Blogs from Medellin, Colombia, South America - page 16

Und noch einer... Von Cartagena gings dann ueber Nacht nach Medellin. Fahrtzeit war so 14 Std glaub ich. Man kann aber ganz gut pennen in den Liegesitzen. Es war aber arschkalt weil die die Klimaanlage mal auf maxi-maximum gestellt haben. Ist hier wohl obligatorisch. Versteh nicht so ganz was das soll. Also von der Hitze der Kueste gings dann in die "Stadt des ewigen Fruehlings". Medellin liegt auf 1500 m und hat ganzjaehrig ein super angenehmes Klima. Immer um die 25 Grad. besser gehts nicht. Die Stadt galt in den 80ern und 90ern als gefaehrlichste Stadt der Welt aufgrund der Taetigkeit des Medellin-Kartells unter Fuehrung von Pablo Escobar. Das Medellin-Kartell war die weltweit fuehrende Mafia in Puncto Kokainhandel. Das oeffentliche Leben fand quasi nicht statt weil die Drogenbosse sich als zweite Macht im Staat aufspielten und ... read more

We approached Medellin in our 'ol bone shaker' of an aircraft in late afternoon. There are actually two airports in Medellin. The old one is up in the hills around 40 minutes drive from Medellin. The new one is in the Northern part of the City. Avianca flies into the old one and that's where we headed. My main regret of the journey was not having my camera close to hand. It was a spectacular approach to the airport flying low over the hills with the mountains in the background. It could have been Switzerland with the lakes, green hills and the farm houses dotted around. Really pretty and with the setting sun over the Andes it would have made for a few good photos. Damn. Recovering our bags and transferring out of the airport was ... read more

Hola amigos! So, I made it safely to Medellin on Friday afternoon after a loooong journey via bus from Otavalo. I barely made my night bus at the Colombian border because the crossing took entirely too long. It seemed that everyone in front of us didn´t have their papers in order and took ages. Thankfully, my bus was late to arrive to the station so I jumped on, sprung for the more comfy version and snoozed my way through southern Colombia. When I awoke on Friday morning, the bus came to a stop on the PanAm and for whatever reason the highway was shut down for 3 hours. Though annoying, I must admit it was nice to stretch my legs and sit in the sun midway through the 26 hr journey. When I got to Medellin, ... read more

For a fullversion with pics and all please visit Colombia Travel Blog I was about to publish my fourth post about Travelling to Colombia in a month, and realized that one of the most beautiful festivals in Colombia is coming up next August. Last time I was in Medellin at the Feria de las Flores was in 2008 and my attention was inmedatly grabbed by one specific character: el silletero. Adam, from the fantastic Eyes on Colombia Blog was kind enough to share a post he did with Colombia Travel blog by Marcela's readers, explaining with great detail what a silletero is. So, if you are considering to visit Medellin or to take a Medellin Tour, you might want to save a week to enjoy the beauty of the Feria de las flores that has many ... read more

There's an awful lot of coffee in Columbia. So we'd heard, and decided to head straight to the Zona Caferia from Medellín, our port of entry from Ecuador. Medellín is a read brick and tile city surrounded by mountains that provide a deep green backdrop. The road from the airport to the city winds through rich agricultural country with comfortable farms and and commercial nurseries. The city was once the centre for the cocaine trade. The obvious reminder of violence past is the large number of security personnel in evidence. It is now a safe place to visit and has diversified its economy, which is clearly continuing to thrive. Civic pride is apparent everywhere, from the almost sparkling new metro system to the space given to formal artworks (including its most famous citizen Fernando Boltero) and ... read more