Nightlife in Bogotá.Kevin Drum

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I’m sitting in the Bogotá airport about an hour away from returning home. I haven’t written much about my visit to Colombia, mostly for reasons outside my control, but I will!

For now, I’d just like to say that the first thing everyone said to me when I told them where I was going was some version of But is it safe? I assured them it was, but that was based only on what I’d read about Bogotá. I admit I had a few bouts of nervousness myself.

Having been here for a week, though, I can say that everything I read was right. I simply never sensed a moment of danger during the entire visit. The adults were all just going about their business, the teenagers were all having a good time, and there wasn’t the slightest sense of threat anywhere or anytime. I felt safer than I do in Rome.

On the other hand, the Bogotá airport is the only one I’ve been to that has no signage telling you where to return a rental car. Weird.

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In a climate where journalists face mounting pressure to back down, stay silent, or soften their reporting, Mother Jones refuses to flinch. We’re pushing back against intimidation and delivering fierce, independent journalism that holds power accountable—no matter who’s trying to silence us.

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