Back from Colombia

I returned home yesterday from a two week laptop-free vacation in Colombia.  I had a great trip overall, visiting Bogota, Medellin and Guatape.  I've travelled in South America before--to Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina--but this was my first time in Colombia.  

I'd recommend the country to anyone, especially Medellin and Guatape, which is one of the most charming small towns I've ever been to.  Bogota is nice as well, though (in my opinion) not quite as vibrant as Medellin or quite as safe when it comes to big-city-street crime.  (Full disclosure: I was robbed at knife-point in broad daylight in Bogota after wandering into a less touristy part of town en route to a local fruit market, which may color that opinion a little bit.  The tourist areas of Bogota were quite safe though, and I'm sure I would have been fine had I been more mindful about where I was going.  The robber only took cash and it was over very quickly, so I didn't let it detract from an overall great experience in Colombia.)

I would also recommend an extended computer break to anyone who (like me) is attached to their laptop.  I think this is the first time I've spent more than a few days away from my computer since 2005, back when my machine was too heavy and WiFi too scarce to make it worth traveling with a laptop.  I did have my iPhone and iPad with me this on this trip, so I can't say I disconnected completely.  Still, ditching my laptop let me unplug from work and other obligations in a way I haven't done in a long time.  It was a nice break.  

Apologies to readers for the unexplained blogging absence.  I figured best not to alert the internet to the fact that no one was at my house for two weeks.

I may also be slow in posting this week as well as I play catch-up on various work tasks.