Day: January 1, 2021

Telenova Review: Bolivar

You probably don’t see me as a TV junkie who could spend 60 hours in maybe three weeks watching all 60 episodes of a telenova, yet here I sit after doing exactly that.  And I’m not ashamed to admit I enjoyed it immensely.  The series is Bolivar, it is currently running on Netflix, and both Sue and I were hooked on it 10 minutes into the first episode.

Three different actors played Simon Bolivar at different stages in his life. It was confusing when they changed from one to another, but we caught on quickly.

I think what made it special for me were my two trips to Colombia, one about 15 years ago for work, and the other 5 years ago (Good Lord, has it been that long already?) for our Zongshen-mounted circumnavigation of the Andes Mountains.  Bolivar was filmed entirely on location in Colombia, and having been there myself, I recognized many of the places in the series.

When we stayed at Villa de Leyva in Colombia, Juan and Carlos explained that it was often used as a filming location.  While we we were there, a crew was filming a scene one evening.  Juan told me that one of the actors was well known in South America.  I didn’t know who she was at the time, but in watching Bolivar, I realized the woman I had seen that evening in Villa de Leyva was, in fact, the famous Colombian actress Andrea Gomez.

Andrea Gomez, who I saw in person in Villa de Leyva without realizing who she was.
On a movie set in Villa de Leyva. Andrea Gomez would emerge seconds later, but I did not get a photo of her.
An evening scene in Villa de Leyva. The Colombia ride was one of the great ones. I had a fabulous time.

The Colombia ride, as mentioned above, was not my first trip to Colombia.  I had been there about 10 years before on a business trip and we spent a day in Cartagena.  It was a fun trip, too.  Here are a few photos from my 2006 trip.

A street scene in Cartagena. The photos almost take themselves.
Colombia is known for its emeralds. The place is a photographer’s paradise.
One more street scene in Cartagena. One of the amazing things about this city was the parrots. You see them like you see pigeons in a US city. They were everywhere.  Cartegena is a city that explodes with color.

So there you have it.  Bolivar, Colombia, and more.  The Netflix series hit home for me, probably because I had visited Colombia, but even if you haven’t I think you’ll enjoy it.  I’m lucky because I’ve been there, and because I always travel with a Nikon, I captured a bunch of digital memories on both trips.

Want to see more of Colombia from the seat of a motorcycle?  Check out the Colombia adventure on our Epic Rides page!