Colombia - Part 2

Medellin - Good morning from the "City of Eternal Spring"

We had a 16-hour bus ride from Santa Marta to Medellin. Usually, it took a few extra hours, but that was the least of our problems, considering the estimated freezing 16 degrees and a seat that was about to fall apart. Our expectations of Medellin were high due to stories and praises from friends and acquaintances. Let me just say this upfront: we were not disappointed 😊

Except for taking a stroll and celebrating Jürgen's birthday in a delicious Mexican restaurant, there wasn't much on the agenda for the first day. Our first accommodation was in the neighborhood of "Laureles", where we were allowed to sleep in a room with 3 double beds and a private bathroom for less than 4.50 Euro per night. Yeaaaaah! The nap on the first day was taken in separate beds, as we enjoyed spreading out after a cramped bus ride.

Medellin is incredibly diverse. We visited public exhibitions, various parks, and strolled through pedestrian zones and other streets. Our second accommodation was in the tourist neighborhood of "El Poblado". There, the trendiest restaurants and bars are lined up, and the wildest nightlife can be found. Unfortunately, we (of course) did not experience the latter, but we would like to mention that our bedtime was pushed back from initially 7 pm to at least 9 pm. At this time, Colombians are just starting to prepare their dinner, and we have not yet managed to adapt to the daily rhythm of the locals.

A few facts about Medellin: Once considered the most dangerous city in the world, it used to be risky to visit Medellin and especially the district of "Comuna 13" a few years ago. The city is changing! Where gang wars and drug lords used to randomly murder people, today graffiti attracts a large number of tourists. During our Free Walking Tour in Comuna 13, we learned a lot about the city's history, the meanings behind the graffiti, and the transformation from a cocaine hub to a trendy metropolis. In 2014, there were only 1,000 tourists per year in Comuna 13, but this year, the district can boast about 65,000 tourists per month. The expansion of the public transport network in Medellin has significantly contributed to an improvement in the quality of life. Above all, the construction of escalators and cable cars has connected the poorer areas with the other neighborhoods and ensured local access to work. Through these and other measures, it has been possible to counteract exclusion and significantly reduce the high crime rate. In summary, we can say that we never felt unsafe for a second.

The aforementioned tourism boom not only affects the city of Medellin but can also be applied to the entire country of Colombia. Large investments in infrastructure, gastronomy, and hotels confirm this. Unfortunately, according to locals, the rapid increase in visitor numbers is not based on a sustainable tourism concept. In many areas, short-term profit maximization at the expense of the environment is pursued due to the lack of regulations. Basic Austrian concepts such as "I don't litter - especially not in front of my own door" or "I turn off the engine of the bus when I stand at the rest stop for an hour" are unfortunately not the norm here. We were shocked every time, but we are also aware that the Colombian population has bigger (existential) problems to deal with than CO2 emissions, etc. However, the "Friday for Future" movement has already reached Colombia, so we observed small environmental protection demonstrations. One must not be impatient...

The Pacific Coast - El Valle

After 5 days in the city, we longed for some sea air. Since September is the perfect time for whale watching on the Pacific coast of Colombia, we decided to fly by a small propeller plane over the jungle to the coast. We landed in the village of Bahia Solano and continued by TucTuc to the village of El Valle. Upon arrival at the "airport" (a tiny wooden and bamboo building without doors), we had to pay an entry fee and show our identification again. When the lady at the "checkpoint" saw Martina's last name, she started to smile. But when she read Jürgen's name and tried to write it down, she burst into laughter and shook her head. When we asked what was so funny, we only got the answer "Nombres". It's nice to be able to bring joy so easily 😊.

The Pacific coast is a very unspoiled region, as it is cut off from the rest of the country by the rainforest and is very difficult to reach by land. We settled into a hostel in El Valle for 5 nights. A really tiny village... but that doesn't mean it should be quiet here. We have already noticed that in Colombia no town is too small to sing, dance, or simply chat loudly until 1 am. Colombian Spirit - We love it!! We also noticed the isolation in terms of food. The thought "I'll buy the pastries tomorrow, they'll be fresher then" is a lie. The bakery was only delivered to twice a week at most, so one day we found an empty display instead of fresh bread or bread from the "previous day". Apparently, fruits and vegetables in supermarkets remain in their boxes until everything is empty or eaten by mosquitoes. Checking the freshness of the products - not a thing (it seems we still have our "Hofer glasses" on).

The Pacific coast is a natural paradise, so we took long walks on deserted beaches, went on a trip to a waterfall, and embarked on a beautiful river hike. The only downside was that September is the rainy season! But we didn't let the daily showers ruin our mood.

Our second personal highlight in El Valle was opening and eating a coconut with our bare hands. Like Tarzan and Jane in the jungle (with clothes on), we ate the delicious fruit and celebrated as if we had won a championship. However, this triumph followed a miserable failure. When we threw our find against a tree trunk with brute force and repeated the process 20 times without any visible progress, a passing Colombian took pity on us and cut the coconut into bite-sized pieces with his machete. With a mixture of charm and joy, we ate them. Although it tastes even better when you "hunt" it yourself 😊

Tamesis

Our next stop took us to an off-the-beaten-path town called Tamesis. A friend of Martina highly recommended this place - thanks, Mario! The bus driver confirmed that our destination was off the tourist path when he asked if we were sure we wanted to go to Tamesis upon boarding: "Solo un pueblo pequeno!" We confidently agreed with a "Si" and continued on a beautiful road further into the mountains. Tamesis is a town without major highlights, but it is full of warmth and contentment from the people who live there. We felt completely comfortable from the very beginning and spent a lot of time reading, playing, sleeping, drinking beer, and exploring every single alley. The harmonious atmosphere was only put to the test during a game of Jolly (see photo). On our last evening, we sat in a village pub where, just before we were about to leave, 2 more beers were placed on the bar for us - sponsored by the gentleman sitting across from us at the bar. We speculated that this must have been the mayor who was pleased with our fair skin or wanted to polish his image shortly before the election.

Salento

As the final stop of our 40-day trip in Colombia, we visited the coffee region of Salento. Besides visiting a young coffee farmer who introduced us to coffee cultivation and processing (including tasting), it was the giant wax palms in the Cocora Valley that amazed us.

A general observation about Colombia

The country in northern South America surprised, fascinated, and enchanted us mainly due to its diversity. It was also wonderful to experience how lively and helpful the Colombian population is. Whether it was a confused look in the city, at the bus station, or on the bus itself... someone was always willing to help - that's what makes traveling even more fun 😊 It is worth mentioning the number of street vendors with a wide range of products: in addition to food and drinks (which seemed logical to us), everything was sold, from pencils to cleaning rags to antennas and music boxes. Most items were quickly sold while walking or on the bus. We are not quite sure if the right articles were chosen for an impulse purchase. Life on Colombia's streets is usually vibrant, and there is always something happening - including Latino music. It's impossible not to be in a good mood.

Also worth noting is the unusually close relationship between Colombians and cheese in our opinion. Yes, cheese is really delicious (note from the female editor: and especially essential for vegetarians), but please not always and everywhere! We were already surprised by the combination of sweet pastries with cheese, but cheese as a topping on ice cream? In good Austrian: "That's crossing a line!"

In general, Colombian cuisine was full of surprises. Especially the fried pastries are like a game of chance, and the culinary variety is often limited for vegetarians. In the past few weeks, we have learned a lot in this area as well.

As pictures speak louder than a thousand words - take a look for yourself!

In this spirit, "Adios" from Colombia and "Hola" from Ecuador!