In the final episode of the Colombia Calling podcast for 2019, we welcome Bogotana Juliana Cuccaro on the show to speak to us about some of the environmental challenges facing Colombia.

Juliana Cuccaro is fresh from completing her MA in Science Communication at the University of the West of England in Bristol - no she hasn't developed a west-country accent - and she is keen to start working on reporting on environmental and science issues affecting Colombia.

So, we get her on the line in Bogotá to discuss the environmental reality here in Colombia, it's not pretty, but there are good news stories out there too, from the Caribbean coast to the high altitude paramos and the pacific jungles, there's something going on everywhere in this megadiverse country.

Tune in to an episode dedicated to the environment and one which you the listeners, called out for. Thank you all so much for tuning in this 2019.

Michael Sichenzia is looking out for the underdog and as an investor in a small furniture business in Yumbo, southwest Colombia, close to the city of Cali, he has a vested interest in the stability and economy of the country. We get him on the line from Florida and speak to him about various topics, most importantly and timely are of course the way in which the current protests in Colombia could affect business and foreign direct investment.

Our conversation bounces along taking in some fascinating threads, of interest to anyone who has been observing the turbulence in the region of late and we discuss the misconceptions surrounding Colombia from overseas, the fears of a socialist revival, the reality of a potential dictatorship in Colombia and how Colombians need to shed the subservient colonial mindset which still persists to this day.

Tune in to hear Sichenzia speaking of Colombia's impisonment by her past and how a self-sustaining economy can allow us the base with which to do good.

You'll all remember Daniel Eggington from Ep277 where, from his home in Birmingham, England, he told us of his plans to cross the Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama in December 2019. Well, Eggington is back and in Medellin and speaks to us on the line to keep us updated about his plans.

Teeming with snakes, insects and poisonous plants, the Darien Gap crossing, in particular where Eggington plans to go, is considered one of the most brutal and dangerous adventures in the Americas. Then, if you can master the natural elements, you have the bandit side of things to consider. The Darien Gap is notoriously lawless, left wing guerrillas, right wing paramilitaries, regular bandits and nefarious opportunists use this area for the transhipment of people, drugs and weapons. In short, they don't want you here.

So, as I did in Ep277, I tried to impress upon Eggington the risks involved in this extreme hike, but, he is going ahead with it and so, what is there left for me to do but to wish him all the best and to promise to check back in for a final podcast once he's out on the other side, possibly around 2 January 2020.

Tune in to hear about the fearless or foolhardy expedition which Eggington is about to embark upon.

It is a great pleasure to welcome seasoned conflict correspondent Toby Muse on to the Colombia Calling podcast this week to talk about his new book, "Kilo: Inside the Deadliest Cocaine Cartels―from the Jungles to the Streets."

Muse takes us on a literary journey through each level of the cocaine underworld which is fueled by the appetite for the drug in America and Europe. In his book, he shows the reader inside Colombia’s notorious drug cartels to offer a never before look at the drug trade.

Following a kilo of cocaine from its production in a clandestine laboratory to the smugglers who ship it abroad, he reveals the human lives behind the drug’s complicated legacy.

Reporting on Colombia for the world’s most prestigious networks and publications, Muse gained unprecedented access to the extraordinary people who survive on the drug trade—farmers, smugglers, assassins—and the drug lords and their lovers controlling these multi-billion dollar enterprises. Uncovering stories of violence, sex, and money, he shows the allure and the madness of cocaine.

We discuss journalism, Colombia and the cocaine trade on this fascinating episode. And, most importantly, you can pre order Muse's book on Amazon. (https://www.amazon.com/Kilo-Deadliest-Cocaine-Cartels_from-Jungles/dp/0062905295/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1NFZEMX607MAC&keywords=kilo+toby+muse&qid=1575062606&sprefix=kilo+toby%2Caps%2C847&sr=8-1)