Alright.. carrying on...
It´s tough to imagine that Medellin was once known as the most dangerous city in the world. I landed at MDE a few days ago and was greeted by Freddy; a Colombian grandpa, holding a sign with my name on it ready to take me wherever I wanted to go, which in this case was straight to my hotel in the El Poblado area. That afternoon, I joined a city tour of Medellin led by a 26 year old named Pablo. Pablo was born and raised in Medellin but have spent a few years living in Hungary and France. Thanks Maddie for recommending his tour and I would forward that recommendation to anyone visiting Medellin- Real City Tours. The group consisted of about 20 folks in the same general age category from all across the world though I was mainly socialing with the group I will refer to as Toronto (5 guys from Toronto) and Aussie (Paula from Oz but now lives in England). During the beginning of the tour, Pablo gave us a little lesson on street smarts in Medellin. He used the term that sounded like "papaya" but I am pretty sure that was not the exact word, regardless, that is what I will use. He leveled the papaya by 5 levels. Level 1- just be cautious to level 5 - high alert with your bag in front of you at all times. The tallest Toronto and I looked at eachother and said, ¨"so basic common sense when traveling abroad!"
Pablo took us all over downtown and told stories about his childhood, experiences and general history of the highlighted spots in the downtown area. At one point, we were gathered in front of this white church near Plaza Botero and as he was telling us stories of the past, more and more folks started gathering around us making eye contact with our pockets and bags. He interrupted his history/story telling with "papaya 7"..getting serious.. and next thing you know we were escorted across a neighboring plaza with the company of the policia. I can't say that has happened to me before! During the course of the 4 hour walking tour, I found it tough to imagine that this vibrant city was once plagued by violence and deaths. Some of the squares we openly walked across was once so unsafe that only the military had the credentials to set foot on due to the violence. The public used to avoid police officers because there was a $1000 US bounty on anyone that brought in a badge and uniform (from a dead body). For a city that was voted the Most Innovative this past year and with a public transport system that would put the one in San Francisco, CA to shame -- I was and am having a very tough time wrapping my head around it´s violent history and how they were able to rise above it. One of the highlights of the tour for me was the street food! Torontos, Aussie and I flocked to the empanada corner station. At 50 cents an empanada and $1.00 gualapas (sugar cane juice with lime).. dinner was had at $2.00!
My second day here, I took a day trip to El Penol and Guatape. I would have felt a bit lonely without the company of the Torontos and Aussie if I wasn´t adopted by a group from Madrid! On our way out of the city, I laid eyes on the homeless life here and it was definitely a scene your eyes will want to shy away from. It was tough to witness. El Penol and Guatape are not must sees but it was nice to have the time to do. I climbed the 600 plus steps to the stunning views atop El Penol and the town Guatape couldn´t have been more charming with their colorful hand painted houses. Did I mention the bag of fresh cut up fruits you can munch on for 11 cents?! Yes, a dime and a penny!
I started my third day with a trip up the metro cables to the outskirts of Medellin. It´s probably the cheapest overview of the city you will ever experience at less than $1 for a metro ticket for the trip. On my way back, I detoured to some of the areas Pablo took us on.. what a difference the scenery and vibe .. night vs day! The afternoon was spent at a welcoming cafe in the Poblado area with John Mayer and Norah Jones playing in the background. It would have been perfect if there wasn't a Patriots/Brady and Niners/Kaepernick hating guy in there. I would have taken his San Francisco residence and his man card away from him if I could. Idiot. Prior to my trip here, I heard a lot about the women here and the size of their boobs. I've not seen anything out of the ordinary, however, I am convinced that many women here either have butt impants surgically placed or it's padded in their panties.
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