utanför-the-beaten-path-äventyr, robusta landskap, speciella kulturer och livliga städer. Detta är bara en bråkdel av vad Sydamerika har att erbjuda resenärer. Allt detta låter fantastiskt, så varför hade vi aldrig satt fot på den här kontinenten under våra 8 år av vandring runt om i världen?! Oavsett anledning, när det hänför sig till reseplanering, var Sydamerika aldrig på korten.
Det kan ha tagit oss ett tag att komma hit, men vi har äntligen rört sig på vår 5: e kontinent. Sydamerika, vi har kommit!
Nu kör vi! Reser från Grenada till Colombia
Jag erkänner det innan du reser till Medellín (och Colombia som helhet) gjorde vi några Google-sökningar, som såg lite på något sådant:
“Är Medellín säkert?”
“Vilka stadsdelar är farliga i medellín?”
“Kan jag gå ut på natten i Bogota?”
Som nybörjare resenärer till Colombia var vi sorts förväntade det värsta när det gällde de större städerna och ville vara lämpligt förberedda.
Allt vi var tvungna att basera vår colombianska information om var online resebloggar (som vi befanns vara föråldrade), den information som finns i vår guidebok (som ofta är opålitlig) och talar med våra colombianska pals (som faktiskt sagt det Massor av områden är mycket sketchy i städerna). För att inte tala om media och TV-program (Narcos!) Som regelbundet påminner oss om att Medellín var hemmet för den ökända Pablo Escobar och hans drogkartell.
Åh, också några bra vänner av oss var rånade i Bogota och tusentals dollar av elektronik blev stulna från dem.
Så, bort till Medellín gick vi, redo för det värsta, men som alltid, hoppas på det bästa!
Ljust målade trappor i El Poblado, Medellin
Människorna i Medellín
Vi anlände till klockan 11:00 på flygplatsen och hälsades av mycket vänliga tulltjänstemän som knappt talade engelska. De uppmuntrade oss mycket vänligen att kanadensare behöver betala en “ömsesidighet” avgift på 171 000 COP ($ 53,75 USD). Detta var en chock som vi inte läste om det här någonstans online – och det är en avgift som bara amerikanska canucks måste betala.
Efter att ha laddat avgiften på vårt kreditpoäng kort, fortsatte vi för att utbyta några amerikanska dollar för att kunna betala för vår 45 minuters taxi i staden. Kvinnan på pengarna växlar hade ett betydande leende, ljusröd läppstift och snällt ögon. Hon talade mycket långsamt till oss och var individuellt med vårt svar i brutna spanska.
Vi frågade då två kvinnor som taxibolaget var bäst att ta – vit eller gul? Med stora leenden på deras ansikten pekade de oss till den vita.
Det var sent, det var mörkt, och vi hade inte ett lokalt SIM-kort i vår telefon ännu, vilket indikerar att vi inte hade några sätt att spåra taxi på vår GPS. Bilisten kunde ha tagit oss någonstans. Men vår taxibilist körde oss direkt, och säkert till Maloka Hostel i El Poblado och debiterade det avtalade beloppet på 65 000 COP ($ 20 USD).
Läs mer: Hur man undviker att bli rippad av taxichaufförer
Kvinnan i receptionen på vårt vandrarhem hälsade oss och gav en kort introduktion till utflykter och saker att göra i Medellin.
hurra! Vi har äntligen gjort det till Colombia!
Tja, det var en otrolig introduktion till Medellíns folk!
Denna känsla av att välkomnas som utlänning i den stora “läskiga” staden fortsatte under vår vistelse, som var 7 nätter.
Grannskapen
Medellín är huvudstaden i Antioquia, och ligger i Arburra Valley. Staden är omgiven av fantastiska berg med massor av färgglada comunas som fodrar backarna.
Vi valde att bo i det trendiga, exklusiva, nattlivsområdet i El Poblado. Det är här massor av vandrarhem, hotell, restauranger, kaféer och barer. Och om / när vi återvänder till Medellín, kommer vi att stanna i detta grannskap igen.
Bara några steg från vårt vandrarhem var internationella och nationella restauranger som serverar mycket god mat. Walking 15 minuter tog oss till tunnelbanestationen El Poblado som kopplade oss runt i staden, och i de omgivande områdena var massor av köpcentra – vilket var bäst eftersom vi behövde få några regnjackor!
Sushi på sushi butiken var riktigt bra och prisvärd
Denna del av Medellín är helt säker för att gå runt under dagen och natten med kameror, plånböcker och handväskor. Vi kände oss som El Poblado hade en bra blandning av lokalbefolkningen, expats och turister, och även om vissa dub detta område “Gringolandia”, massor av de barer som vi frekventerade var fyllda med colombianska människor – vilket var bra.
Vi fick nöje i vår vistelse i El Poblado, men vi tror absolut att alla måste våga ut och utforska massor av de andra stadsdelarna i Medellín. För en lista med “no-go areas” click here…but keep in mind that situations in the city are regularly changing, so always ask locals.
Plaza Botero on a sunny day in Medellin
After getting our bearings and acclimatizing to the big city, we ventured off to check out the Centro area of Medellín. We were told that this downtown area is fine to walk around in during the day, but if we were to check out at night, we shouldn’t bring any valuables with us.
Alighting at the Parque Berrio metro station brought us ideal to the extraordinary sculptures and works of popular artist, Fernando Botero, who is actually from Medellín. Botero is known for depicting people and animals in exaggerated volume – generally every figure he creates is fat! His work can also be found in new York and Paris.
Some of Fernando Botero’s statues in Plaza Botero
Right next to Plaza Botero, we found a few drunk men stumbling around (one actually hit a policeman), women propositioning themselves to passersby, children playing with toys, couples strolling hand-in-hand, and vendors selling anything you could possibly need or want (cocaine anyone?).
