Touring Colombia with the Ghost of Gabo

By Rebecca Grenham
I’d wanted to head to Colombia ever since I finished Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Love in the Time of Cholera three years, nine months, and twelve days ago (I marked the day in my journal). I remember the DC café I was sitting in when I finished the novel. I put the book down just as a fresh batch of coffee beans began to brew, filling the room with the sharp, bitter smell that awaits most of us in the morning. The room was dim, but I could feel sunlight warm my cheeks through the window. I hadn’t noticed any of these things before reading his novel. To me, that’s Marquez’s gi...