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The rise of the cocaine tourist.

The rise of the cocaine tourist
Colombia is emerging from its troubled past to become one of the hottest destinations in South America. But for a growing minority, its most famous product is becoming the main draw, says Vicky Baker

guardian.co.uk, Tuesday April 1 2008 Article history

Some tourists are still drawn to Colombia's cocaine reputation.

"I've lost weight since I've been in Colombia. It must be all the drugs," says the American backpacker, loudly, seeming to put special emphasis on the last word to make sure everyone in the Bogota hostel's common room can hear. "That, and the sex."

"2, 4, 6, 8, who do we appreciate? Cocaine!" retorts his new-found English compadre, much to the bafflement of onlookers.

It's 6pm on a Saturday and the pair, with a Swede in tow, are getting ready to go out into Bogata and score. Five minutes ago, it was a hostel scene like any other the world over: travellers congregating to eat dinner, swap tips, catch up on emails. Now it's taken a surreal turn and become Nathan Barley does Colombia.

It's hardly shocking that some travellers in Colombia can't resist trying the country's most famous product, but it seems the drug is becoming a tourist attraction in itself. Just as you try steak in Argentina and caipirinhas in Brazil; in Colombia, you sample the coke.

Backpackers are doing lines in their dorms, signing up to visit cocaine factories, and word is going round that somewhere in San Augustin lies a place where you can make your own. Meanwhile, the six-day trek to the Ciudad Perdida (one of the country's most talked about trips) often includes a photo stop at a "cocaine factory". It may be little more than a table, set up for the benefit of tourists, but that, in itself, seems to further distance travellers from the serious reality of the country's problems.

"It was hilarious," one Mancunian backpacker said after his visit to the makeshift factory. "Just like Blue Peter. I kept expecting them to say, 'Here's one we made earlier'." After the demonstration of the initial pulping process, the group had a chance to smoke the drug. "It wasn't great stuff," he said, "but you could feel it."

A few years ago, only the most intrepid travellers would add Colombia to their South American itinerary; now it's the most talked about destination on the continent. Most visits to Colombia are, as the Foreign Office says, trouble-free. Most are drug-free, too, except perhaps for the caffeine in the spectacular Zona Cafetera region, or perhaps a shot of local firewater, Aguardiente, in the hip bars and restaurants of Bogota or Medellin.

However, for a growing minority, it's the country's dangerous reputation that has become the attraction, with these travellers seeming intent on pushing boundaries to get good stories to email home. ("The FARC are nearby? Cool!" I heard an Irish backpacker say.)

German Escobar (presumably no relation to the country's infamous late druglord) has run a hostel in Bogota for 15 years. The homepage of his website features a prominent plea asking travellers not to do drugs in his home country and to be aware of the trouble they are causing. ("If not for your own well-being, we would encourage you to refrain from supporting violence against the Colombian people by purchasing cocaine.") German says this generally filters out the biggest users, the majority of travellers are respectful and he loves his job, but he has still seen his fair share of problems over the years.

"The type of traveller coming to Colombia is changing," he says. "When we first started, it was like a family. It was a high-risk destination so there was solidarity among travellers. Now, a lot more people are here just to party."

German has some horrifying stories of travellers whose touristic dabblings have turned into something much darker. There was an English girl who became a user and then a dealer, before running up huge debts "with the type of people you don't mess around with". "She came back to visit the hostel one day very high, threatening to kill herself, and I had to wrestle the knife off her in the kitchen," he says. Tragically, at the end of last year, a 22-year-old British male, high on drugs, followed through with his threat.

Blood, drugs and death is exactly the image Colombia is trying to get away from. The government is making a concerted effort to try to clean up its international reputation (with the help of Blur-bassist-turned-cheese-farmer Alex James) and the tourism board has a direct, new slogan, "Colombia: the only risk is wanting to stay".

Unfortunately, try as they might to get people to reassess this beautiful but complicated country, some backpackers seem intent on making their own risks.

By Cerealkiller on Apr 1, 2008, 11:39 in Friendly Talkzone.

aNdReSk says on Apr 1, 2008, 12:34:

P_P At least that brings tourists, lol jk.

