My World With Dance: Colombia

Colombia was never high on my to do list but after spending a short 4 nights in the country I wished I reconsidered when I originally booked my flights. My first taste of this charismatic place was Cartagena, which was an easy first love. This charming spanish colonial city lies on the Caribbean and its the perfect place to get lost in. The walled city has many attractive squares where locals gather, cobble streets are for both horse carriages and cars, and there are countless lovely colourful buildings with flowers spilling out of their verandas. Woman with bright coloured head raps and long flowing skirts sell fruits and oversized avocados and painters roam around presenting tourists with their original work.

Cali, on the other hand, is the complete opposite as its a large cosmopolitan city that beats to the sound of salsa. The city is known as the salsa capital of Colombia and that was the reason I decided to stop in for a short visit. It is crammed with great places to dance from the many clubs to the bars and even the streets serve as a popular places to bust a move. The salsa here did not disappoint but it was completely different than anything else I've ever experienced. Their version of the dance has many kicks, heal swivels, and fast footwork that leaves you dizzy just watching. Of course I tried it for myself and had enough experience with the other forms of salsa to get by. Just as I started picking it up the club broke into a line dance with the leader putting together fancy combinations of moves that the crowd followed. Everyone got right into it as we dipped it low just to pick it up slow, which resulted in a very sexy version of the electric slide.

Most Colombians (and pretty much all the places I've traveled to so far in this region) mistake me for a local, especially if they see me on the dance floor. The tanned skin and the dark curly hair is what probably throws them off. Conversations usually start off with the locals rapidly speaking to me as I stare back wide eyed and confused. Then I start speaking to them in my broken Spanish and they quickly realize I'm not one of them. They are usually very intrigued so the conversation continues with a few chuckles along the way.

This is exactly how I made friends with one of my dance partners on the first night out in Cali. Jonathan was great to dance with and led me through spins and heel kicks like a pro on the packed dance floor. As a gentleman, he walked me home and invited me to come to the zoo the next day. I happily excepted and we ended up spending many hours comparing our cultures as we starred into cages full of exotic animals. Later that evening we met up with his friends for some drinks off the side of a liquor store, which is totally normal in Colombia. The night obviously ended with more salsa dancing but before it was all done I made a bunch of new local friends that really proved to me that Cali is just as much about the friendly locals as it is about the dancing. Colombia, I have a funny feeling I'll see you again!