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Is it OK to start thinking about a vacation in Colombia again, or should you wait until the pandemic is completely gone? To answer this question, I turned to a true expert and friend: Sam Castañeda Holdren.
A California native, Sam first visited Medellín in 2013 and liked it so much he eventually moved there. I first met him native a couple years ago, when I took several tours through his company OUT in Colombia, an LGBTQ tour operator that offers amazing experiences that range from personalized cooking classes and bar-hopping to city tours and multi-day excursions around Colombia.
In this exclusive Q&A, Sam shares some of up-to-the-minute thoughts about travel in Colombia and how the nation is dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
How would you describe the past couple of months in Medellin?
Colombia’s leaders took swift, decisive action to control the pandemic before it could really spread in Colombia, and I’m really grateful they did. We’ve been on a total lockdown and only recently have they started to lift restrictions. As a result, the situation is very stable here. The people embraced the nationwide quarantine, and in fact, still to this day, at 8 p.m. every night, everyone goes to their windows and gives a huge round of applause. At first it started as a message of thanks to the healthcare workers taking care of us, but I think it has evolved into a moment of solidarity — to let our neighbors know that we are in this together and we’ll get through it together.
Of course, a nationwide quarantine is a huge trade-off. Not just the travel industry, but virtually all industries have been at a standstill. Tourism is non-existent right now due to travel and other restrictions. For example, within Colombia, people cannot travel between cities. There are no flights, no buses, and no cars on the road for intercity travel until July at the earliest. And international flights have been grounded until September
What have been the hardest things to adjust to, personally and professionally?
I think the initial shock of it all was something many of us experienced – not knowing what would happen, thinking about what could happen, and wondering how long we were going to be dealing with this. I certainly felt some depression early on. I let myself process those feelings and then I moved on and focused on being as productive as possible.
I’m a bit of an extrovert. I’m used to having people around me. That took some getting used to. But you know, you find ways to connect. Fortunately, with so many video chat options, I’ve been able to stay connected with family and friends all over the world. Also, this Australian young professional occupied the apartment next to mine. We often met each other at the 8 p.m. shoutout I mentioned earlier — she would be on her balcony and my dog, Rambo, would bark like crazy through the window. I’ve seriously never seen him so excited and agitated at the same time. It was cute. But we would chat, and I started to get to know her a bit. She had just arrived in Medellin and was restricted to the apartment. She had never explored the streets in our neighborhood. We bonded a bit, and I even let her take my puppy out for a walk so she could just get out one evening. We’re allowed to walk our dogs, by the way. It’s been a lifesaver. It’s also how I’ve been able to stay connected with one of my best friends in the neighborhood who also has a dog. We often find ourselves walking our dogs at the same time, wearing our facemasks and keeping an appropriate distance, of course.
Professionally — well, at first it was a bit of challenge for the team to get used to working remotely. I’ve done it a lot, but I had to really push the guys to stick to a daily work schedule with regular check-ins to stay on task. But it didn’t take too long to find our rhythm and start being productive.
So foreigners can’t visit Colombia now even if they wanted to, right?
That’s right. Colombia’s borders remain closed and international flights have been grounded. It’s not just foreigners who can’t visit. Colombians outside of the country also have to stay put for now. There are a few humanitarian flights they are allowing in and out, but those are few and far between and very expensive.
Nothing is 100% concrete, but according to the latest announcement from the government, domestic flights remain grounded until July 1 and international flights are allowed to resume on September 1. Airlines are now allowed to sell tickets for those flights.
In terms of the experience, well, things are changing every day here. Restrictions are slowly being lifted as decision-makers monitor the data and make informed decisions. What next week looks like will surely be different than this week. We’re still learning about the protocols and procedures that the government will put in place for the tourism sector, but we’re already talking to our supplier partners to make sure they are taking appropriate measures to protect our clients. I can say that people can certainly expect cleaner hotel rooms! There might be less crowding on flights and in ground transportation — bigger vehicles might be used to give people extra space. Tour guides might wear face masks and offer hand sanitizer to tourists. Things like that. But, honestly, it’s just too early to tell.
How has the local LGBTQ community in particular been affected by the pandemic and quarantine?
Bars and restaurants, in general, are having a tough time right now — and that includes gay-owned businesses. It looks like they will be among the last businesses allowed to fully reopen. Some of them have expensive rents to pay and no way of bringing in income. One of my favorites, BarChiquita in Medellin, has decided to shut its doors for now. It was a really unique, creative space that brought some authentic queerness to the scene. I’m hopeful the owners will be able to bounce back once the local economy revs back up.
How can foreigners help the situation in Colombia?
If you want to help out, one thing you can do is start planning your trip and support local businesses when you are here. We’ll be happy to curate a personalized experience for you that prioritizes locally-owned hotels and services. In fact, investing in the local economy is a foundational principle of ours. It’s one way we can give back to the community.
There are also some great charitable organizations doing amazing work to help communities who have suffered the most during this crisis. The Amigos del Mar Foundation is just one example. They support kids and families on Tierra Bomba, an island near Cartagena where there is no running water. Many of the islanders depend on tourism for work, including fisherman who sell their catch to local restaurants. With no tourists in town, nobody is buying their fish and everyone is out of work. Amigos del Mar is one of their only lifelines during this crisis.
Will there be good travel deals and low prices to get people traveling again?
You can count on it. And we’ll be passing those discounts on to our customers. You can sign up on our website to receive updates on new deals and promotions.
Source: latinflyer.com