They're a common sight along Bogotá's Sunday Ciclovia near the San Francisco Church: Several guinea pigs lined up on the sidewalk facing some colorful overturned bowls.What are they? Surprisingly, they're trained athletes, participating in what must be one of the world's most eccentric contests: the guinea pig races.

It's safe to say Colombian food often gets a bad wrap, but if you give it a chance, I'm confident you'll find at least five dishes you'll want to eat more than once.

Geographically speaking, Colombia is a surprisingly diverse country. Before arriving in 2009, I imagined it was one big jungle. I'm embarssed to admit that my knowledge of the country was limited to what I'd seen on news clips and in Hollywood movies.

If you only have time to visit one museum in Bogotá, consider making it the less-known National Museum, which has a little of everything. Art? It's got abstract art, classical paintings, sculpture, modern art and even some Boteros. History? You'll find all you want, from pre-Columbian times, through the revolution, to Colombia's growth and contemporary exhibits. How about gold? They've got rooms of it, and silver, too. Anthropology? Yep. African face masks? Yep. Mummies? Yep. You get the idea.