Jenice Murray

Colombia is the country that surprised me most. Every assumption I had was wrong. Medellin isn't what you've heard — it's one of the most innovative, beautiful, forward-thinking cities I've ever visited. Cartagena's walled city is a living painting. And the coffee country — waking up in a finca surrounded by green mountains with the best coffee you've ever tasted — that's a feeling I still think about.

The food won me over immediately. Bandeja paisa is a feast. The arepas in Cartagena are nothing like what you get anywhere else. The ceviche on the Caribbean coast, the street food in Bogota's La Candelaria, the fruit juices made from fruits I'd never even heard of. Colombia's food culture is wildly underrated, and every region does it differently.

I'm the one who finds the local restaurant in Getsemani where the ceviche is better and half the price of the tourist places inside the walled city. When Scott is planning the transport between Medellin and the coffee triangle, I'm researching which finca has the best tasting experience and which neighborhood restaurant in El Poblado is worth the walk.

Scott maps the logistics. I find the soul of each city. Scott knows the best colectivo routes and safety zones. I know the restaurant where we'll have the meal that changes how we think about Colombian food. Together, we bring Colombia to life from both angles.