Anthony Bourdain recently decided to visit Colombia, and with that CNN dropped me a line to pitch a “10 things you need to know” list to support his new show for the network: Parts Unknown.

The snarky, say-it-like-is former host of the Travel Network’s hit show, No Reservations, brings a large spotlight to the country my father was born in, steering his growing fan base towards greater empathy with one of the world’s most misunderstood nations.

During my first trip to Colombia in the summer of 2012, I, myself, was awed by just how much the country I encountered had turned its inglorious reputation as a haven of drugs and warfare on its head. The Colombia I found instead exhaled of vitality and resilience, the breathe of a people that refuse to be hamstrung by their past.

From the stony rotundity of the Gorditas in Medellin to the sizzling nightlife of Cali and Bogota, Colombia has found a pulse, one that beats to a forward-moving and welcoming spirit, and visitors are catching on fast.

To read the CNN article I wrote on Colombia attached to Bourdain’s trip, click here.