En Suramérica: Medellín & Salento, Colombia

Greetings amigos,

Hope this post finds you all in good spirits. This past Thursday, June 16 Adi and I arrived in Quito, Ecuador and are currently staying in the Mariscal neighborhood, otherwise known as "Gringolandia" to the locals; it is the tourist center of Quito for most travelers, full of restaurants, bars, clubs, etc.

On Wednesday, June 8 we left Bogotá to head to Medellín and spend just under a week there. Medellín is the second largest city in Colombia, next to Bogotá. If Bogotá is the New York of South America, Medellín is comparable to Chicago. It has more than 3.5 million people and every street is packed with people walking, biking, in taxis, etc. The city has a metro transit line that will take you pretty much anywhere you want to go within el centro.

We stayed in a great hostel called Palm Tree where we connected with people from all over the place- ironically enough I met a guy named Chris who also happens to be from Chanhassen, MN. He is actually an old friend of my neighbor. On Thursday we walked to el centro and made our way to a few parks; El Parque de Pies Descalzos (Barefoot Park) where it's recommended that you take off your shoes and walk around in the sand, as well as the Plaza de Cisneros and Plaza Mayor.

Medellín during the 1980s was known as the most dangerous city in the world due to the crime with the Medellín drug cartel and since then, the city has been working to improve its image. Now it is said to be safer than both Washington D.C. and New Orleans. The urban planning here is excellent- the metro which also connects to the teleferico has greatly improved the transportation of the city's population. The architecture is another thing I really enjoyed- the buildings are very modern and together they create a beautiful skyline.

Friday we went to an area called El Poblado, which is full of restaurants and bars and spent the day wandering around there. In the evening we had the barbeque at the hostel and went out later with some of the other guests. Saturday we went to the Jardín Botánico (Botanical Garden). The park was full of people- there is no entry fee so everyone tends to hang out in the huge grassy fields and enjoy the weekend afternoons. Medellín is known for being the city of eternal spring, and it sure lives up to its name. The weather is a consistent 70-80 degrees and pretty much always sunny.

Sunday we took a side trip from the city to a pueblo called Guatapé to see El Peñón de Guatapé- a 200 meter-high rock surrounded by a man-made lake/resevoir in the middle of the mountains. The history of Guatape is fascinating. In 1988 a hydroelectric dam was constructed on a river flowing through the area to provide energy to the surrounding cities, and now Guatapé and the dam provide 30% of Colombia's electricity. When the dam was constructed the old town of Peñol was submerged and currently sits at the bottom of massive Lake Guatapé, which is one of the biggest in the country. All of this resulted in a new city being constructed just 2 minutes away from the rock. Tourism has brought the town to where it is today- a fun, safe, and happy place to relax and spend the day. The rock was first climbed in 1954 and instantly became an attraction for tourists in the area. Before its discovery it was worshipped by the indigenous tribes of the area. Soon after its discovery a German scientist discovered a new species of plant on the top which led to many controversial discussions about where the rock originated. There are myths that speak of the rock being a meteor that fell from the sky hundreds of years ago and supposedly more than half of the rock is buried beneath the ground. The whole day was a great experience, and it was somewhat rewarding to make it to the top after 644 rigid stairs, and even more difficult at such an altitude above sea level.

Monday, June 13 was our last day in Medellín before we would head to coffee country. We spent the day getting to know the metro and took the teleferico up to La Biblioteca de España which sits high in the mountains among a poorer neighborhood of the city, but has a beautiful view. In the evening we took a bus to Armenia, about 8 hours from Medellín, and immediately caught a bus to Salento.

After resting for a while in La Casona de Lili (hostel in Salento) we headed out to Cocora to hike among the wax palms and up to Acaima, a hummingbird sanctuary run by an older couple who live quite seclusively in the middle of the forest. We met some German travelers on our way back to the city and had dinner and a few beers with them in the "downtown" area. Wednesday we walked about an hour to a coffee finca in the middle of the mountains where we toured the farm and were brought through the entire process from harvesting the bean to brewing the coffee. It's amazing how complex the process is, and how different Colombian coffee is from that of the rest of the world.

Great experiences in both places. I thoroughly enjoyed Medellín and was happy we were able to stop in "El Eje Cafetero" or coffee country to witness and experience the entire production of coffee in a country that is known for it. Colombia is a beautiful country and we had some really unforgettable experiences there. Thanks to the Bleier family for being such great hosts while in Bogotá, and everyone else that we've met along the way!

Below are some pictures from Medellín and Salento, enjoy!

Plaza de Cisneros