Colombia 2011

[sub]==I have booked my flight from Edinburgh to Bogota for a trip which will be for 1 month==[/sub]

My intention is to stay for a week in Bogota, then go to Medellin for a week then on to Cartagena and Barranquilla. I am hoping to meet up with a good friend of mine Felipe.
If anyone has any sensible travel tips for visiting Colombia please pass them on.

I speak Spanish (Enough to get by, I hope) It will be good to visit a country where speaking Spanish will be a necessity instead of an added bonus.

Much has been said about the dangers of travelling to Colombia but I know the country is much safer these days and with a wee bit good luck and common sense everything will be fine.

When I am in Colombia I am hoping to get good photos of the country and the people.

All the hotels/hostels have been booked. After landing in Bogota, I will be in the La candelaria for a week.Next is a flight to Medellin where I have a hostel booked for a week.
leaving Medellin by a bus hopefully to Cartagena and will stay there for a week at the Costa del Sol hotel, The reviews of that hotel seem a bit iffy, we will see.
After my week in Cartagena it is another bus, this time to Bucaramanga and I will be there for three nights before catching a flight to Bogota where I will stay for my final three nights before flying home.