09/10/2022 Medellin
What to expect
- 1 Medellin
- 1.1 Watch a live soccer match
- 1.2 Take the cable car up to Santo Domingo
- 1.3 Do a free walking tour downtown
- 1.4 Visit the Memory House Museum
- 1.5 Visit Comuna 13
- 1.6 Party at “Gringo Tuesday”
- 1.7 Bargain at the market El Hueco
- 1.8 Go on a food tour
- 1.9 Do a day trip to Guatape
- 1.10 Go paragliding
- 1.11 Stroll through the town on your own
Medellin
Smooth flight – more or less
Apart from a few turbulences, the one-hour-flight from Santa Marta to Medellin was smooth. After all, we were both pretty happy that we could sleep in a hostel bed that night instead of in a cold bus as originally planned.
Great accommodation
In the next morning we went out for an acai bowl and great coffee in the Café Al Alma and then moved into the Poblado Guest House for the next three nights.
Our guesthouse was great and for $13 p.p. per night, we could enjoy the rooftop terrace, a big living room, a kitchen that we shared with two other rooms, a water refill and free breakfast.
Watch a live soccer match
While I relaxed on the rooftop and went out for sushi (which Blake does not like), Blake went to the stadium to watch a soccer match with some other internationals. This is a very popular thing to do in Medellin.
Even though the game wasn’t as eventful, watching the atmosphere and the fans in the stadium was really entertaining for Blake.
In the meantime I caught up for drinks with an American girl, who we had met in Minca. We met up at the rooftop bar of Los Patios, which is a popular hostel in Medellin for backpackers. Later Blake and some other guys joined us on the rooftop. Together we all went to another craft beer bar to end the night there.
10/10/2022 Medellin
It wasn’t me!
In the next morning we wanted to join a free walking tour in downtown Medellin. But “someone’s” navigation skills were a bit off. When we arrived at the (what I assumed) starting point of the tour, we were actually still 25 minutes away from it. I love blaming Blake for things that go wrong, but this one was really on me (for once 😉).
Take the cable car up to Santo Domingo
So we spontaneously swapped our morning and afternoon plans and took the cable car first. Medellin is the only city in Colombia with a metro. And even though Colombians are usually loud and chaotic , they all magically “behave” inside the metro.
So many poor regions
We took the cable car up to one of the poorer regions, called Santo Domingo. It was shocking to see in what circumstances so many people in Medellin live. On the other hand, taking the cable car gave us a good idea of how massive and widely-spread Medellin is.
By the way, in Medellin it doesn’t matter if you take the metro for just one station or if you are changing lines and taking it for several stops – it always costs $0.70!
Do a free walking tour downtown
In the end it was good we missed our free walking tour in the morning as our guide in the afternoon was amazing! He made the tour so entertaining, interesting and funny and explained everything so well. (For example, he called Pablo Escobar “Voldemort”, since people here still don’t talk publicly about him as he was responsible for killing over 4000 people.) Although the tour went on for 3.5 hours, it didn’t feel that long at all.
Reunited after the Lost City Trek
After the free walking tour Blake and I caught up with two Irish guys in a craft beer bar that we had met on the Lost City Trek. Hiking for four days straight really bonded us 😉.
11/10/2022 Medellin
The struggle with big cities
It’s an interesting thing with big cities. While I take enjoyment and energy from nature and smaller villages, big cities seem to take energy away from me. It feels like there’s always some sight you “have to” visit. Moreover, the loud noises, lots of people, different smells and all the new impressions can really drain me. On the other hand, Blake gets energy out of big cities and absolutely loves all the action that is going on there (hence the live soccer match 😉).
Visit the Memory House Museum
So this morning, I felt like I needed a little break in order to let all the impressions from the previous two days in Medellin sink in. In the meantime, Blake visited the Memory House Museum, that deals with all the conflicts in Colombia, told from the victims’ views. Unluckily for Blake, it was all in Spanish.
