Stop 26: Medellin

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Medellin was never in our travel plan, with our initial vision of Colombia (our final destination) involving beaches and little else. However, after talking to other travellers we realised that there was alot more to this country and that we should really use our 3 remaining weeks to do it some justice! So... after a flight from Ecuador (an overland border crossing is not advised), we arrived to a rainy Medellin. We were surprised when boarded a taxi to discover a TV, but a little less surprised when we were serenaded by the dulcit tones of Shakira. Hilarious... we'd only been in the country for 5 minutes.

We would love to say that we chose our first Columbian destination for it´s history or beauty but infact it was the cheap airfare that pulled us in! It has however turned out well: the city does have an interesting story... and it also happens to be near Coffee country; Bonus!

15 years ago Medellin was no go area. The city´s drugs cartel, controlled by infamous Pablo Escobar, was the most powerful in the whole country. As a result the city was ruled by criminals and the streets were a very dangerous place to be. However, wandering around now this is clearly just a distant memory.

With only one full day here our experience of the city has been rather limited but not without adventure. We stayed in the very middle class barrio 'El Poblado' where we enjoyed taking advantage of the 3 for 1 cocktail offers and people watching. A special mention has to go to the silicone enhanced women (it's not only boob jobs that are common here), who inspired our new game: Real or Not Real! Hours of entertainment!

We also enjoyed a cable car trip. With a new transport network Medellin boasts a tube system that includes a cable car up into the hills that overlook the city. A great opportunity to get a good view.. or so we thought. After 20 minutes on said car we started to become a little confused as we appeared to be plunging deeper into the forest. When we eventually reached the end of our trip we were in the (freezing) national park dressed for summer...oops! We then went on the shortest walk known to man before getting back on the cable car to the city. Oh well, at least it makes a good story!
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Photos

Oops!
Us after our cable car adventure!

The Famous Columbian Arepa
Lunch!

Comments

[roopa]

gorgeous
i love random stops, mostly everything we did in South America was what people had recommended and said we had to see! Arepa looks tasty. ell your hair looks so long and gorgeous! (and u look good stevey!)xx