My Hometown
I am 33 years old, and I have been living in the United States since 2013, so most of the years I lived in a beautiful city in South America, in the country of Colombia, whose name is Santiago de Cali. From this city, I want to tell you a little about its culture, gastronomy, people, tourism, why it is known as the world capital of salsa, in general, why I stay in love with this city.
When you decide to get to know Colombia, you cannot miss visiting Cali, since it is one of its main cities and has a lot of culture to offer. The people are friendly, hospitable, cheerful, and committed to serving others, which will make you feel as if you were at home. We are very proud of the city, we always welcome tourists with a smile, and we want visitors to return. Our kindness characterizes us when it comes to helping others. That is why we are known for being a cheerful and helpful city.
And if we want to talk about smells, colors and flavors in food, Cali has a wide variety of gastronomy. Starting at breakfast, nothing better than eating pandebonos and pandeyucas fresh from the ovens, accompanied by a Colombian coffee that without a doubt is recognized as one of the best worldwide. At lunchtime, we can offer you a chicken sancochito with white rice and a salad with avocado, and if you are not a lover of soups, we can offer you a pork milanese accompanied by rice and sweet plantains and a delicious juice of lulo. And if you are a little hungry in the afternoon, we have a variety of snacks that can satisfy your taste, for example, we have “cholado” if you want something refreshing (it is a type of ice cream composed of ground , full of fruits and a lot of condensed milk), or if you prefer something that is not sweet you can try the famous empanadas (they are like corn cakes stuffed with meat or chicken with potato and stew) and without forgetting to accompany them with “champus” (a drink made up of lulo , pineapple, corn and cane melao). And at dinner time, if you want to eat something light, you can eat a good piece of grilled steak with an arepa stuffed with cheese, since in Cali it is customary to have dinner with something like a breakfast. After eating some delicious calena food, you will be ready to see the beautiful places in our city.
Like all cities, Cali has a historical past, and that is why we have some places loaded with colonial architectures. If you want to visit the historic center of Cali, you should not forget to visit the following places: La Ermita church, San Francisco square, Caicedo square, Ortiz bridge, shotgun street, La Merced church and museum. All these places are in the center of the city, which is also known as the old Cali. If you go to Cali, you should visit the famous San Antonio neighborhood, which is in the west of the city, very close to the center. This neighborhood is characterized by its colorful streets and houses with wooden windows and balconies. Over the years, San Antonio has become a center of attraction for tourists in which we can find exotic crafts, one of the most visited churches in the city, and excellent and beautiful restaurants. In general, this neighborhood is a historical icon of the city. On the other hand, due to its geographical location, it has some mountain areas, from which a little advantage has been taken and some viewpoints have been built, among which we can find: the hill of Cristo Rey, the hill of the three crosses , the belalcazar viewpoint, among others. These places are very visited by people in order to leave the daily life of the city.
After having told you about the Calena gastronomy and having recommended some of the best places to visit, let us explain why we are recognized as the world capital of salsa. As I had already mentioned before, the calenos are very happy people. We love music and its different rhythms, but there is one that we carry in the blood and in the heart, and that rhythm is the salsa. Any caleno that is respected knows how to dance salsa. In my city we go to the discos from Monday to Sunday, and every day it has a special place to go to dance. The most recognized discos to enjoy salsa dancing are: Zaperoco, Bailatino, Living night club, Tin Tin Deo, Blue Bird, the Topa Tolondra and Carp Delirium. In each of these places you can witness the passion for salsa. People go with musical instruments such as the bell and the guiro to accompany each song and make the party more enjoyable. So, if you want to learn to dance salsa and if you love music, Cali is one of the best destinations to visit. In the city, we have excellent dance academies, salsa collectors, melomanos and great musical orchestras, all of which makes us recognized as the world capital of salsa. Every year, at the end of December, we have the Cali Fair, where we offer the best salsa shows such as Salsodromo, presentation of orchestras in different parts of the city, exhibition of old cars, ride through one of the main roads of the city. In conclusion, a great variety of shows that will make you fall in love with this city and want to return every year to enjoy its spectacular fair.
Due to all these factors and many more things, every time I have the opportunity to travel my first option will always be to visit the city that saw me be born and that saw me grow. I think I will never get tired of going, and I think that city belongs to my essence, I love salsa, I love music, I love food and most of all I love its people.
About the Gastronomy:
Salsa Culture
historical monuments:
