We met Fabrice, a French globetrotter who shares his adventures with his blog, instinct voyageur. For over 10 years he has dedicated his life to travel… the dream of a large part of the population! He lives almost half the year on the road and the other half in Colombia. We met in Bucaramanga, the city of our headquarters and we interviewed him to learn a little more about his choice of Colombia as the “base” country for his year.
Keep reading to find out what he told us!
Natalia/ Ok Fabrice the first question is very simple, how did you come to Colombia?
Fabrice/ I came for the first time in 2011 to join my girlfriend. In fact, I met her in France, she was studying there and then she had to return to Colombia, to Bucaramanga. So I decided to follow her. It was an opportunity for me to discover Colombia, which was also my first country visited in Latin America.
N/ You hadn’t considered visiting us before?
F/ It’s true that I wouldn’t necessarily have started with Colombia at the time, but there, it was the opportunity and it was a nice surprise to discover this country!.
N/ What was your image of Colombia before coming?
F/ Like many people, the FARC, drugs, Pablo Escobar and Ingrid Betancourt. It was very publicized in France, so we often make the connection.
N/ When you told your parents, your friends and in general the people around you that you were coming to Colombia, what was their reaction?
F/ With my parents, they are a bit of a mass, so it was easy. They just asked me, isn’t Colombia dangerous? I said no, not at all and they were OK. My friends are quite open, I didn’t find any opposition, they weren’t shocked in any case.
N/ When you arrived in Colombia, what was your first impression?
F/ Mmmm I was pleasantly surprised by the climate, it wasn’t too hot, I expected it to be hotter. It was a good temperature. Also, it was more “modern” than I thought.
N/ And then?
F/ I stayed in Bucaramanga for a few days and then I went straight to the Caribbean coast, to Santa Marta, Taganga and La Guajira, I loved it.
N/ When your loved ones come to Colombia, what are the places you would recommend they visit?
F/ A range of places. For a pretty cool place, Cartagena because it is quite touristy and has a good offer of everything. Personally, I like the Gold Museum in Bogota, but in this city, this museum is the only point of interest. Some places a little more off the beaten track like La Guajira and Mompox. Go see the humpback whales on the Pacific coast and visit the Tatacoa desert and San Agustin. Finally, the coffee zone of course and Barichara which is a really pretty village.
N/ On a personal level, what is your favorite place in Colombia? I know it’s hard to answer.
F/ Yes, it’s hard. Mmmmm I like Santa Marta
N/ Why?
F/ Because it’s not a big city, it’s quite small, there’s a small colonial center, which isn’t the case in all cities in Colombia. It’s a bit like a village and above all there’s both the sea and the mountains, the Sierra Nevada. You can go hiking in Tayrona Park for example. In short, there are plenty of things to do and see. Honestly, I prefer Santa Marta to Cartagena. In the latter, you don’t have the mountains around you. The city center is exceptional, it’s true, you can stay there for several days and everything, but it’s more touristy, so that’s why I like Santa Marta.
N/ Now, more generally, when and why did you start your blog?
F/ I launched it in 2010 and at the base it was for a desire to share, then also the goal behind it was to try to earn money with it to finance my travels.
N/ Do you know how many countries you know in the world?
F/ I don’t remember anymore, in the 70s, I don’t remember exactly.
N/ How could you describe Colombia to someone who has never been there, not even in South America?
F/ It’s complicated. I find that sometimes, there are countries that are more interesting to travel to and countries that are more interesting to live in. For example India. It’s super interesting to travel to but to live there it’s still more difficult. What I like about Colombia is that it is both a pleasant country to live in and an interesting country, very interesting to discover and travel, because it is very diverse, there are many things to see, it is a big country.
N/ Finally, do you have a few words to say to all those who are still hesitating to come to Colombia?
F/ I think it is really the time to discover this country. I am sure that this destination will become more and more popular. Also, do not wait 5 or 10 years. Go now! Go for it!
Do not hesitate to visit the blog of this globetrotter by clicking here or his personal website http://fabrice-dubesset.com/
