Medellín

Day 1: El Poblado

I arrived at the airport to discover my flight had been delayed 4 hours. Very annoying as it meant that I didn’t make it to Medellín in time for the afternoon walking tour I had planned. It also meant killing a lot of time in a really shitty airport.

Due to the delay I didn’t get to my hotel until close to 5, so thought I might as well use the gym before dinner! The gym is attached to the dance studio so I was treated to a little salsa show while exercising which was nice, if not a little awkward! 

My hostel, Los Patios, is great. The staff are super friendly and the rooftop bar, where I have a pre dinner drink, has amazing views! As I’m sipping my margarita I’m approached by a guy who strikes up a conversation. He asks where I’m from and I ask the same question. He answers “America, do you know it?” Thinking he’s clearly joking I answer sarcastically “nope, never heard of it”. He responds saying it’s north of Colombia. Erm, of course I know where America is, it’s the 3rd largest country in the world you pleb! Luckily he doesn’t hang around long, but things go from bad to worse when I’m then approached by a Frenchman. Come on now, it wouldn’t be a blog of mine if I didn’t moan about the French now would it?! As far as French people go, Ben is actually rather nice and we chat away until my dinner reservation. 

Dinner is at Oci and it’s delicious. I order the codito de cerdo (pork knuckle) with potato puree. After dinner I head to a bar for a drink. I’m staying in El Poblado which is considered one of the safer areas of the city. That’s pretty evident as the place is crawling with expats and tourists. As a result, it doesn’t feel as authentic as the other places I’ve visited so far. I like it, but I also feel like I could be anywhere right now and it feels a bit like “the strip” you find in most party destinations. I sit outside and order a gin and tonic, which almost matches spain in terms of strength! 

I then head to Son Habana as my hostel told me this is the best place to dance salsa. I’m not convinced. The live music is good, but there’s few people dancing and there’s no mixing of partners. I guess the best places to dance are in the less touristy areas.

Day 2: Fruit tour & Comuna 13

The morning starts with a coffee and almond croissant at Pergamino, which is apparently a bit of an institution here. Good coffee, decent croissant. I’ve had better. 

The “I could be anywhere feeling” is certainly gone today. The morning is spent  doing an exotic fruit tour at a local market. In total we sampled 15 fruits (a fraction of the 400+ edible native species in Colombia). Most of the fruits I tried I’d never even heard of let alone tasted, but they were all incredible. As enjoyable as it was, I’m now slightly worried about shitting myself in the street later that day.

The tour group was small, which was nice. Three people from Seattle and two giant hunky Croatians, who were unfortunately gay. Story of my life. They ended up joining me on my next tour so I spent the rest of the day in a Croatian man sandwich. At least now I know where I’m going on my next holiday if that’s the calibre of men!

My Croatian bodyguards and I then joined a free tour of Comuna 13. This area used to be the most dangerous part of Medellin, but the area has been completely transformed and is now considered one of the safest. The tour was really interesting and the guide was very proud and passionate about her neighbourhood and how it’s changed over time. I can’t say I feel the same pride about Dundee! She tells us she has 20 siblings. Good lord it must be a right mess down there! 

That night I went to Carmen for dinner. I ordered the crab and prawn empanada starter and then fish with coconut risotto and curry sauce. Definitely the best food I’ve had in Colombia so far, and the most expensive. Saying that, I had a cocktail, two glasses of wine and two courses and it only cost me £30! 

Day 3: Guatapé

Today I did a full day tour to Guatape, which is a little town 2 hours by bus from Medellin. The first stop is La Piedra, which is a giant rock formation with 750 steps to the top. Good thing I love the stair master in the gym! Luckily we get up to the top and back down before the rain starts. I swear to god I’ve never seen so much rain as I have in the past week and I’m over it at this point! 

The rest of the tour suffers because of it. A boat trip around the reservoir in the pissing rain is hardly enjoyable, and our free time to enjoy the town of Guatape is mostly spent sheltering in a coffee shop. It goes from bad to worse on the journey home when shortly after setting off we hit a standstill. Turns out that due to all the rain, there’s been a landslide which is blocking the road. It takes an hour and a half to travel 5 miles. We arrive back to the city at 7pm, 3.5 hours later. 

I’m in the mood for a good hunk of meat. Since the Croatians are unavailable, I head to Bárbaro and order steak with corn purée before heading back to my hostel to pack my suitcase. Again. The worst part of travelling.

Not everything went to plan in Medellin, and I could’ve done with at least another day here. In hindsight I would’ve spent less time in Bogotá and more time here, but you live and learn. I’m excited to head north tomorrow, mostly because I know I’m finally going to get the sun I’ve been craving! At this rate I’m going to arrive home paler than when I left!