Medellin

Medellin is in my top favorite cities of my travels. This place is cool, people. This was Pablo’s country and maybe parts of it still is his, but it feels safe and expressive. We stayed at the Art Hotel in the x district. Perfect area for a hip and lively nightlife. After our arrival

Take the metrocable up to Parque Arvi.  The coolest public transportation of all time.  I felt like a little kid riding in these little buckets up into the sky.  Wonderful views, a MUST!

Parque Arvi is situated at the top.The park is huge with little direction or understanding of where you are going.  They do have a map but they won’t allow you to take it with you, but you can take a picture of it…Long story short, we got lost.  Walking about an hour, afraid we were getting further and further away from the main entrance (which we were) we suddenly came upon, get this, a longboard competition.

Needless to say, it was an awesome experience.  As we followed the competition down the road, pumped on our discovery, we got lost and had to wave down a van to take us back.

After our long journey we were famished and stopped at one of the vendors who was tucked back in the forest.  We sat down at the picnic tables and ordered the Bandeja Paisa, a whole smorgasbord of deliciousness.  Red beans & pork, rice, carne molida, chicharron, fried egg, plantain, chorizo, arepa and avocado.  Yummmmm

 

Next stop was Plaza Botero in the Old Quarter where Fernando Botero has displayed 23 of his sculptures.  Grab a beer from a street vendor, take a seat and watch Medellin life go by.

We stayed at Art Hotel in El Poblado.  Both nights we went out by Parque Lleras.  Both restaurants were bombs but the nightlife was lively and exciting, a mix of old and young.

 

Santa Marta

Santa Marta, the first Spanish settlement in Colombia and the oldest surviving city in the country.  It’s old, it’s dirty but it’s unmistakably charming.