Medelling in Mighty Medellín

Originally, we had decided to take a collectivo to Pereira and then a bus to Medellín but all plans got thrown out the window as soon as we got to the bus terminal and discovered there was a bus that went “directly” to Medellín. This was probably the first mistake. The next seven hours became the horror road trip from hell for Jason, who began to get motion sickness not long after commencing the journey. Even though Jason took motion sickness tablets, he continued to vomit the entire way .. for SEVEN HOURS!!! We ended up being allocated seats in different parts of the mini-bus, with Ricky positioned at the back of the eighteen-seater vehicle. Even at the back of the bus, Jason's dry heaving and vomiting could be heard as other passengers tried their hardest to tune-out and stop themselves from joining in. Eventually, we arrived in the South Bus Terminal and were greeted by our Colombian friend, Carlos, who took us back to his apartment that he shares with his partner, Eylen in El Chagualo.

Almost immediately, we began to love the city with its vibrant culture and people. The people of Medellín are proud of their city and regional culture. Although Medellín has been plagued in the past with drug cartels and crime, the city seems to have shifted from the dark past of Pablo Escobar and the destruction caused by this drug lord and narcoterrorist. Nowadays things seem a lot calmer and most people would rather forget about the past and move on. Instead, at night in the entertainment district, people fill the streets enjoying themselves or sit on top of Pueblito Paisa overlooking the night skyline of Medellín, lit up like a Christmas tree.

After staying a night with Carlos and Eylen, we moved into our own apartment in Prado. The area may not have been the most upmarket place but it was within walking distance to Carlos’ and Eylen’s apartment and wasn't too far from the metro, which would allow us to get around the city. Near the metro area, a few minutes from where we were staying, people from all walks of life could be observed. On one occasion, when Jason was waiting for Ricky to return from the supermarket, Jason got to experience some of the local characters. As Jason sat waiting, the spare seat next to him was taken up by a woman who appeared to be wasted/high. Within a few minutes of sitting down, the woman began to disrobe herself, exposing her breasts, and then began to pour a bottle of water over herself. Jason figured she must have been hot as she began to pour water over her feet too. At this moment, Jason decided it was better to remove himself from the situation and watched on from the sidelines.

In parts of the downtown area, similar to many other big cities around the world, the homeless and drug problem were evident with people partaking in all kinds of drugs on the streets, with everything on display to the whole world. Some of the more colourful characters could be seen directing traffic to make a few pesos or were overtaken by a compulsion to weed the gardens in the median strips, as they frantically upheaved the grass and placed them in piles.

Not far from this same area are the beautiful buildings of the historical centre and the Plaza Botero, with exaggerated sculptures of overweight models. Look out, maybe we will be the next subjects of the great Medellín artist and sculptor! We certainly ate as if we were in training to become one of his models, as we treated ourselves to some of the local dishes, particularly the different cazuelas. We fell in love with the chicharrón, which is similar to pork crackling. Same, same but different. In fact, Jason's title of Little Miss Pottymouth has been replaced by Little Miss Glutton for his incorrigible insistence for ice-creams, donuts and all things guanabana (soursop) or coconut. And Ricky would be Little Miss Glutton junior. Who said you couldn't catch being fat? Certainly overeating is contagious. We have tried guanabana shakes, with water and milk, as well as guanabana ice-creams and plain old guanabana. We've eaten so much guanabana and coconut ice-cream that we're going to start looking like a ice-cream van or at least the size of one. When Jason went to order the thousandth guanabana and coconut ice-cream, he wondered why the woman looked at him weirdly when he ordered coca ice-cream instead of coco ice-cream, the former being the plant used to make cocaine and the latter being the one that bears fruit. In the end, Little Miss Glutton still got the desired outcome, walking away with an armful of goodies.

Over the 17 days that we stayed in Medellín we were fortunate enough to have a few of the locals show us around. The Colombian hospitality was never absent as Carlos and Eylen were generous with their time and suggestions on what to see in their amazing hometown. It feels as if we traversed all over the city visiting parks, gardens, stadiums and areas of historical importance, not to mention day trips to Parque del Arvi, a massive nature reserve consisting of 16,000 hectares of land. The cable car to Parque del Arvi was well-worth the trip in itself, with great views of the city and the park.

Another day was dedicated to Comuna 13, an area also known as San Javier, which has had a colourful past but more recently has been turned into a tourist destination with its almost endless walls of art covering the commune. Graffiti tours have even commenced with local artists explaining the different works on display. Jason was in his element, snapping walls of graffiti until he almost got RSI. We had been under the impression that the past shoot-outs were part of history only to discover a few days later that one of the most wanted gang leaders in Medellín had been hiding out in the area before the police and army were tipped off. To us, everything seemed relatively calm and peaceful, with children running around dancing for tourists.

Early on during our stay, we got to meet-up with some friends and former colleagues, Isabel, Elkin and Santiago for dinner in Pueblito Paisa, a replica of a typical turn-of-the-century Antioquian town. Despite the rain, we spent hours chatting and laughing, with the obligatory attempt at having a conversation in Spanish. On a couple of occasions, Isabel forgot where she was and commenced speaking to the waiter in English. The waiter looked back blankly, having understood nothing of what she said. And she wasn't even drinking!

During our time in Medellín, we got to meet a few of the residents, including Moises, who was originally from Venezuela but had been living in Medellín for about a year. Moises lived nearby and took us out drinking one night in the Poblado area. Fortunately Moises's love of English-speaking pop music meant that we didn't have to torture him with our poor Spanish, although we're making baby steps. We even went to the movies to watch a film in Spanish, no subtitles. It was a kids movie called Gnomos al Ataque (Gnomes Alone) and, while we may not have understood every word, we could follow along. The best part was that we were the only people in the cinema – not another soul!

Towards the end of our stay, we decided to take a day trip to Santa Fe de Antioquia, a small town 58 kilometres from Medellín. The town is filled with colonial-style buildings and cobblestone streets. There is a sense of going back in time when you arrive in the town. It's also a popular destination for Colombians to kick-back and reflex from the hectic life of the city. It was a nice change of scenery for a moment but these city-slickers were ready to return to the city. While we had a great time in Medellín, it was time to pack-up and continue on our journey.

Next stop: BogotáRead more