COLOMBIA: Cucuta, Here Driving Is A Challenge It's So Crowded

Cucuta is in Colombia in the Andino region of Colombia.

Cucuta is the capital of Norte de Santander, home of 1 million people in all of the metropolitan area. It's a major commercial hub in the northeastern Colombia, playing a significant role in trade between Colombia and Venezuela.

Cucuta is located in the northeast, 580 km to the north of the capital Bogota.

Cucuta, officially San Jose de Cucuta, is a Colombian city, capital of Norte de Santander department. It is located in the northeast of the country, in the eastern branch of the Colombian Andes, on the border with Venezuela.

Cucuta has a population of approximately 750,000 people according to the 2005-2020 census, making it the 6th largest city in the country. Due to its proximity with Venezuela, Cucuta is an important commercial center.

Hosting many billion dollar companies. The international border in Cucuta is said to be the most dynamic of South America. The city has a length of 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) from north to south and 11 kilometres (6.8 miles) from east to west.

It is divided into 10 communes and it is the political, economic, administrative, industrial, cultural and tourism hub of the Norte de Santander department.

Cucuta has experienced a great urban development, as a result other cities has been constituted around the city, like Los Patios in the east, and Villa del Rosario in the south. They are part of the Metropolitan Area of Cucuta which has a population of about 850.000 people.

It is connected by roads across the country to major cities like Bogota, Bucaramanga, Ocana, Valledupar, Pamplona, Tunja and Cartagena de Indias and because of its location, to many cities of Venezuela. Its airport, Camilo Daza International Airport, offers flights to several Colombian cities.

The city was the place of some of the most important events in Colombian history, like the redaction of the first constitution by the Congress of Cucuta which led to the foundation of the Republic of Colombia, also known as Gran Colombia, and the Battle of Cucuta.

This is where troops led by Simon Bolivar defeated the Spanish Royal Rorce, thereby liberating the city from Spanish rule and allowing Bolivar troops to continue their campaign toward Venezuela.

The Battle of Cucuta was one of the most important events of the Spanish American wars of independence, due to its role in the independence of Colombia and Venezuela. This battle was the beginning of the Admirable Campaign of Simon Bolivar.

On February 28, 1813, Bolivar captured the city after a battle that lasted from 9:00 a.m. until early afternoon. About 400 men led by Bolivar fought 800 troops led by the Spanish general Ramon Correa.

Bolivar's forces reported losses of two killed and 14 injured, whilst the royalists are said to have suffered 20 killed and 40 injured. The victory freed the city of Cucuta and led to the Admirable Campaign.

Colonel Simon Bolivar then launched a major offensive against the Spanish forces who were on the east bank of the Magdalena River and quickly achieved resounding victories. These led him to undertake a journey to liberate the Valley of Cucuta held by the command of royalist Colonel Ramon Correa.

On 18 May 1875, Cucuta was largely destroyed by the earthquake of Cucuta, also known as the Earthquake of the Andes.

The earthquake occurred at 11:15 a.m.; it destroyed Villa del Rosario, San Antonio del Tachira and Capacho, seriously damaged the Venezuelan settlements of San Cristobal, La Mulata, Rubio, Michelena, La Grita and Colon, and was felt in Bogota and Caracas.

The city is in the eastern part of the Department of North Santander, in the Cordillera Oriental, close to the border with Venezuela. The city's area is 110 square kilometres (42 square miles) and its elevation is 320 metres (1,050 feet) above sea level.

Rivers in Cucuta and Norte de Santander include the Pamplonita River, Guaramito River, San Miguel River and Zulia River.

The Pamplonita River crosses the Norte de Santander Department.

Cucuta has a tropical savanna climate. The mean temperature is 27.6 °C; high temperatures are around 38 °C. There is a sharp contrast between the wet season and the dry season.

The driest months are December, January, February and March; the wettest are April, May, September, October and November. June and July usually have significant precipitation, whereas August is sunny and windy. The annual precipitation is around 1,041 mm (40.98 in).

Cucuta's streets are organized in a grid layout adopted from Spain in colonial times. Calles or streets run from east to west, perpendicular to the hills, and numbering increases to the north and to the south from Calle 1.

Avenidas or avenues run from south to north, parallel to the hills, and numbering increases both east to west, and west to east from a central avenida numbered 0.

Avenida Cero, one of the city's most important avenues. From west to east, avenues are numbered with an E added to their number, to denote East or este.

More than 300 neighborhoods form the urban network. Poorer neighborhoods are in the north, north-west and south-west, many of them squatter areas. The middle class lives mostly in the central and eastern areas.