After that we were going to meet up at the station San Javier, in order to do another free walking tour together: Comuna 13. However, when I went out of the one metro in order to change into the next one, I saw Blake out of the corner of my eye how he was about to hop on the wrong metro. Honestly, you let this boy out of sight for one second…
Visit Comuna 13
One of the most dangerous neighbourhoods in the worlds
Comuna 13 used to be one of the most dangerous areas in Medellin. But community projects and a series of outdoor escalators have helped turn this poor district into one of the most colorful communes in the city. Throughout the 80s and 90s, Comuna 13 was considered one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the world. It was run by violent drug trafficking organizations, who used the poor, sprawling hillside barrio as a transit route in and out of the city, and served as a stronghold for guerrillas, gangs, and paramilitaries.”
atlasobscura.com
This walking tour wasn’t as entertaining or funny as the last one but it was just as interesting! Our guide grew up in Comuna 13 and hearing him talk so passionately about the changes of the commune and of the hope the people have living in this commune was really emotional for me.
Transformation and hope for Comuna 13
After China, Comuna 13 has the longest outdoor escalator in the world. This way people from the hills of Comuna 13 can go downtown more easily and faster. Furthermore, they have a cable car now for the same purposes. In addition to that, people are making money with dancing, singing/ rapping and spraying graffiti/ murals on the walls paid by big companies. At last, the government has put up many surveillance cameras, so that people in the neighbourhood can feel safe. All these reasons combined have made Comuna 13 a major tourist spot, making it a safe space to walk around for everyone these days.
A beer from a former drug lord
After the tour we walked around Comuna 13 on our own, bought a beer in a bar from a former cocaine drug boss (he got into the legal business of brewing beer now), enjoyed the view from there over Medellin and ate a very delicious “arepa con doble queso”.
Just a little snack
These fluffy corn patterns are filled with cheese, then topped with more cheese and to make it even “healthier” drenched in condensed milk. Not sure if they really sound tasty, but they definitely were! It’s crazy though that Colombians consider this massive meal a “snack”.
Party at “Gringo Tuesday”
From a few backpackers we had heard about this party called “Gringo Tuesday” that takes place in “Vintrash” located in Poblado where most of the backpackers and expats live. It’s a party for all the backpackers/ internationals in town. So of course we had to go 😉.
Inside the club we caught up with the American couple again and also ran into some other backpackers we had met in previous places in Colombia.
We had a great time on all three floors (maybe not so much on the reggaeton floor; I don’t think we’ll ever get into that type of music) and around 1 a.m. it was time to hit the sack for us oldies and let the young kids party a little longer.
12/10/2022 Medellin
Hostel downgrade
In the next morning, after one last free breakfast, we had to move out of our great guesthouse, as it was booked out. Instead we moved into a very bad one without any breakfast. The new hostel was located in the night club area, which also meant that I could tell you from our bedroom which song was played next door in the club. We also happened to be in the hostel at the same time as a Colombian sports team full of teenagers who didn’t know that you shouldn’t yell inside a hostel before 7 a.m.. Ahh, the joys of travelling! But then again, what do you really expect for 9€ p.p. per night?😉
Bargain at the market El Hueco
We took the metro downtown to walk over the market “El Hueco”, which has one of the cheapest bargain shopping in Medellín. It can be easy to get lost in between all the stalls and shops that make up this chaotic local market. People selling clothes, shoes, food and pretty much everything you can think of, paired with so many people yelling at you to come to their shop from every side – it was pure chaos (but also very interesting to watch)!
After that we went to Laureles – a commune that is known for its university and student life – for something I was looking forward to a lot: a food tour!
Go on a food tour
Besides us, there was one other Danish girl on the tour. Together with our Colombian guide Diana we tried lots of different Colombian treats and dishes.
Starting the food tour with a shot
We actually started the tour with a shot called “Aguardiente” (also known as firewater, made from anise and sugar cane) followed by eating a green (sour) mango – way to start the afternoon!
The king and queen of Colombian streetfood
After that we had a guava candy (common tropical fruit), that was wrapped in a banana leaf (= no rubbish). Then we had the “king” and “queen” of the Colombian streetfood: el bunuelos (a fried cheese ball) and la empanada (usually potato and beef in a fried batter). You see those literally on every street corner! Colombian (street) food is usually not the healthiest as you can tell.
Medellin’s neighbourhoods rated from 1 to 6
In between snacks, we learnt a lot about the neighbourhood and about Medellin and Colombia as a whole. One of the facts was for example that Medellin is divided into numbers from 1-6, with 6 being the wealthiest. So if you live in a neighbourhood considered a 6, you have to pay more money for your utilities, such as water and electricity or even food in supermarkets as you also make more money. Usually those neighbourhoods have more trees, a better infrastructure, sometimes a bike lane, more space in between houses and more schools to choose from.
