The city that impresses me - Medellín

After a long journey of 14 hours from Cartagena, I arrived in Medellín. The bus journey was not pleasant, I can guarantee that. We drove all night, sleeping a little bit here and there, and as a result, I had a terrible headache and felt like I was about to vomit.

At the bus terminal, I was picked up by Álvaro. A very nice guy whom I had the chance to meet because of contacts in my hometown. At that moment, I was very grateful that he agreed to pick me up and introduce me to the city of Medellín. Especially because I was extremely tired and would have had trouble finding my way in that condition.

We took the metro and headed towards Álvaro's apartment. We had to change trains once. In the neighborhood of 'la america', a place where you don't see many foreigners, he took me to a hostel that was very close to his apartment. It turned out to be perfect for me, costing only 5 euros per night. Álvaro first offered me to rest and then come to his apartment to give me tips about the city.

Medellín is a city that many people know from the successful series 'Narcos'. Yes, the series revolves a lot around Pablo Escobar and the others. Much of the action takes place in the city of Medellín, as Escobar grew up and lived there.

Medellín, a city that has suffered so much and is now one of the most modern cities in South America. According to Google, 2.5 million people officially live in this huge city. It's incredible that just 15 years ago, the city was considered very dangerous. Colombians believe in the transformation and don't like to dwell on the hard, sad past. Drugs still play a major role in Medellín and many other places in Colombia. Many people still die because of them. Of course, the numbers have significantly decreased. I think that many people simply don't see any other perspective and that's why they get involved with drugs. Most drug smuggling goes to the United States. Therefore, the United States supports the Colombian government in the fight against drugs.

I spent almost 2 weeks in Medellín, although I also spent two days in Guatape (a suburb). During the first 5 days, I stayed at a hostel (named Cafeondas) in the neighborhood of la America. The hostel was very special to me because I got along great with the staff and guests, the neighborhood was not visited by many tourists, making it very authentic, and the city center was easily accessible by metro.

Things I did in the first few days in Medellín:

- Free walking tour of the city center

- Graffiti free tour of Comuna 13 (which used to be one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the world)

- Taking the cable car to a mountain where the Parque Aví was located.

- Visiting the Botanical Garden and walking around the city center.

After the first 5 days, I took a trip to Guatape, about 2 hours away by bus. It's a beautiful landscape with the colorful tourist village of Guatape. In the 70s, many parts of the region were flooded with water. The goal was to generate electricity, so a dam was built. Today, this region of Colombia is a popular destination for many vacationers. Many Colombians also come here on weekends. For me, there were already too many tourists!

Back in Medellín, I decided to rent an Airbnb room in the city center. I stayed in the apartment of a very nice host for 3 nights. The view of the city center of Medellín from the 18th floor was incredible.