The metropolitan area, which includes the municipalities of Villa del Rosario, Los Patios, El Zulia, San Cayetano and Puerto Santander, has a combined population of more than 830,000 people. It is the largest metropolitan area in eastern Colombia and seventh in Colombia, behind Barranquilla, Bucaramanga and Cartagena.

The city is notable for bilateral trade and manufacturing. Its location on the border between Colombia and Venezuela has made possible strong links with the Venezuelan city of San Cristobal, Tachira.

Its Free Zone is the most active of all those in the country and one of the most active in all Latin America, largely due to Venezuela being Colombia's second largest trade partner.

The most developed industries are dairy, construction, textiles, shoes and leather. The city is a producer of cement of the first order and its clay and stoneware industry has the best reputation nationally for its high quality. The mining of coal also plays an important role in the local economy.

The University Francisco de Paula Santander in Cucuta, the National University of Colombia in Bogota, and the Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia in Tunja are the only ones in the country that provide for the career of Mining Engineering.

The peso is the official and sole legal tender currency in the city. Owing to its proximity to Venezuela, the bolivar was accepted by the vast majority of commercial establishments until the rapid devaluation of the Venezuelan currency began after the 2013 recession.

Colombia signed a Free Trade Agreement with the United States against opposition by Venezuela. Despite this opposition, industries from Venezuela are constructing their infrastructure in Cucuta to export their products to the United States.

Registering their products as if they were Colombian, a strategy that allow them to export without paying certain tariffs. For that reason, Cucuta is expected to become an industrial city.

Colombian law provides tax exemptions for Venezuelan imports through the Zona Franca, which, coupled with the motorway links between Cucuta and Maracaibo, increases the possibility of exports from Maracaibo into Colombia.

For travel outside the city, there is a bus station called Terminal de Transportes, the Camilo Daza International Airport in Colombia and the San Antonio Airport in Venezuela. Eighty years ago the city had the Railroad of Cúcuta, which connected with Venezuela.

The main forms of public transportation are the bus or collective and taxicabs. In addition, National Planning has a project to build a mass transit system, under the name Metrobus.

The highway to Bucaramanga connects Cucuta with Bogota, Medellin and Cali. The highway to Ocana connects the city with Barranquilla, Cartagena and Santa Marta, and the highway to San Cristobal connects it with Caracas.

The main monuments in the city are:

- The monument of Camilo Daza, at the Camilo Daza International Airport.

- The monument of the Battle of Cucuta

- The monument of Juana Rangel de Cuellar, the founder of Cucuta

Main parks in the city are:

- Santander Park or Parque Santander, the main park of the city located in front of the city hall.

- Colon Park or Parque Colon, constructed in honor of Cristopher Columbus, Cristobal Colon.

- Simón Bolivar Park or Parque Simon Bolivar, constructed in honor of Simon Bolivar and donated by the Consulate of Venezuela in Cucuta.

Cucuta has more green zones than many cities in Colombia. Some consider the city an urban lung, due to its greenery and lack of pollution.

Cucutenos, and the legion of foreigners who reconstructed the city after the 1875 earthquake, led by engineer Francisco de Paula Andrade Troconis, led to the development of greenery in the city. The first planted trees were clemones.

Soon they were replaced by acacias, peracos and almond trees that adorned the parks and roadsides. An example of this city design is the Avenue of the Lights based on oiti, ficus and cuji, that forms a natural tunnel admired in the rest of the country and by tourists.

Palm trees are common in places such as Santander Park, Great Colombian Park, the Bank of the Republic and the Department Hall of Norte de Santander.

The sport that gather people the most is football, although basketball, volleyball, and Inline speed skating are also popular. The Cucuta Deportivo recently relegated to the First Division is the main professional team of the city, and play their local matches at the General Santander stadium.

The team won their first Championship in the 2006 season and had a well remembered participation in the 2007 Copa Libertadores, when they reached the semifinal and lose to the multi champion Boca Juniors.

Since that year, only one other Colombian team has reached the semifinal of the prestigious competition Atletico Nacional from Medellin in 2016.

Other professional teams located in the city are the Norte de Santander a Basquetaball team, and futsal team Cucuta Niza; Both squads play local at the Coliseo Toto Hernández.

The city hosted the XIX National Games of Colombia in 2012, which helped to modernize many of the sport venues like the Coliseo Toto Hernandez.

The Colombian Football Federation announced that Cucuta will be one of the venue cities to host the 2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup, an event that is celebrated every four years.

The city has recently undergone development at an historically unprecedented rate.

