I’ve spent the last few days wandering the streets of Medellín, Colombia’s second largest city and capital of the Antioqui province. People born and raised in this province are known as paisas and have a unique history in Colombia. From my experience in Medellín, the locals a super friendly, helpful, and proud of their city. As well they should be. Medellín, formerly the most dangerous city on earth, ravaged by civil unrest and drug cartels, has risen from the ashes to become one of the most modern and beautiful cities in South America.
The city of Medellín arose in the 1600s and was founded largely by Spanish Basques and Jews fleeing the Spanish Inquisition. For centuries, the city lay in relative isolation due to geography (the area is surrounded by dense jungles, swamps, and mountains). That all changed at the turn of the 20th century when the railroad was built connecting Medellín to the rest of South America. With easier access to the outside world, Medellín entered into an industrial period in which mining, coffee, and textiles allowed the city to prosper. However, Colombia would hit dark times when tensions arose between Liberals and Conservatives, and geurilla warfare ravaged the countryside. Conflicts were further fuelled by druglords that provided financing for militia groups, escalating violence and increasing the death toll. In the 1980s Medellín’s notorious kingpin Pablo Escobar rose to power. During his reign, the city became the murder capital of the world. Escobar was shot down on Dec. 2 1993 and the city has made a drastic recovery since then. Former sites of violence have been transformed to monuments of hope. For instance, the centrally located building that serves as the Palace of Justice was previously bombed and overrun by criminals. Plaza Cisneros had a similar dark history and is now decorated with towers of lights. Public libraries have been built in some of the poorest neighborhoods, providing education for the youth and serving as community centres (so kids have something to do other than sell drugs). To further serve the city’s underprivileged citizens, a gondola system has been built connecting uphill neighborhoods to the rest of the city. The crowning pride and glory of Medellín is the metro system, completed during the 90s while violence and crime was at its highest. Over 400,000 people use the metro daily, and it is the only metro system in the whole of Colombia. In 2013 Medellín was awarded the most “Innovative City of the Year” beating out New York and Tel Aviv. Rising above a long history of violence and crime, the city bears testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Let’s hope that Medellín continues to prosper as city of hope and innovation.
That being said, I apologize for severe oversimplifications of Colombian history. The above information was gathered largely from the free walking tour I attended and bits off the internet.
I arrived in Medellín after an overnight bus from Cali (12 hours). From the bus terminal, you can find plenty of accommodation by heading north to the Poblado neighborhood. This upscale neighborhood is filled with adorable cafes, restaurants, and boutiques, similar to those you find in any modern, westernized city. It is also conveniently located next to Parque Lleras, Medellin’s zona rosa and the epicentre of nightlife. I am staying at Maloka Hostel (25000 pesos per dorm, breakfast included
), although I think the real youth party hostels are Casa Kiwi (24000 pesos without breakfast) and Happy Buddha (30000 pesos, breakfast status unknown).
The next day, I attended a 4 hour free walking tour (sign up at www.realcitytours.com). The tour takes you through a number of monuments, plazas, and churches downtown and provides a very honest explanation of the city. Points of particular interested for me were Parque Berrío and Plaza Botero. Parque Berrío is the heart of downtown. This plaza/park is filled with people playing live music, dancing, and street venders. If you happen to visit, be sure to try guarapo, a refreshing local beverage made of lime and sugarcane juice. Plaza Botero features sculptures by the renowned artist Fernando Botero and is located just outside the Museo de Antioquia (free art museum, unfortunately did not have the time). Botero is a Medellin native and his artwork explores and breaks down rules of proportion. As a result, his subjects are endearingly round and tubby. All in all, I highly recommend the tour to any visitors of the city. Learning about Medellín’s inspiring history has enhanced my appreciation for the remarkable city I am visiting.
Figure 1. Group photo taken from the Free Walking Tour. Picture is taken at Plaza Botero. Note Roman Soldier in backdrop.
Figure 2. Bird sculptures by Botero. The original bird statue on the left was bombed a number of years ago. Instead of having the statue removed, an intact bird was placed adjacent to it. Now the two statues stand next to each other representing the city’s violent past and vibrant future.
I was already impressed with the quaintness of the Poblado neighborhood and the city’s moving history, but in addition, nightlife in Parque Lleras was pounding. That night I went on a pub crawl and met these two Canadian goons.
Figure 3. My beautiful Canadian Homies. I stole hats from the bar so we could be Mexican as well.
The next day I set out to Parque Explora and the Botanical Gardens (get off Universidad Station on the metro, both are adjacent to the station). Parque Explora is the city’s science centre featuring an aquarium, vivarium, 3D theatre, and several interactive exhibits. General admittance is 22,000 pesos (ouch…although a fantastic facility and worth it). At the time of my visit there were interactive exhibits on biophysics, the human mind, and dinosaurs. There are also plenty of knowledgeable guides scattered throughout the centre providing additional information to the many exhibits. Many of them were kind enough to converse with me in English or break down their Spanish so I could keep up. I expected the park to be smaller with less things to do and anticipated staying for 2 or 3 hours. I ended up spending the entire day there until it closed at 5:30. I had planned on visiting the botanical gardens that day as well, but decided to go home as it got cold and rainy.
Another cool thing about Medellín is that they have a public gondola. A public gondola! As part of their public transportation system! There are three different Metrocable lines connecting uphill neighborhoods to the rest of the city. I took Line K up to Parque Biblioteca España, one of the aforementioned public libraries built in an underprivileged neighborhood. The building is very clean and modern, although I didn’t find too much to do here. Visitors can also take the Metrocable farther uphill transferring at Santo Domingo Station to Line L, which takes you up to Parque Arví and an even better view of the city.
Figure 4. Metrocable.
Since I bypassed the botanical gardens the other day due to weather conditions, I made up for it after the Metrocable trip. I was expecting gardens with flowerbeds and such, but it is more like a public park where couples can lounge under a tree and sip guarapo. Nonetheless, a fine way to spend an afternoon.
I was very sad to leave the city. I found Medellín to be incredibly livable, and I even felt settled and made some close friends. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. I needn’t be too sad however, because the next stop on my trip was the bustling capital city of Bogotá.
Cloud Mountain 