Colombia - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 488

5 LOCAL SLANG

Colombians take much joy in their particular style of linguistic acrobatics and slang.
Colombians freely convert verbs to nouns and vice versa, so take each word as a fluid concept.
Un camello (n), camellar (v) Work, or
working. A good way to refer to a
particularly trying task.
La/una chimba (adj) Used to describe a
situation or thing that is wonderful. Roughly
synonymous with the youthful American
usage of “awesome”. Variations include
“Qué chimba!” (“Nice!”).
Chucha (n) Body odour. A crass but still
useable term.
Elegante (adj) “Cool”, loosely. Used to
describe the subset of cool things - or
happenings - that's particularly classy, well

executed or elegant. Think football passes or
a good outfit. Chevere and bacán are other
words for “cool”.
Paila (adj) “That really sucks”. Used in
response to a comment or situation that's
aggressively bad or heavy.
Perico (n) Cocaine. Regional translations
include scrambled eggs, coffee with milk or
(as here) a parakeet.
Al pelo (adj) Common response to a
question like “How was your day?” that
means “Good!” or “Perfect!”

Tipping ten percent at mid-range
restaurants is the norm; some
establishments will ask you if you'd like
for the tip to be included when you ask
for the bill, while some add it on
automatically. For short taxi trips, round
up to the nearest thousand pesos.
he machismo often ascribed to Latin
American culture is present in Colombia,
though a significant number (around 30
percent) of politicians and diplomats are
female. The country's Catholic roots run
quite deep and are apparent in sexual
attitudes among both men and women,
though there is some flexibility - and
contradiction - in views toward gender
and sexual orientation.

COP$650,000. Be sure to enquire about
the reputation of dive operators before
signing up, check their PADI or NAUI
accreditation, the instructor-to-student
ratio and ask for recommendations from
other divers. Snorkelling is also
particularly good on the islands.
There is a concentration of Class II-IV
rapids among the many rivers in the
departamento of Santander - three
intersect near San Gil - that offer some
spectacular challenges to white-water
rafting enthusiasts (see p.510), while
the river near San Agustin gives you a
somewhat tamer ride.
Hiking in Colombia is second to none:
there are demanding week-long adventures
in Parque Nacional de Cocuy (see p.513),
jungle treks to the spectacular ruins of
Ciudad Perdida (see p.529), and shorter
but no less attractive rambles around
Manizales and Salento in coffee country.
Football is the national sport and
Colombians have a reputation for being
some of South America's most skilled
players. Cycling is also a common passion
- the mountainous land here is made
for rugged biking - and Colombians
regularly compete in the Tour de France.

SPORTS AND
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Adrenaline junkies might hyperventilate
when they discover Colombia. From
almost every vantage point there's a
snowcapped peak to climb, an untamed
river to ride or some sunken coral reef
to explore.
Colombia's waters are a good (and
cheap) place to learn to scuba dive .
All along its 3000km of coastline,
but especially around Santa Marta
and Taganga, and also on the islands
of San Andres and Providencia - home
to the world's third-largest barrier reef
- operators offer week-long PADI
certification courses for around

COMMUNICATIONS
Sending a postcard or a letter abroad can
be done for COP$5500-6500 from
almost anywhere in the country, using
the efficient 4-72 ( W 4-72.com.co).