This has included construction of six overpasses, a convention center, a new bus terminal, a new Integrated Massive Transportation System called Metrobus, modernization of state owned schools, renewal of downtown, and doubling the capacity of the General Santander Stadium.

New industries are expected to come from Venezuela, which will place their factories in Cucuta to export through the Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement between Colombia and the United States.

Cucuta has a domestic airport, Camilo Daza with flights to Bogota, Medellin and other Colombian cities. Avianca has a non-stop flight to Medellin - Rionegro International airport. ADA, the low-cost carrier EasyFly and LAN fly to the local airport in Medellin Olaya Herrera.

Cucuta can be reached also by the neighboring airport of San Antonio in Venezuela.

It is usual the arrival of passengers in transit to San Antonio, Venezuela.

Cucuta is connected by national highways with Bogota (14 hours / 80,000 COP) and Caracas (16 hours / 90 VEF) in Venezuela.

Buses arrive to the Cucuta's Bus Station or La Terminal de Transportes de Cucuta.

The city of Cucuta is built on a grid system. The calles or streets cross the Avenidas or Avenues and run from East to West. Calles are abbreviated as C, Cll and Cl.

Avenidas, abbreviated as Av, are usually larger and main streets. The numerical system for the Avenidas is used but some have names that are more commonly used such as Avenida Libertadores or Avenida de Los Faroles. Each address consists of a series of numbers, for example: Av. 4 #12-24.

This indicates that the building on Av. 4 is 24 meters from the corner. The city's avenues are numbered both east to west and west to east, starting from a central avenue numbered 0 or Avenida Cero. Like in the example, the letter E is added to avenues numbered west to east, as to denote East or Este.

There are many public and private transportation companies that offer bus services and cover almost all of the metropolitan area such as Villa del Rosario, Los Patios and El Zulia.

It's a cheap way, ticket cost around US$ 0.45, but it will cost more depending on the bus, the route and the day to travel around Cucuta. Buses may be overcrowded, lack air conditioning and could be traveling very fast to try to outdo the one(s) from the competing lines that covers the same route.

Taxi is by far the best way to travel around if you don't mind spending a bit more for transportation. The cabs here may take you to anywhere you want, but they could be old Fords or Chevys from the 50's in very different stages of disrepair.

As of August 2010 the state of taxi service is much better than 50's vintage fords and Chevy's. Expect to find a fleet of small but newer vehicles that are typically not more than 3-5 years old.

Driving in Cucuta can be a challenge, it's gotten much more crowded in the last three years and it it's certainly exciting to watch the personal vehicles, taxi and lots of motorcycles vie for the limited road space.

A ride on Cucuta's modern Ciclo-Vía is a very exiting and healthy way to get to know the city and get closer to the people. There are certain rules that must be followed: Helmet must be worn when riding, also a reflective vest must be worn. The bicycle must have reflective panels in the wheels and back.

The Av. Libertadores the largest and most important of the city is closed to use it as Ciclo-Vía on Sundays (8 AM - 1 PM)

Attractions in Cucuta:

- House of Francisco de Paula Santander 1 Km International Freeway to Venezuela

- Catedral of Cucuta

- Santander Park

- Municipal Park

- Colon Park

House of Santander Francisco de Paula Santander is hero of the independence of Colombia and his house is located in Villa del Rosario which is a municipality member of the Metropolitan Area of Cucuta.

There you can visit the Historic Church that was the principal sede of the Congress of the Great Colombia - Colombia, Panama, Venzuela,Ecuador.

In the Av. Libertadores there are ample green zones and platforms that allow their visitors to walk and to contemplate the own nature of the Pamplonita River; this proximity to the shore has allowed that the custom has denominated it Malecon becoming a site of recreation par excellence.

It runs from the San Rafael bridge in the south of the city to Arnulfo Briceno Square, where there's a beautiful metallic sculpture called Musical Mirror as well as a skating track and children's park.

Unicentro is the most important shopping mall in Colombia. There are five sedes located at Bogota, Medellin, Cali, City of Panama and Cucuta. More than 48.000 m2 of commerce, 110 stores, Center of foods, Bingo and casino, Supermarket Carrefour, Open spaces and green zones.

Ventura Plaza This is the biggest shopping center of Cucuta. It is located in the heart of the city and close to the Casino International Hotel. Diagonal Santander between tenth and eleventh street.

Vivero Almacenes Vivero was creaed in 1969 as a t-shirt store, but now is one of the most important malls in Colombia. Av. Demetrio Mendoza, Diagonal Santander.

Gran Boulevard It is one the most traditional mall of Cucuta, located in the Av. 0 is unique. It has a building of apartaments. There you can get computers, shoes, clothes and visit an excellent bar called LA MICRO. The main office of Movistar Colombia for Cucuta is there.

