Photographs from Bogota's Museo del Oro

By Jack Brummet, Precious Metals Ed.

Bogota's Museo del Oro contains more gold than all the other museums I've seen across the world put together.  Gold is so interlinked with the history and destiny of Colombia that it's inevitable they have this museum.  It ranges from fascinating to amusing.  

My love of museums most often focuses on those that contain paintings (portraits in particular, and sculptures), but this was a glorious exception.  Naturally, I was most fascinated with the faces and masks, but I also include some other pieces here.  Even a couple that are not made of gold, like the carved stone diorama immediately below:

click to enlarge

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The Botero Museum in Bogota

By Jack Brummet, SA Travel Ed.

The [Fernando] Botero Museum in Bogota is an excellent collection and introduction to this beloved Colombian's painting and sculpture. The building itself is a large old colonial mansion, and is gorgeous, spacious, and well-laid out.

In 2000, Botero donated 123 paintings, and sculptures to the museum, as well as 85 20th century pieces from his personal collection, including art by Chagall, Picasso, Renoir, Degas, Picasso, Miro, Rauschenberg, and several French impressionist works. Botero himself chose the building, decor, lighting and the arrangement of the works into galleries.

A Joan Miro canvas in the museum

Not at the museum - KeeKee and Senor Daveed in front of a Botero sculpture in Cartagena
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Meeting the Scouts in Bogota

By Jack Brummet, South America Travel Ed.

On our second day in Bogata, we we were lucky enough to bump into a group of Colombian Scouts, and their leaders.   They were interviewing people about their careers for a project, and seeing a pack of gringos, buttonholed us.  Keelin and Mo answered their questions as Senor Daveed and I shot pictures and talked to the kids in our typically awful Spanglish. . .

What I loved most about the Colombia Scouts is that they are fully co-ed.  And it seemed like it was split about 50-50 between boys and girls. 

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Photographs from our rooftop in San Gil, Colombia

By Jack Brummet, South America Travel Ed.

A buzzard/vulture flying under the rainbow from a distant shower

the tile along our rooftop at the VIP hostel

if you zoom in almost dead center, you can see the giant white cross on the hill

note the "bombolinos" on the roof below

our building's wiring mast: dozens of fascinating (and a little scary) repairs and splices

The beautiful, tranquil town square, and site of a massive and loud fiesta our first two days in San Gil

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Signs we saw in Colombia, Part 3

By Jack Brummet, South American Travel Ed.

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