u/Eroticskeletonparade

I am planning a 10-day trip to Colombia in June. I am meeting a friend from Paraguay there and we want to see Colombia together. I would love any recommendations, advice, safety tips etc.

I know gringos in Colombia have a bad reputation so let me say straight away I'm not interested in any of that stuff.

We would like to see the mountains and the coast. I've heard good things about el eje cafetero, Bogota, Cartagena, and Santa Marta. We like cities, nature, history/architecture, food, beaches, etc. A little nightlife and dancing is fun but nothing too crazy.

Any recommendations about places to visit, good neighborhoods to stay in, getting around, etc. would be welcome. Thanks in advance.

In the U.S. there seems to be a persistent strong sense of doomerism and frustration. There is a sense that things have been getting worse for at least the last 25 years, and the prevailing attitude seems to be that things will continue to get worse. This has only increased recently with affordability problems, inflation, political chaos, and now the economic threats posed by AI.

I am curious if there is a similar sense in Latin America? Or perhaps things have actually been improving in some places and there is more of a sense of optimism?

My son is graduating college next weekend and I'm trying to decide what to wear. Would a white linen button down shirt, navy linen jacket, and tan chinos work? Possibly with a butter yellow tie?

Is the jacket too much? Or the tie? An i being old fashioned and overdressing? Would something simpler like chinos and a polo be better?