Day 53, 54, 55, 56, and 57 - Arrival in Medellín, Comuna 13, and a forgettable accommodation

Day 53, 54, 55, and 56 - Sunday to Wednesday, November 13th - 16th, 2022
An AirBnB with a great view

When we departed, we already had a delay of over 2 hours, and by the time we had everything sorted at the arrival airport, it was nearly 3 hours later than agreed with the taxi driver. Luckily, there was Wi-Fi available, and we could contact our driver again. He was still waiting in the arrival area and took us to his car. We tried to explain in our best Spanish that we needed water and cash, which we succeeded in. Despite the late hour, it was already 03:00 in the morning, our wishes were fulfilled, but we had to pay a whopping 50 dollars for the ride because the driver insisted on it due to the relatively long waiting time. We finally arrived at our apartment on the 26th floor of a high-rise building around 4 o'clock. We were completely exhausted and fell asleep immediately. Only the next morning were we able to fully enjoy the wonderful accommodation. We did a big shopping trip and spent the next 3 days planning the next destinations on our trip. Manfred also had to take care of some things for the wood corner, and we also called friends and family back home several times. We enjoyed the comfort that the apartment offered to the fullest. Apart from a few purchases and a walk through the city, we spent most of our time inside our four walls. Unfortunately, on Wednesday, we had to change accommodation. However, since almost all of Medellín was booked out over the weekend (which we did not expect), we had to book through Expedia, which turned out to be a big mistake. The new accommodation was not an apartment, as shown in the pictures on Expedia, but a tiny room with a dirty bunk bed. The owner lived in the apartment with his mother and at least 4 other people. He explained to us that he had already tried to delete the advertisement years ago but failed. We tried to help, called support until late into the night, and explained to Juan Carlos how he can access his emails. Unfortunately, the landlord was so dependent and incompetent that he couldn't log into his account nor cancel the accommodation in any way. He also wanted us to pay for the room again, which we had never actually booked, in cash, even though Expedia had already charged us. The room was full of dog hair and simply not what we had imagined, we felt very uncomfortable. We decided to look for a new accommodation the next day. Anna, with luck, found an affordable accommodation on AirBnB, and we booked the next few days there.

Day 57 - Thursday, November 17th, 2022
Comuna 13 and the new AirBnB

Today, we had a free walking tour in Comuna 13 on the agenda. This district of Medellín was notorious in the past for its ruthless murders and was the home of several different guerrilla groups. Today, it is the most touristy district in the city, shining with cool hip-hop performances, good restaurants, and a world-class view.
Our free walking guide told us how all this violence, poverty, and murder came about but also how everything turned for the better and could shine in a new light. This area of the city was very interesting for guerrilla bosses for two important reasons. Firstly, the district was very difficult to access, there is only one road that leads in and out, and secondly, from the very top, as the district is built on a relatively steep slope, one had a great overview and could keep an eye on all their friends and enemies. For a long time, the activities of these paramilitary groups had been more or less accepted by the local government, and the neighborhood had one of the highest murder rates in the world, until the then President Álvaro Uribe Vélez, at the request of the mayor of Medellín, decided to end the presence of these groups militarily and brutally. There were a total of two major operations with the same goal. The first operation, in 2001, failed because they thought they could only take over the entire neighborhood with police troops. In 2002, they started Operation Orion. With tanks, helicopters (donated by the USA), and militarily trained special units, they conquered Comuna 13 after 3 days of fierce fighting. The result was 16 deaths, including 6 civilians, almost 200 injured people, and countless missing people who were presumably executed by the guerrilla groups and buried in the nearby landfill. For this reason, many locals tell the story of this exceptional mission with very mixed feelings. But from that point on, things started to improve. The murder rate dropped to a minimum, an acceptable infrastructure was created (including the first outdoor escalator in South America), and many other projects were implemented to improve the lives of the local residents. Many of the residents now make a living from tourism through restaurants, souvenir shops, or hip-hop performances. In addition, you can admire the thoughts and feelings of the residents about the history of Comuna 13 on countless walls in the form of graffiti and somehow understand it. After the tour, we stayed a little longer in Comuna 13, enjoyed a typical Colombian lunch called Bandeja Paisa. Then we returned to the accommodation, packed our things, and moved into our new AirBnB. We were the very first guests there, and everything was just as described. We were happy again.