The world of travel has changed a lot in the last few years, and there’s no better example than Juan Camilo Velez’s Instagram account. When we last spoke to the beloved Colombian Insta-gay, he was known for his artfully arranged thirst traps in stunning, far-flung destinations. However, this past year, he’s shifted his focus to a more homegrown vibe.
In the last few years, his Instagram stories have featured more shots of him working on his coffee farm in rural Colombia. He’s also left his partying lifestyle behind and has become sober. Intrigued, GayCities decided to catch up with Velez and see what he’s been up to since we last spoke in 2018.
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Tell me a bit about where you live now. Is there a “gay scene?” Are you helping to build one?
Well, I live in Andes, a small coffee town in the southwest of Antioquia. There is not a gay scene here, so to speak, with bars and clubs. But there is a group of young people, and what they’re doing is: This year, the third version of a Rainbow Festival was held, and what they do is that they invited many gay, trans people, and drag queens to speak. And they have shown the people what it is to be gay and it’s like they’re breaking their paradigms of living in a town.
You moved there from Medellín. What prompted this development?
I went to Medellín to study architecture, but also because I didn’t feel welcomed by the people of my town, because I felt judged for being gay. I feel that now, by returning, it’s also returning to those roots in a different way, in a way that is proud of what I am and that people have been affected by and that has made them happy. And [I also moved back] because my father passed away and I took charge of the coffee farm, so what I am doing there is a project to improve the crops and involve the young people [of the town]. It’s especially implementing generational change so that young people will not go to the city, but rather see working in the countryside as a life project.
How has Medellín changed since the last time we spoke?
It hasn’t changed much in terms of architecture, hotels, restaurants, and nightlife, but a lot of foreign people have arrived, which has made Medellín transform, so that it has more offers in terms of gastronomy and in terms of gay places. But also, that has made the city worry about being up to date and avant-garde to receive those visitors, which has caused prices to also increase a little. But even so, for a foreigner with currency in dollars, it is still very cheap to get to Medellín to experience it and enjoy it.
There can be more homophobia in rural Colombia than in the major cities. How have you been changing local attitudes towards homosexuality?
Yes, I feel that there is more homophobia in the towns than in the cities because they are still small towns with very strong traditions. But what has been changing is the way of thinking. I think that one way to support this is to show that there is nothing wrong with being gay and that it is something normal and that gayness is not going to make your child become a bad person. So that’s how it’s been since I’ve been living my life to be able to project that and for people to see that, and thus change the way of thinking.
What are some unique challenges that the coffee industry is facing in Colombia?
Colombia, famous for its coffee, has been producing its beans for 100 years, and the truth is that for having a mild coffee, it’s the best in the world. What I am doing right now is giving a transformation to the farm so that we do not sell the coffee beans to the cooperatives, but sell the coffee already roasted. And thus this can impact people, as it’s good coffee produced by young people under 30 years of age. And I can provide that value of the product, since it is a coffee with an origin in the mountains of Colombia, with notes of cocoa chocolate and almond, which has an incredibly unique flavor.
You’re two years sober. What prompted this change?
I had a very uncontrolled life here. In certain cases, one gets carried away by the world and society and what one supposedly has to do, and one stops doing many things that one enjoys. Then, it was due to the passing of a friend, when I was already making a decision to go down on liquor. But with that, the issue of drinking was taking advantage of me and what I did was stop. And I began a process with a psychologist. I also have a spiritual director who also brought me closer to God, and brought me to realize that I can be well and I can be at peace without having to drink. So it has been a very cool change because it has led me to invest in projects to build and generate more impact in the community, and on young people who previously did not have any life prospects. And what it has done is that I have been able to give them study in café barista training, and coffee acquisition, and to encourage them to do their homework and do other things that will project into their future lives.
What are the best ways for a solo traveler to connect with other queers when traveling, if they’re not into the party scene?
I feel that it’s the party line to say if you don’t go to a nightclub or if you don’t go to an app, you won’t be able to meet any other person, and the truth is I don’t feel like that’s the case. I believe that one can travel and enjoy many restaurants, museums, walks through the city, visits to nature, rivers, waterfalls and a lot of areas where you will also be able to find other types of people, not just those from the Colombia party scene.
What are your social media-related goals for the new year?
I think that my social networks transformed because we couldn’t travel, so I made a trip back to my roots. I was with my dad working on the farm with coffee and bananas, and that made me fall in love with the tradition and the farm. So what happened here was that I showed a lot about the countryside and my roots in my social networks, and people liked it a lot. So I’m mixing the theme of travel with a theme of the countryside. And there’s more of my daily life, making people interested in the product, and in the coffee routes in our traditional villages. And in some cabins that I have been constructing.
What’s one thing you can’t travel without?
So if I travel, I have to check that I have a universal connector in case I have to connect anywhere in the world. And here in my country, I have to bring enough underwear and clothes because sometimes a trip can take longer than expected, and I have to be prepared for that.
Have you decided to start dating again?
No, I used to have a time in which I could go out with people. But at this moment I am in the process of being at peace with myself, healing many things, trusting in God, and waiting for the right person beforehand. So I would rather wait for a time to dedicate myself to my projects, to the coffee, to the farm, to the trips, to my family, and wait for that person to arrive when the time comes, and not have to be desperately looking for them to be able to have a relationship.
What was your favorite part of Medellín nightlife before going sober? And what was it after?
Well, before I stopped drinking and partying, I used to go to Provenza a lot, to Parque Lleras, to several discos that were there. And also to 33rd Street, where there are several gay bars that I liked a lot, that mixed a lot of techno, but also reggaeton and crossover tracks. I was always looking for an EDM party, so I went to several parts of Medellin where there were EDM parties until the wee hours of the morning. And now I am very much at home, so I make plans with friends or with family. I go to work out, or I am on the farm. I enjoy walks down the sidewalk, so I can be with the people of my area. And what I do is I like connecting with nature, connecting with God, connecting with my family, and being calm and focused.
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