Shannon and I are currently sitting at a table in the food court of Terminal del Sur in Medellin preparing to take the second over-night bus of the trip.

I just ate a 1/4 lb “perro caliente” in about three bites, despite the fact that it was covered in coleslaw, shoe string potatoes, spicy mayo, mustard, mystery yellow sauce, and ketchup…on second thought this might not have been the best meal before being cramped into a bus for the night.  Hopefully the ice cold Aguila collecting condensation next to the computer will keep everything settled.

We have been in Colombia for almost two weeks at this point and its difficult to feel like this is the beginning of a year long adventure.  After our first week exploring the northern end of the country this past week has primarily been in Medellin.  Partly because this once deadly city now has so much to offer and partly because we were unable to leave our room for two days of the visit.

Once feeling better and back on our feet we have barely had any down time as we have tried to take in all the sights the city has to offer, although we know we are leaving most of the area untouched.  Our first outing was to out to the graffiti tour of Communa 13 hosted by the local neighborhood group Casa Kolacha.  It was hard to believe that this densely packed neighborhood was one of the most violent cities in the world even hosting military operations less than twenty years previous. 

The community has really risen above its past, without forgetting it, and is now home to an amazing display of various graffiti art, welcoming locals, and a population that is hard at work to give the current youth population opportunities they could hardly dream of.

Our second day out took us to Piedra De Penol and the little village of Guatape that borders the multi-fingered lake Embalse Del Penol.  Piedra De Penol is a giant rock that overlooks this Colombian valley in the northern Andes.  Probably due to the fact it looks so out of place on the landscape and it hosts amazing views of the scenic surroundings it has become quite the tourist attraction.

Although starting off your morning with 745 cement stairs that were built onto the flush face of a giant granite monolith might not have been the best idea.

We didn’t need it, but for those less prepared, there is even a small medical clinic just past the 350th step.  We made it to the top where we had commanding views of Guatape, Embalse Del Penol, and all the various farms and houses that form the patchwork of the countryside.  Sweat subsiding and photographs obtained we decided to make our way on to finally grab something to eat.  In the city of Guatape we were greeted by brightly decorated facades of buildings facing the stone paved streets that took away any residual ache in my calves and called for us to walk them.  We answered the call and were met with a new kaleidoscope of color with each turn.  The town also boosts a number of small squares where people can gather around the plentiful shops and watch the people as they sip on a freshly prepared cafe or juice.  Although making this a day trip was quite a success there was still a part of me that wanted to stay back and let the peaceful atmosphere completely wrap me in a warm cocoon only to emerge in the morning to the smell of freshly brewed coffee filling the various streets and alleys.

For our final day in Medellin, we packed up and moved out of the Airbnb we had called home for the past week, bought bus tickets to Armenia (our inderect bus requires that we transfer to another bus at this town), storing our bags with terminal storage, and then trying to see as many additional points of interest as humanly possible in a day.  We started at the Medellin Memory House Mesum, which is a remembrance to those who have been killed or lost as a result of the various forms of violence that plagued the area in the past few decades.  This was a somber experience that I know my words would be unable to due justice, but also evidence that any population has the ability to move past the despicable and inhumane situations that they may have been dealt by fate.  

From there we walked to Plaza Botero, which hosts a multitude of bronze statutes by famed Colombian artist Fernando Botero and is overlooked by the commanding architecture of the Rafael Uribe Uribe Palace of Culture. 

The sun was out in full force during our visit as well as the crowds so we quickly admired the wide variety of statuary displayed throughout the square and tried not to be confused by the zebra-esque black/white brick work of the Palace.  We also visited Pueblito Paisa, but unfortunately for us they are revitalizing the park and there wasn’t much to be seen or done on our visit.  We then raced to the Santo Domingo cable-car, which is part of the Medellin metro line, and tried to catch the last car up to Parque Arvi.  Although the cable car trip through the neighborhoods that were rocked by the violence of Pablo Escobar during the 80’s was scenic the line connecting to the National Park had already closed by the time we arrived.  It was also getting dark and starting to rain so we had to leave it at a memorable ride before making our way back to the bus station.

If we had been able to spend all of our days in Medellin exploring we definitely would have seen more, but it would have still been rushed. To do Medellin right one would need to spend two or three days seeing the sights that interest them the most and then spending an additional week in the neighborhood that captured their heart to learn all the secrets it has to offer.  Unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be that way this trip, but I have a feeling that we will make a better effort at it sometime in the future.  But as my eyes finally start to get heavy I realize its just about time to board the evening bus and head to the next adventure…