Tag 167: Medellín

Today is our last day in the second largest city in Colombia. We sleep in. We have been the only inhabitants of the AirBnB apartment on the 11th floor for a few days. Our backpacks are packed in the corner, we are ready. We walk into the inner neighborhood one last time and meet Leon, his girlfriend, and another friend for lunch. We met Leon and his best friend Tom almost four months ago in Mendoza, Argentina and haven't seen them since. Although we have traveled the same route and experienced the same things for the past few months, we could never arrange to meet. Now it finally worked out. We sit with our British friends on the terrace of a very nice and quiet café. We have been in Medellín for exactly one week now and have met some friends again. We played paintball with Lutz on Pablo Escobar's property, had a fun night with Tom and Jackie from Australia with beer and burritos, enjoyed one of the most interesting free walking tours of our trip, and now we are sitting with our British friends on the terrace of a very nice and quiet café.

Medellín is an impressive city. Twenty years ago, the people here suffered from terrorist attacks, high crime rates, drugs, and poverty. From the most dangerous city in Colombia, it quickly became a cultural and tourist metropolis. The people have endured a lot of suffering, but have turned the negative into something positive. They are proud of every tourist walking through the streets here, because tourism means that the city is doing well again.

We exchange stories with Leon, we laugh, eat, and have a lot of fun. But the time splits the atmosphere. We have to catch a flight. We say goodbye to our friends in the hope of seeing them again and walk to our apartment. Backpack on, elevator down, and into the taxi. Since our airline has trouble finding a suitable gate, our departure time is delayed by a few minutes. From minutes, it becomes an hour. We arrive very late and very tired at the airport in Santa Martha. At the taxi stand, our eyes meet Ben's. We start talking. We share the taxi and, since he hasn't booked a hostel yet, also the room for the next three nights.