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Enrique187 says on Apr 1, 2008, 15:30:

What a bunch of degenerates. I hope they all overdose.

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Juanes says on Apr 1, 2008, 15:43:

silly cow, she stayed in that stupid platypus hostel in central bogota close to the university area and talked to a few morons there...all wasters who cant be bothered or are to monged to speak spanish, i seen em......i avioded the place plike a plague when i had to stay near these type of people and got a room to myself in hotel dorado.....hope they all have to fly back to europe via the US with traces still left on their backpacks and belongings....3 months and i avioded the stuff over there...

http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Juanes/

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Frank Rizzo says on Apr 1, 2008, 18:02:

You're not kidding E........best thing for 'em.

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Robert Jorge says on Apr 1, 2008, 19:18:

"I've lost weight since I've been in Colombia. It must be all the drugs," says the American backpacker, loudly, seeming to put special emphasis on the last word to make sure everyone in the Bogota hostel's common room can hear. "That, and the sex."

That's a dude who's life expectancy is hopefully not very long. Hell, I don't actually wish death on him, but what an ass-clown. I would certainly smile if I heard he got scop'ed and beaten, and was found wandering around La Candelaria in his underwear.

BEWARE of gold diggers.

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poco says on Apr 1, 2008, 19:28:

Quote: That's a dude who's life expectancy is hopefully not very long.

Probably,, but is it worse than eating chicken fried bacon?

http://archive.southcoasttoday.com/daily/01-99/01-16-99/a05op025.htm

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZfbTO0GlONU

"When you men get home and face an anti-war protester, look him in the eyes and shake his hand. Then, wink at his girlfriend, because she knows she's dating a pussy." Quote - General Tommy Franks

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tejasmarcos says on Apr 1, 2008, 20:06:

for every 1 of these morons, there are 20 doing it the right way....

trying to walk a straight line on sour mash and cheap wine...

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Man Tequila says on Apr 1, 2008, 20:17:

Those aren't the five percent I see in my ER, most of whom thought they couldn't get addicted to cocaine. Some of them left the hospital in a body bag.

Aunque no me creas/ si me lo propongo/ lograre olvidarte/ porque a fin de cuentas/ no soy tan cobarde./ Y termino todo una de estas tardes/ no sera dificil buscar algún sitio donde refugiarme/ donde nunca mas vuelvas a encontrarme. (Polo Montañez)

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morphus says on Apr 2, 2008, 05:01:

Just for the record, many Colombians are using cocaine too.

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nueva york bombero says on Apr 2, 2008, 06:17:

I find that hard to believe Morph. It all gets packaged and sent to Miami and NY.
None leftover for the natives......

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morphus says on Apr 2, 2008, 06:38:

Dennis Hopper used cocaine so he could drink more.

"I've been sober now for 18 years. With all the drugs, psychedelics and narcotics I did, I was [really] an alcoholic. Honestly, I only used to do cocaine so I could sober up and drink more. My last five years of drinking was a nightmare. I was drinking a half-gallon of rum with a fifth of rum on the side, in case I ran out, 28 beers a day, and three grams of cocaine just to keep me moving around. And I thought I was doing fine because I wasn't crawling around drunk on the floor"

ioi9898

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SiV says on Apr 2, 2008, 06:39:

Believe it, NYB, there's still plenty of it left here, too.

Stultórum númere infinitum est.

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Robert Jorge says on Apr 2, 2008, 06:58:

10.000 pesos a gram in Villavicencio in the discoteques. I sure didn't see any gringos when I lived there. An occasional military guy with wife and grown children at Kuarzo, but that's it. So if there is a market, it isn't marketed with gringo tourists in mind.

BEWARE of gold diggers.

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nueva york bombero says on Apr 2, 2008, 07:01:

Dennis Hopper is a true professional!!!

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Enrique187 says on Apr 2, 2008, 07:30:

how the hell did Dennis Hopper live through that damage to his body? His personas in movies at times did make him look like a coke addict.

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Juanes says on Apr 2, 2008, 15:23:

a saw a typical gringo cocaine tourist the other day getting high in the candelaria close to the plaza near the transmillenio

http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Juanes/

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