Plaza de Los Andes

Dine & Wine:

- Kokoriko Av. 0 Calle 8 Esquina

- PRESTO Av. Los Libertadores # 3-08

- Los Carritos Av. 0 # 15-71

- Los Carritos Av. Los Faroles # 9E - 51

- Juan K Av. 3E #1-218 La Ceiba

- Restaurante Rodizio Malecon II Etapa La Riviera

- Pinchos & Asados (Rodizio)

- Restaurante El Corral

- Mangos Av. Libertadores #7-22

- Restaurante La Gran Muralla Av. Libertadores #10-84 Malecon

Local coffee is excellent. Aguardiente is a must for all tourists. It can be found at all cafes and bars.

Restaurante Ochoa serves the very best Roast Chicken, Villa del Rosario. Right next to Casa de Santander

Accomodations in Cucuta:

- Hotel Tonchala

- Hotel Casablanca Av. 6 # 14-55

- Hotel Quinta Avenida

- Hotel Villa Antigua. Located on the highway to Venezuela.

- Hotel Arizona Av 0 # 7-67

- Hotel Bolivar Av. Demetrio Mendoza

- Hotel Casino Internacional Calle # 2E-75

- Hotel Acora Calle 10 #2-75

- Hotel Acuaris Calle 5 # 3-37

- Hotel Amaruc Av. 5 # 9-73

- Hotel Chucarima Calle 7 # 2-30

- Hotel Exelsior Av 3 # 9-65

- Hotel Lord Av. 7 3 10-58

- Hotel Luxor Calle 10 # 2-66

- Hotel Victoria Plaza Calle 8 # 2-98

- Hotel Paraiso Calle 10 # 5-84

- Hotel Conquistador Av 11 E. Frente al Parque Simon Bolivar, Colsag.

- Hotel La Paz Calle 6 Av 3 y 4

- Hotel Cacique Av 7 calle 9 y 10

- Hotel El Saman (Prosocial) Autopista Internacional, en Villa del Rosario

- Hotel Barcelona Avenida7, Calle13. 24hrs service. Friendly family hotel, free WIFI. Possibility to wash clothes. 15 Rooms with ventilation or air condition. Good prices and service. Walking distance to the centre of Cucuta.

Officially it is not legal to work in Colombia without a proper working visa. Visas can be obtained by employers on your behalf.


Tourism Observer

PREPARE: Asado, The Unique Argentine Meat

Asado techniques and the social event of having or attending a barbecue in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay, where it is very popular.

In these countries, asado is a traditional way of preparing food and a traditional event.

An asado usually consists of beef, sausages, and sometimes other meats, which are cooked on a grill, called a parrilla, or an open fire.

An asado almost always includes meats, and usually embutidos such as sausages, etc. and offal.

Generally in more elaborate versions the embutidos and meats are accompanied by red wine and salads.

In more formal events and restaurants, food is prepared by a person who is the assigned asador or parrillero. In informal and relaxed settings, this is customarily done in a collective manner by volunteers.

Huge herds of wild cattle roamed much of the pampa region of Argentina until the mid-nineteenth century.

Inhabitants of the Río de la Plata, especially the equestrian gaucho, developed a fondness for beef, especially asado, which is roasted beef or lamb or goat.

The meat, often a side of ribs, is skewered on a metal frame called an asador and is roasted by placing it next to a slow-burning fire.

Gauchos favored cooking asado with the wood of the quebracho tree because it smokes very little. Asado, accompanied by mate tea, formed the basis of the gaucho diet.

Usually the asador begins by igniting the charcoal, which is often made of native trees, avoiding pines and eucalyptus as they have strong-smelling resins.

In more sophisticated asados the charcoal is of a specific tree or made on the coal of recently burned wood, which is also commonplace when having an asado in a campfire.

In Uruguay, charcoal is not used, but instead direct embers or hot coals.

Cooking can be done al asador or a la parrilla. In the first case a fire is made on the ground or in a fire pit and surrounded by metal crosses (asadores) that hold the entire carcass of an animal splayed open to receive the heat from the fire.

In the second case a fire is made and after the charcoal has formed, a grill with the meat is placed over it.

In many asados, chorizos, morcillas or black pudding, chinchulines or cow chitterlings, mollejas or sweetbreads, and other organs, often accompanied by provoleta, would be served first while the cuts that require longer preparations are still on the grill.

Sometimes these are served on a charcoal brasero. Chorizos may be served with marraqueta or baguette bread, often called choripan

After appetizers, costillas or asado de tira (ribs) can be served. Next comes vacío (flank steak), matambre and possibly chicken and chivito (goatling).

