Colombia 2015

On my second full day in Medellin, I learned about a darker period in Medellin's history when I took a Pablo Escobar tour offered by Paisa Road. I booked this tour via a nearby hostel. I was aware that these tours are controversial locally because many Colombians just don’t want to talk about that period in history, and simply joining a tour like this is akin to promoting it. However, as an Urban and Cultural Geography major, I am always fascinated by the historical and cultural factors, including the shared traumas, that shape urban landscapes, so I went on this tour to learn more about what makes Medellin tick.

This tour was quite an eye opener. The guide, Paula, grew up in Medellin when the cartel was at its most active. Some Trip Advisor ratings of Paula weren't too positive, with people calling her cranky and opinionated. I definitely saw that in her, but what I also saw was a young woman who was robbed of a normal childhood. I cannot imagine what it was like to live through years of this violence and, as a child, being able to tell the difference between pistol and rifle fire.

Anyway, back to the tour itself. The majority of the sights were in the upscale El Poblado area. Paula showed us buildings that Escobar occupied, sites that his forces attacked, the building where he was killed, and a shrine where cartel members used to pray for protection. The last stop on the tour was Escobar's grave which was in a cemetery a little south of Poblado.

Along the way, we got insights into Escobar himself as well as life during the cartel days and its lingering effects. For example, in the past motorcycle helmets were banned as the police wanted to be able to recognize riders, and even today it is illegal for two males to be on a motorbike because in the past the pillion riders would fire weapons from their motorbikes (I guess the assumption is that women cannot shoot!).

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