Medellin: Parting Thoughts

Many of my friends reacted with surprise and consternation when they learned I was going to Medellin. Is Medellin safe? Well, I felt safe in most of the parts of the city I visited, but I was aware how much I stood out. The people are friendly and helpful. There was a noticeable police presence, but most of them were patrolling on foot instead of in cars, which made it feel as if they were in the community. I especially loved the fact that the public infrastructure was built to integrate and include.

I guess the people have been isolated for so long that they were genuinely pleased to see visitors. Strangers would make sure we got onto the correct platform on the metro, and they would offer us their seats. Service staff would try hard to communicate even if they spoke no English. A taxi driver transporting one of Jeff's diver friends called his English-speaking daughter in Miami to make sure his passenger understood where she was going and what she should expect at her destination. Other visitors to the Parque Explora aquarium told us the names of the various fish species. I could go on and on. In short, my already positive impressions from our 2011 trip to Cali were reinforced

Apart from the metro system, Medellin also built a lot of public spaces. We were impressed by the many parks and public squares, and Botero himself donated many of his statues (worth millions) to those parks. Medellin has also built some world class sports facilities and the city hosts international sporting meets such as the one Jeff competed in. This was, in fact, his second visit to Medellin for diving.

It would be naive to say that Medellin has put its past behind it. As Paula told us on the tour, most Colombians don't want to talk about the past. But all this infrastructure that has been put in place can only be a positive development in support of the healing process.Read more