Medellín and Guatapé

Medellín

We then flew to Medellín from Santa Marta. Medellín is the second largest city in Colombia and is located at an altitude of about 1500 meters. Our accommodation was in Manila in the El Poblado neighborhood. This neighborhood is very touristy and there were restaurants and cafes lining up around our accommodation. We tried many of them in the next few days. On the first evening, we also treated ourselves to a delicious pizza.

The next day, we started with a Free Walking Tour in the city center. Apart from the Plaza Botero with the funny statues of the artist of the same name (some pictures below), the center didn't have much to offer. Our guide told us more about the history of the city, which was also very interesting.

After the tour, we went to the Museum Casa de la Memoria, which was built as a memorial to the victims of the conflicts in Colombia. The museum was partly very touching. Unfortunately, the structure was not really well organized. There were different stations with memorabilia, but somehow the stories were missing.

In the evening, we went out for dinner again. This time we chose Vietnamese cuisine, which was also very delicious.

Day 2 started again with a Free Walking Tour. This time through Comuna 13. This neighborhood used to be one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Medellín due to gang wars. However, it has now become a very cool neighborhood with lots of street art, beautiful galleries, and many young people showing their breakdance choreographies. In order to get up the hill, 6 outdoor escalators were built. After the tour, we stayed there for some time as you could stroll through the streets and try some street food, which we had not seen before.

In the afternoon, we visited Pueblito Paisa. This is a replica of a typical village from the Paisa region, which is located on a hill in the middle of the city. There is also a small museum there that tells the history of the city. The view over the gigantic city is also very beautiful.

In the evening, we went to Mercado del Rio, a Christmas market by the river. The river is adorned with lights in December and is illuminated after dark. The whole market consisted of food stands, especially lots of meat. It was also incredibly crowded, which was not always pleasant. But all in all, the market is well done and definitely worth a visit.

We took it a bit easier on our last day in Medellín. After a late breakfast, we went to Parque Arvi, a nature park located just outside the city in the mountains. There are several walking trails through the park, but they are not really easy to find. It took us about an hour to find someone who could help us. Unfortunately, it was already so late that we could only take the shortest route. But it was also very nice. The journey is actually more interesting than the park itself. You start at the metro station in the city and then take two cable cars that take you over the city and into the mountains. The journey takes about 45 minutes and you are then at an altitude of about 2600 meters. Since the windows of the cable car were not very clear, it was a bit difficult to take good photos.

In the evening, we had dinner in a typical Colombian restaurant recommended by the guide on the first day. There we tried Cazuela, a typical Colombian soup, and Bendeja Paisa, a large plate that is a specialty in the Paisa region.

We had booked a Pablo Escobar Tour for our last day in Medellín. Unfortunately, it was not really good. We spent about 3 hours of the 3.5-hour tour sitting in the car. There were only two short stops, at the Memorial Park, where until a few years ago Escobar's former house, the Monaco building, stood, and at the cemetery where the family is buried. We unfortunately did not visit the famous prison, although it was mentioned in the tour description. However, our guide was nice and told us a lot about the time when he himself worked for the cartel.

We spent the afternoon at the Botanical Garden. It is beautifully designed and you can escape the hustle and bustle of the city there. You can also see some animals there, such as turtles and many freely roaming iguanas.

After 4 days in Medellín, we then went to Guatapé, a small village 2 hours away from Medellín.

Guatapé only has one attraction, the El Peñol granite rock. There are 708 steps leading up to it and from the top you have a great view of the entire region. Since we were in Guatapé on the weekend, we took a tuk-tuk to the rock on Sunday morning at 8 o'clock, thinking that it would not be crowded yet. But we were wrong, it was already super crowded. Nevertheless, we quickly made our way up the stairs and also had enough space at the top to enjoy the view.

The rest of the time, we strolled through the colorful streets of the village and along the small stands by the shore. You can also take a boat trip, but since it was raining a lot, we skipped that. The short trip was definitely worth it, although 2 days are definitely enough for it.

On the way back to Medellín, we made a stop in Guarne and visited someone from Fürstenberg (Kathrin's hometown) who has been living and working in Colombia for a long time. We drove with him to his finca and got a tour of the grounds, where there were avocado, orange, and lemon trees, as well as a huge banana tree, and many small hummingbirds flying around. In the evening, we were also invited to a barbecue and he told us a lot about Colombia. It was a really nice day. When we arrived back in Medellín in the evening, we just had to quickly repack our things, as the bus ride to Salento in the coffee region was scheduled for the next morning.