I love traveling with locals. It makes me feel like an insider, when I'm granted access to people and places I'd otherwise never have the opportunity to meet or see. That's what my husband and I experienced recently, in the beautiful city of Bucaramanga, Colombia. 

Good friends of ours were kind enough to invite us to a plethora of family gatherings. They all included what Bucaramanga is known for: delicious steak. Since avocados are plentiful, yummy variations of guacamole were also served often, to my delight. I also fell in love with caldo, a traditional Colombian soup eaten with arepas and said to be a hangover remedy. 

On our last day in Bucaramanga, we were fortunate enough to attend a huge family gathering, complete with two bands (see the mariachi, above). I realized that what I love most about the Colombian people is their warmth, and general sense of fun...if you have the chance to go, do it!