Gems from the archives.
Most Popular
Most popular as measured by total pageviews all time.
The most visited article of all time has nothing to do with Latin America. A true story told by a friend who did three years in a southern prison.
The most sensational chapter from Mad Outta Me Head, a memoir about Christopher “The Mick” Kavanagh, about his participation in the murder of a fellow inmate.
Ten Things to Eat in BogotaColombian food is the worst on the continent. These are the few good items to eat. Make sure you write them down!
When I heard about this drug after arriving in Colombia, and learned it was true, I quit drinking for six months.
Top tourist activities in the “City of Kings” including the Magic Water Circuit, La Punta del Callao, Miraflores, Barranco, paragliding, downtown walking tour and more.
Most Commented
There was some overlap with pageviews, so some of these should be in the list above. Many of the most inflammatory pieces I published circa 2011 to 2012 have been taken down, so these are the chaps left standing.
With 200+ comments and counting, this is the article that won’t go away. My article itself isn’t much, but the personal anecdotes and colorful language in the comments perpetuate themselves.
Colombian Food: Worst of the Worst
With 100+ comments and counting, this explains why eating in Colombia is not meant to be enjoyed, only to sustain the human organism.
While I ultimately chose Peru, most of the comments are actually Peruvians who take issue with my portrayal of Peru as less developed.
Peruvian Food: The Best in Latin America
The best plates in the country with the best food on the continent including ceviche, causa, tacu tacu, seco de cordero and more.
The Murder of Noah Goldberg AKA ‘Medellin Paisa’
Noah Goldberg was an American offering services to sex tourists in Medellin, Colombia, and his way of doing business led to his downfall.
Rants
These could fall under categories like “ugly American” or “politically incorrect.”
Response to a Colombia Reports op-ed alleging that sex tourism in a country is merely a function of poverty.
Why You Should NOT Work Abroad
Point-by-point response to a popular blog article by Mark Manson recommending that young people work overseas.
Never Underestimate the Feet Vote
Explaining the importance of the “feet vote” and how it manifests in Latin America and beyond. Different ways to view how actions speak louder than words.
My thoughts on why, in time, expats in Latin America may come to prefer the company of other expats in Latin America over non-expat gringos.
Discussing the pros and cons of soccer and its growing popularity in the United States. For more brilliant soccer-bashing see all articles on the soccer tag.
Colin’s Faves
Under construction. For now I have mostly crime features.
Deported Colombians from America
A gritty feature on the community of deported Colombians who grew up and did time in the United States before coming back to adapt to a foreign land.
South London Gangster in Colombia
Excerpt from “Mad Outta Me Head” on John Rowley, a British gangster who lived fast and died young in Colombia after fleeing the aftermath of the Brinks-Mat heist.
Two Gringo Killers of Peruvian Women
The stories of Joran van der Sloot and William Tricket Smith III, two gringos who were found guilty of the high-profile murders of two Peruvian women in Lima.
Describing my wife’s latest pregnancy scare after having three children in just over three years. And what it’s like to be the father in a family of five.
An excerpt from Mad Outta Me Head about the old El Cartucho district of Bogota, which was a un-policed, gated area of illegal drugs and addiction controlled by gangs.
Book Reviews
I don’t really do these anymore because it’s a tremendous amount of work. These are the most popular, see the books tag for more.
Definitive post on Pablo Escobar, cocaine kingpin who terrorized Colombia in the 1980s and 1990s. This post was published before “Narcos” and “Patron del Mal.”
Rafael Trujillo’s Dominican Republic
The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa looks at the Dominican Republic’s brutal 30-year dictatorship under Rafael Trujillo and the fascinating conspiracy that toppled him.
Henry Miller’s Expat Exploits in Tropic of Cancer
Tropic of Cancer, the signature novel by fellow degenerate expat and ugly American Henry Miller. The Expat Chronicles of the Lost Generation based in postwar France.
Gringo Mule in Bolivian Prison
Marching Powder by Rusty Young looks at San Pedro prison in La Paz, Bolivia from the point of view of Thomas McFadden, who did four years for drug trafficking.
Banana Gringo Runs Central America
The Fish that Ate the Whale by Rich Cohen follows the life of Sam Zemurray, a Jewish immigrant to New Orleans who built a banana empire which ultimately inspired coups in Guatemala and Nicaragua, among other adventures.
Expat Chronicles 