2 " I’m not saying I’ll turn down a good road trip, but it has been the trains, ferries, subways, and most frequently the buses that have most helped me travel the world. When I want to explore a place, to get a sense of its culture, people, and neighborhoods (even my own), I have found that there is no better way to travel than public transportation. Crowded or nearly empty, full of conversations or silence, scheduled or unscheduled, with live chickens or Styrofoam packets of eggs, on sleek coaches or beat-up minibuses, whether in my hometown or a new town in a foreign country: traveling on public transportation becomes a primary insight into a place and culture. "
― Bryanna Plog , Make Sure You Have a Map (and Other Bits of Travel Advice I'm Glad I Ignored)
3 " It was apparent that the ladies vying to be Miss Colombia had to first go through a stringent competition of poise, talent, and debate on who had the best abs and biggest breasts to win the right to represent their department. They received lots of cheers from the crowds—and lots of open stares from all the police guarding the boulevard. "
4 " I have found that my best travel experiences happen when I rely on strangers instead of guidebooks, and when I immerse myself in a place instead of trying to remember a list of rules that will supposedly make me safer or more fulfilled. "
5 " At family gatherings in the United States, two off-limit subjects are almost always put together in the same phrase: no religion or politics. While in Colombia, the former was embraced (“What do you mean you aren’t Catholic?”) but the latter was taboo. While it may be the only reason that Colombia (or Columbia) makes the international news outside of prostitution or scandals, Colombia’s political problems, drug trade, and civil conflicts are forbidden subjects for most Colombians. "
6 " Whenever it dipped under 80 degrees, it was cause for celebration—time to write home with the news, dig my jacket out of the closet, and try to quell the impulse to sing Christmas carols. "