Oh yes, this was a very interesting part of the city! regardless of all of this, we still felt safe in this area, but were a bit a lot more mindful of our belongings.
This center is where you’ll find lots of of the sites of Medellín – the old railway station, Parque de las Luces, Veracruz church, Bolivar Park and Museo de Antioquia, to name a few. However, the city is so much a lot more than its “must-see’s”, and I highly recommend having “experiences” in Medellín, rather than ticking off all of the sites – of which, there aren’t all that many.
Pillars of light in the Parque de las Luces
Our Experiences
We had lots of terrific moments during our first week in Colombia. We sampled Medellín’s incredible nightlife scene, met up with some really amazing expats, took pleasure in the company of a Goats On The road reader, practiced our Spanish with the locals, shopped for some clothes, went on an extraordinary walking tour, watched a football match (soccer game), and did a terrific day trip outside of the city!
Our first ever football match was amazing! We’ll write about it soon ?
But, one day in particular stood out for us.
We were able to travel on the metrocable and the metro line, both of which are very crucial upgrades to the city of Medellín. You may think that riding on a cord automobile and a subway is not an experience, and certainly not a highlight, but in Medellín, it is! The people of the city are very pleased of these modes of transport, and so they must be.
Prior to the metrocable, those who were living in the less developed barrios (comunas) had to spend around 2.5 hours commuting to work every day!
Because these residents live on such a steep incline, the metro line couldn’t reach the neighbourhoods, nor could the buses. With the implementation of the metrocable in 2004, these people are now able to ride the metrocable for complimentary from their homes on the hill, and connect with the metro line at the bottom.
This has been a substantial economic improvement for these communities.
Views from the metrocable of a comuna down below
We made a decision to ride the metrocable past the main stop, and connect with another line that would take us additionally up the mountainside to Parque Arvi. We passed over interesting neighbourhoods filled with people going on about their day-to-day lives. women swept their verandas, a band marched through the street, Colombian music blared from the bars, and laundry was laid to dry on the roofs of the homes.
Getting ready to switch metrocable lines and head additionally up the mountain
Arriving at our final stop, Parque Arvi, was a breath of fresh air, literally. After enduring the vehicle pollution of the city, arriving at the forest was just what we needed.
We weren’t exactly sure what to expect from the park as our hostel just told us that there is a little market at the top. We hopped off of the metrocable, and yep, there was a market selling organic produce, but there was also a couple of restaurants, a little bar and best of all, some hiking trails!
Fresh, organic berries available for sale at the market in Parque Arvi
Det fanns ingasigns or maps suggesting hiking, but we figured that since we were in a substantial park surrounded by trees, there had to be some trails, right? So, we hiked up the cement road until we pertained to a sign that read “Flora Trail”. It was about an hour-long journey and was filled with stunning plants and trees.
We breathed in the fresh air and basked in the silence of the forest. We only came across one other person the entire time.
Once we reached the end of the hike, we arrived at a road and ended up finding a loop back to where we started. It was the best walk.
The sign said to hug the tree…so I did!
First Impressions & overall Opinion
Medellín surprised, delighted, and annoyed us during our seven night stay. We found the history of the city very interesting and the Paisa people (those who are from the Antioquia region) to be very friendly and proud. Plus, we really took pleasure in the amenities on offer for travellers.
The carry was efficient, the food was fantastic, the local people were warm and welcoming, and the value for money was very good. We felt that the investments made in the city to improve the lives of the locals, really epitomized how far Medellín has come considering that the days when drugs and gangs ruled the city. We felt safe during our entire stay, and we ventured away from El Poblado quite a bit.
Cheers to Medellin!
The only annoyances we felt were from the traffic, the air pollution and the fact that certain areas were considered dangerous. But, this is coming from two people who had just arrived in Medellín from a pristine, tiny, underpopulated country in the Caribbean ?
Our first week in Colombia was filled with positive memories and really fun times. We’ll be writing a lot more in detail about the things we saw and did in the city in the coming days. stay tuned! If you’ve been to Medellín, please tell us your thoughts about the city in the comments below.
Travellers Notes:
Taxi from airport to El Poblado is a flat fee of 65,000 cop ($20)
Metro rides were 2,150 cop ($0.60)
The “L-line” metrocable was 4,600 ($1.50)
We stayed at Maloka Hostel ($41 / night with breakfast) and loved the clean, comfortable and quiet rooms. choose Verde or Dorado room. (No we aren’t paid to say that and we paid full price for our rooms)
Taxi rides are normally very low-cost around the city with lots of 15 – 20 minute rides costing less than $5 (aside from the airport, we never paid a lot more than $7 for a taxi)
Tickets to the football match were 34,000 ($11) each in the Alta Oriental section
The real City excursions complimentary walking excursion is very highly recommended (do it on your first day to get a feel for the city, people and history ideal away)
SIM card for calling and mobile data is only 5,000 cop ($1.60) and includes unrestricted Facebook & WhatsApp
Bring a rain jacket and don’t leave it in the hostel (especially in November). It can rain at any moment
You can drink the tap water in Medellin
Great local restaurants include Tres Tipicos, cord a Tierra Vegetarian restaurant (Parque Arvi), Restaurante Mongongo, Juan Valdez cafe (great coffee & snacks), El Social Bar.
Disclaimer: No portion of our stay, food or activities in Medellín, or Colombia as a whole, were sponsored.
Check out our video from our 1 week spent in Medellín!
For a lot more information, check out our Beginner’s guide to Backpacking Medellin and our utmost guide to travelling in Colombia!
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