Dishes such as pamplona, pork, and Patagonian lamb are becoming more frequent, particularly in restaurants.

An asado also includes bread, a simple mixed salad of, for instance, lettuce, tomato, and onions, or it could be accompanied with verdurajo or grilled vegetables, a mixture made of potatoes, corn, onion, and eggplant cooked on the grill and seasoned with olive oil and salt.

Beer, wine, soft drink, and other beverages are common. Dessert is usually fresh fruit.

Another traditional form to mainly roast the meat, used in Patagonia, is with the whole animal especially lamb and pork in a wood stick nailed in the ground and exposed to the heat of live coals, called asado al palo.

The meat for an asado is not marinated, the only preparation being the application of salt before or during the cooking period.

Also, the heat and distance from the coals are controlled to provide a slow cooking; it usually takes around two hours to cook asado.

Further, grease from the meat is not encouraged to fall on the coals and create smoke which would adversely flavour the meat. In some asados the area directly under the meat is kept clear of coals.

The asado is usually placed in a tray to be immediately served, but it can also be placed on a brasero right on the table to keep the meat warm.

Chimichurri, a sauce of chopped parsley, dried oregano, garlic, salt, black pepper, onion, and paprika with olive oil, or salsa criolla, a sauce of tomato and onion in vinegar, are common accompaniments to an asado, where they are traditionally used on the offal, but not the steaks.

Food is often accompanied by salads, which in asado gatherings are traditionally made by women on site or brought to the asado from their homes while the men focus on the meats.

Salad Olivier (ensalada rusa) is one of the most common salads served at asados. In Paraguay Chipa Guasu, sopa paraguaya and boiled manioc as a side dish is also served.

In Chile, the normal version cordero al palo (whole roast lamb) is usually accompanied with pebre, a local condiment made from pureed herbs, garlic, and hot peppers.

In many ways similar to chimichurri. The dish is typical of southern Chile and is served hot accompanied by salads.

A whole lamb is tied to a spit and is then roasted perpendicular on a wood fire. The preparation lasts around 5 hours since cooking must be constant and on a low heat.

This is not to be confused with asado in the Philippines, which is a dish cooked in a sweet, tomato-based stew usually accompanied by potatoes, carrots, and other vegetables.

True to the East-meets-West nature of Philippine cuisine and culture in general, asado is also used as a filling in siopao, the local variant of baozi.

There is also a version of asado that is of Filipino-Chinese origin: the term is used for dried, red-coloured sweetmeats that are otherwise known by its Cantonese name, char siu.

In Brazil, asado is called churrasco, although the cooking is usually faster. Grilled and salted meat in Brazil is generally called carne assada and is often cut into small strips and served on a plate or cutting board in the middle of the table for all to partake.

Various grilled meats, pork, sausages and occasionally chicken are also passed around from table to table on a spit and a slice is offered to each person. This is called rodizio because each person partakes in turn.

Charcoal is predominantly used instead of embers of wood, and Brazilians tend to cook the meat on skewers or grills. In some places, the meat is seasoned with salt and a little sugar.

In Mexico, there is similar tradition of as parrilladas or carne asadas, which incorporates various marinated cuts of meat, including steaks, chicken, and sausages, the chorizo, longaniza, and moronga being especially popular.

These are all grilled over wood charcoal. Vegetables are also placed over the grill, especially green onions cebollitas, nopales, and corn or elote.

Again, in Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay, some alternatives are the asado al disco and asado al horno de barro, especially in the countryside.

The recipe doesn't change, only the way of cooking. In the asado al disco the worn-out disc of a plough is used.

Being metallic and concave, three or four metallic legs are welded and with hot coal or lumber below it is easily transformed into an effective grill.

Food is put in a spiral, in such a way that the fat naturally slips to the center, preserving the meat for being fried.

Chili peppers and onions are usually put next to the edge, so that they gradually release their juices on the meat.

The asado al horno de barro differs from tradition, as an adobehorno an oven, called tatakua in Paraguay is used.

These ovens are a common view in Argentine and Paraguayan estancias; their primary function is to bake bread, Chipa Guasu and Sopa paraguaya, but they are well suited for roasting meat.

Pork suckling and, less commonly, lamb are served, as they are more unlikely to become dry. Another way of cooking the asado is inside a chulengo, an oil barrel or similar cut in half.

Inside which the grill is placed to protect both the meat and fire from heavy winds.

This makes the chulengo specially used in the Patagonia, although it's also used in other areas for practicality and the ability to move it around.


Tourism Observer