Blogs from Medellin, Colombia, South America - page 9

I have struggled on whether to share this topic with everyone. You see I decided to purchase private salsa lessons during my time in Medellin. Cali style salsa is popular here and is a form of salsa I have little exposure to. It looks wonderful when performed by those who know it and “feel” it. Others like myself, look like chickens prancing around the barn yard. Hence, my dilemma on sharing video of my early attempts at the local variety of the dance. I found a dance studio recommended by several sources in my neighborhood of Poblado. It’s called “Santo Baile” and the owner/instructor is Mayra Cutiva. She is a professional dancer and is from Cali. In the beginning I thought it would be difficult to concentrate around her (I wonder why?) but she has developed ... read more

Food can be as much of an adventure as diving, hiking or whitewater rafting. Quality food at affordable prices are prevalent in the more local type restaurants. I have always enjoyed a mix of the “refine” and local grub. Luckily for me Poblado has international cuisine so I was not too far from personal favorites. Pizza, steak, swarmas and such can be had with little effort. I even found "good enough" Cajun grub in the adjacent barrio, Enviago. Breakfast, I tried to keep within the local variety, usually consisting of beans and rice, a good portion of round steak or pork, eggs, juice and the all-important Colombian accompaniment to a meal, the arepa. Now arepas are the local equivalent of tortilla or bread rolls consumed with a meal. They are made from corn meal and can ... read more

The city is broken up into many barrios (neighborhoods) which I belive are really municipalities. I only been able to explore a few and plan on expanding my efforts to the lesser traveled (by tourist) barrios in the future. Poblado is the principal tourist area and therefore the wealthiest part of Medellin. It has a large commercial/retail zone interspersed with residences like most urban cities of Latin America. Most residences are condo towers. The streets are landscaped with trees and parks, big and small, which allow for an abundance of shade during those warm sunny afternoons. Walking around this barrio is considered safe but you should always keep your street smarts engaged. Sidewalks, nature trails and creeks are numerous in the neighborhood and I recommend exploring them if your time allows. The number of cafes, bars ... read more

Jetzt sind wir schon 6 Tage in Kolumbien und noch immer ist nix passiert. Dabei geschehen in Columbien an einem Wochenende mehr Morde, als in Norwegen im ganzen Jahr. Ich finde, der Vergleich hinkt, denn in Norwegen hat es selbst ein motivierter Moerder schwer - mit dem ganzen Schnee, so lange Dunkelheit im Winter, da verirrt man sich ja womoeglich, ewig lange Fjorde, die einem am Vorwaertskommen hindern.... Heute war zwar kein border day, aber das volle Programm lief trotzdem: Frueh aufstehen, MR beladen, vors Hotel fahren, Fruehstuecken um 6.30 umd puenktlich um 7.30 sind wir abgefahren (14 º C). Sogar mein Privatfeind war rechtzeitig da, ich hoffe immer, dass wir ihn mal verlieren, weil er ja ewig zu spaet ist... Am Vorabend war im Hotel ein Hochzeitsempfang - im 7. Stock. Alle, die im 6. ... read more

We said our goodbyes to the Carribean Sea, taking our final swim at Tolu - during which Stu produced chocolate cake from the dry bag and we ate it whilst tredding water (a rare treat), later we boarded the night bus to Medellin: Once once of the most dangerous cities in the world. Despite its more than shady history, the place where motorcycle helmets were once banned due to too many shootings taking place by well disguised drivers, Medellin is a slick and modern city; by far the most modern weve visited in South America. One of the main factors in this is its efficient and uber clean metro, making it eary to get around the city. We wandered around the centre of town, avoiding the hard selling market stall owners, eating some local delight that ... read more