Medellin

Santa Marta to Medellin was our first really long bus journey, almost 20 hours door to door. It wasn't a lot of fun but actually wasn't as terrible as it sounds. We chatted to a couple of people, watched Mission Impossible in Spanish and slept quite well through the night. The worst part was the cold. The air-con was set to freezing and even trousers, jumpers, blankets and scarves weren't enough to keep us warm. Apparently this is normal here, haven't found out why yet.
Coming into Medellin we saw some great views over the city as the road comes around the mountain. We arrived at a busy and modern bus terminal / metro station, quite a contrast to our previous couple of weeks.
Next morning we were up early and out into the city. We found some funny little parks, some excellent statues of fat people and animals, and a lot of very friendly people. This city is definitely not the scary, dangerous murder capital it once was. The two things we noticed were how happy the city seems and how every street is a market, all the time.
We seem to have picked a good week to be here. There are a few events all happening at once, the big switching on of millions of Christmas lights, a national holiday to celebrate the Immaculate Conception, and the Parade of Myths and Legends (more on that later).
An area of the city called El Poblado seemed the best place to be in the evening. Some of the best (and strangest) Christmas lights, a nice park with lots of people sitting around with beers, and a great atmosphere.Read more