We then got our biggest snack which were different arepas (made from cornmeal) with cheeses, plantains and different types of meat. We were both in food heaven (especially me with the cheese and Blake with the meat)!
Learning about coffee
At the end we enjoyed a cup of coffee and learnt a lot about Colombia’s coffee production and the different coffee beans.
Resumé of the food tour
We both enjoyed the food tour and learnt so much (not only about food). But we both thought the name “food” tour could be a bit misleading as you actually don’t get as much food while the tour focuses on other aspects. On the other hand, we were both probably just comparing the tour with our taco streetfood tour from Mexico last year, where we both turned into two big tacos after all the amounts of food. So maybe it was for the better how it went on this tour. And also, what does that say about us that we wanted to eat more food on a food tour? 😉
13/10/2022 From Medellin to Guatape
Do a day trip to Guatape
Today we wanted to do a day trip to Guatapé.
Guatapé is a major tourist attraction, especially for travelers from Medellín. El Penon de Guatapé, a large rock that visitors can climb, and the famous zócalos (murals) that adorn several buildings attract many tourists.”
wikipedia
After a very tasty acai bowl and a two-hour-bus ride we arrived at Guatape around noon. The weather was great when we started our walk up to the rock “El Penon de Guatapé”.
No big deal
As often in this region, it starts raining in the afternoon. We, however, ignored the big grey clouds and started our hike up the rock for the next 720 steps. After the 1200 steps up to the Lost City, this wasn’t a big deal for us anyways, was it?
A little wet
Unfortunately, we weren’t the only ones with that plan. So with what seemed like hundreds of other (Colombian) tourists, we slooowly climbed up the mountain. With each step we took, the weather got worse. The now heavy rain totally soaked our shoes, socks and feet. At least the strong rain and now massive thunderstorm was keeping away the rest of the tourists at the top. And since the glass is always half full for Blake and I, we ran out to the top, enjoyed being the only ones there, enjoyed the view, laughed, hugged, took photos and then ran back to the staircase, where all the other tourists were waiting for the rain to stop.
When we walked down the rock again, rivers were coming down with us. That’s why it was quite the challenge not to slip and fall. (At least we couldn’t get any wetter at this point.) The only downside was that we had to stay in our wet clothes all afternoon in Guatapé, including during the long bus ride back to Medellin.
Cute downtown
We took a tuk tuk into town with some other wet tourists, tried to warm up with a hot soup (typical Colombian dish called Sancocho), enjoyed a cinnamon roll and walked around the cute old town (while running into some Americans we had met in Minca at our hostel).
The bus ride back took three instead of two hours. I guess it was no surprise that we both woke up with a cold the next morning. We’d still recommend Guatapé as a day trip to get out of the big city life for a bit. But maybe check the weather forecast before you go.
14/10/2022 Medellin
Go paragliding
In the next morning we got picked up at our hostel to go paragliding. We were both really excited! The start was about 40 minutes away from town on a mountain, from where you could overlook Medellin perfectly. Once we arrived, we got a short safety briefing in Spanish (like that would help us). After that we put our gear on and got a guide and a parachute attached to our backs.
Skyping while paragliding
And then two guys were yelling “rapido, rapido”. So I started running down the hill and before I knew it I was flying in the air. It was great! Not sure how secure I felt with my guide as he skyped with his wife DURING the flight. Okay, let’s share this special moment with your wife, please. Blake started right behind me, but was still earlier on the ground (nope, it’s not a competition 😉). We loved sharing yet another amazing experience together!
Stroll through the town on your own
Afterwards we did our own tour around town and went to all the interesting places again, such as the downtown market. Blake bought a basketball shirthere. Note that he’s got neither a basketball team (shockingly!) to cheer for, nor does he play basketball himself. But oh well, he owns a basketball shirt now.
One last beer, one last arepa
Afterwards we took the metro to Comuna 13 again, had an arepa with cheese and had one last beer from the former drug lord while overlooking Medellin one last time.
Ready for nature again
A full week im Medellin was very interesting, but also quite intense. So I’m excited for some nature and less people, noises and cars. But let’s get through the ten-hour-night bus ride first. Also, let’s hope the next hostel will let us in at 4.30 a.m. when we’ll arrive there.
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