Day 1: Beers, Broodjes and Boat Hotels

Our flight from NYC to Brussels was on Jet Airways, an Indian flight continuing on to Bangalore. I managed to obtain the bulkhead seats for my brother, father and I before the flight so we could sleep. Unfortunately, cultural differences on personal space resulted in several Indian passengers stepping directly over us in order to cross from one side to the other while we were sleeping. We created a makeshift carry-on barrier to keep passengers from stepping on our feet, which led to a small confrontation that was eventually settled by the flight attendant in our favor.

First order of business in Brussels was a quick breakfast before catching our train to Kotrijk. After clearing customs it was a short train ride to the station where we grabbed espresso and one of my favorite takeaway snacks: broodjes. A broodje is a simple sandwich on a french-style roll but this ain't no Subway. The bread is usually freshly baked and filled with tasty meats, cheeses and veg. In selecting a good broodje, one must often choose between the butcher shop or bakery which have their respective strengths and weaknesses on the meats and bread front.

It was too early to check into Bootel Ahoi, so we dropped our bags and wandered around. town. Koffehaus is a charming cafe in one of Kotrijk's scenic squares that had decent food and a few older couples drinking some wit beers at lunchtime. We even got a suggestion to check out the "bar for weirdos" at the train station. It was quite the scene of characters drunk by early afternoon who regarded us with polite curiosity as we drank espressos trying to stay awake. "Why do you come here to Kotrijk?" was the usual refrain. "For the bikes and the beers" was more than enough to elicit smiles from our fellow weirdos.

The worst beer

Latin America as a whole is not well known for its diversity in cerveza. The obvious exceptions are Mexico and Argentina, who's cultural proximity to the US and Europe (respectively) affords them a decent beer selection. Most Central American beers are about the same: pilsner/lager style, light in color, soft on flavor. It's possible to find darker beers, but along with imports, these are usually twice the price and not nearly worth it.

Throughout Central America I've noticed that most local beers hover around $1, a fair price for the beer-flavored water, whether you buy it at a grocery, bodega or cheap bar. Belikin from Belize has been one of my favorites for this reason: reliable quality, inflexible price. Colombia's local beers follow this trend as well, everyone knows the price, so to charge anything greater is a grand offense to Juan Q. Beer drinker.

 Gallo (Rooster) Beer from Guatemala breaks with this trend. I've seen the price fluctuate from as low as $1.25 to $3.00. Considering we are paying $10 a night right now for a private hostel room, this seems a little absurd. Throw in the fact that Gallo does in fact, taste like drinking a rooster (or chicken feed), you can sense my frustration when Guatemalan's ask me if I "love" their national beer. I mean, everybody has pride in their dometic products, some for very good reason: Guatemalan coffee is among the best I've ever had. I just find the slogan of Gallo particularly annoying given the aformentioned info: "La mejor cerveza" (the best beer). Yeah. Right.

Beer Glorious Beer

Those of you who know me well know that I am quite the fan of microbrews, of which there are very few in Latin America. The best beer scene I've experienced was at the Largest Oktoberfest outside of Germany in Villa General Belgrano, Argentina. Througout my travels in L. Am, I've noticed a direct correlation between light beers and hot climates. I mean, when it's 90 degrees out with 90% humidity, a Stout or Porter isn't really your go-to beverage.


That being said, the lighter pilsner-style lagers that are ubiquitous in Colombia (and the rest of near-Equator countries) all begin to taste the same after a while. In Bogota, a BJ's Brewhouse-type restaurant has sprung up recently called "Bogota Beer Company." Their house beers are quite delicious, as well as having an impressive selection of European imports. 4 years ago, Medellín made its foray into the world of "cerveza artesanal" (microbrews) with the beginning of the 3 Cordilleras Brewery. These guys have quite an impact on the tourist-frequented areas, with most places having taps for the 3 types: a hefewiesen, a pale ale and an amber ale. As you can see below, we're putting the finishing touches on The Wandering Paisa bar and last week, were able to get 3 Cordilleras on tap: