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Published: February 21st 2010
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After a 13 hour over-night bus ride from Cartagena, I arrived in the second largest city in Colombia, Medellín. Twenty years ago, the city was the drugs capital of the world with the highest murder rate on Earth. Fortunately, things have changed since then. Medellín is now a modern, bustling metropolis, and appeared to be as safe as any other large Columbian city. One advantage it has over other Columbian cities is that it has the only metro system in the country, albeit small (2 lines), but nevertheless meaning that transport around the city is relatively easy and cheap (50p for any journey). I didn’t like the actual centre that much, as it was overly congested, crowded and unremarkable. As the Plaza Bolivar is rather small, there is no real central focal point, so the city felt like more of sprawling urban developments rather than a city with an historic centre. The Plaza Botero, a square filled with sculptures by Botero on the theme of all things fat, made for an unusual and interesting attraction. The Botanic Gardens were one of the highlights of the city for me, and one of the few green spaces close to the centre. Another green
space in the city is Pueblito Paisa, a replica traditional village built on an outcrop close to the city centre, with 360 degree views over central Medellín and the hills that surround it. Besides the metro, Medellín also has two cable car systems, called metrocable, which form part of the metro network. As the city is surrounded by hills on all sides, the metrocable is the only way to get up the steep sides to the poorer neighbourhoods which are built on these slopes (besides walking of course). The metrocable is in fact the only cable car system in the world used for mass transportation. I went on both metrocables to opposite sides of the city (using one metro ticket as I didn’t get off); the views from the cable car over the city were spectacular. I didn’t get off at the two terminal stations as the views were better from the cable car, and the neighbourhoods didn’t look too safe
My hostel was situated next to a metro station, but I preferred to walk into town, as this was only 30-40 minutes away (flat). On the whole however, I found walking around the city difficult at best, with pedestrian
signs somewhat lacking, even in the centre, and when trying to walk to the Northern Bus Terminal, I ended up having to cross 3 lane roads on more than one occasion, as the city just doesn’t seem to be that pedestrian friendly.
I thoroughly enjoyed a day trip I took from Medellín to the Peñol Reservoir, a 2 hour bus ride away. The main attraction is a giant monolith, simply named La Piedra del Peñol (The Stone of Peñol), which overlooks the man-made reservoir and its many islands. The 700 steps from the base to the top of the rock were not too difficult; there is a newish looking concrete staircase that goes straight to the top, though in one place you can see the remnants of a rickety-looking wooden structure, which I imagine was the previous route up the rock. The views from the top were outstanding; I stayed up on top for quiet some time until the tranquillity was broken with the arrival of a rather loud group of American tourists. From the Piedra, it was a 3km walk to the nearby village of Guatapé, an idyllic traditional village on the reservoir, where I dwindled the afternoon before
heading back to Medellín.
As most of the hostels I stay at have their own kitchens, it was useful to find a large Carrefour hypermarket close to my hostel, which has a better range of (international) food than the Colombian supermarkets or markets. Although I mostly try to eat local traditional Colombian food, which is very cheap, I do miss a few foods such as good cheese (I’ve found most Colombian cheeses to be bland and like plastic), and luckily Carrefour stocks products like this, albeit at a rather high cost.
After my short stay in Medellín, it was off on a 5 hour journey to Manizales, the main centre for exploring Columbia’s coffee zone. The city itself is rather average; it is only 160 years old and has suffered from 2 large fires in the 20th century, so there is no real historic centre. The city is also incredibly hilly - there are 2 relatively flat streets that run through the centre, but on either side of these the city descends down steep hills. I was not overly interested in seeing the coffee zone or the city itself; my main reason for visiting Manizales was to see the Los
Nevados National Park. I booked a one-day tour through my hostel for the hefty price of $120,000 (£40), but this unfortunately turned out to be a complete waste of time due to the unpredictable weather. We were supposed to climb up part of the Nevado del Ruiz Volcano, the most northerly volcano in the Andes and which last erupted in 1985 causing landslides that killed nearly 30,000 people. With our guide we drove to the highest point accessible by road - some 4800 metres above sea level. From here there was a path that led to the summit of the volcano, though one-day visitors are not permitted past 5150m for fear of altitude sickness. The problem for us was the unseasonable 90km/hour wind, which constantly blew grit into my face and made breathing very difficult. Half of our group stayed in the log cabin at 4800 metres; I started with the guide to ascend the path, but it was just too difficult to breathe and to see with the wind, so I turned back at around 4950m above sea level. As the mist had also rolled in, you could not see anything anyhow, so there was little point in carrying
on. The afternoon of the tour was wasted in my view, as it was spent in a hotel’s thermal baths rather than exploring the beautiful landscape that surrounded us (back down off the volcano the mist and wind were not an issue). Shame that the weather ruined the day really, but that’s the way it goes sometimes.
After an 8 hour bus ride today, I’m now in Popayán, my last proper stop in Columbia before crossing into Ecuador.
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