Book 2 Reading Text
Life
Page 87 Unit 7: A journey to Colombia’s cities
Many visitors to Colombia spend time in Bogotá, the country’s capital city, but Colombia
also has some other great cities.
Cartagena is a port on Colombia’s coast. Because the city is by the Caribbean Sea, the food
here is a fantastic mix of seafood and tropical fruit. Also, Cartagena is one of the friendliest
places in the world—everyone has time for a chat, including waiters in restaurants, store
clerks, taxi drivers, or people walking in the streets.
Medellín is best known for the sculptor Fernando Botero. He was born here, and you can see
his huge sculptures of people and animals everywhere in the city. The Botero Plaza is in the
center and has a lot of sculptures by him. You can also walk to other squares to see more. If
you want to save time between places, take the cable car over the city. And in the afternoon,
when the sun gets very hot, go inside the Museo de Antioquia to see Botero’s paintings.
Cali is a city where people work hard, but also know how to have a good time. The city is
famous for its music and dance, and there are lots of concerts and nightclubs. It’s also the
home of Colombian salsa: you can take classes with some of the best dancers in the world.
The annual Festival of Pacific Music and the World Festival of Salsa are in August and
September, so these are good months to visit.
For a very different kind of Colombian city, take a four-day trek to Ciudad Perdida, which
means the “Lost City.” You walk through rivers and jungle, and after three days, you finally
climb up 1,241 steps. At the top, you find the stone walls of an ancient city over a thousand
years old with an incredible view over the mountains.
