For various reasons, historical (see: United Fruit Company, CIA involvement in Latin America) and practical (hold up during long shipments, ripen after being picked), bananas are one of the most common fruits in the United States and Europe even though they are grown far, far away. Plantains, on the other hand, are rarely seen. Before living in Colombia, my interactions with them were pretty much limited to the sweet plantains that come alongside the moros y cristianos (black beans and rice) served in Cuban restaurants, and as much as I may have enjoyed them, I never gave them too much thought.

Kenyan runner James Kipkemboi couldn’t stifle his laugh: “My record time in a half marathon is 1.02.46 and you are aiming for a time less than 2 hours and 20 minutes?”

About once every two months, Plaza Bolivar, Colombia's center of government, experiences a radical makeover and turns into a Mercado Campesino, o Peasant Market. Peasants from all over Colombia come with their fruits and vegetables, jams and jellies, meats and even handicrafts. The goal is to hike campesinos' incomes by enabling them to sell directly to the consumer, rather than letting a middleman take much of the profit. The market also, for at least one day, gives central Bogotá a taste of the countryside.