Life

21st Jun 2016

JOE Backpacking Diary #12 – Why I’m falling in love with Medellín in Colombia

Joe Harrington

This week’s diary is about travelling in the Colombian City of Medellín.

My name is Joe Harrington; I’m travelling through Central and South America for the next eight months, here’s what happened on week 11.

Next stop: Minca, Colombia

My Dutch friend Floris and I left Santa Marta and set off for the mountain town of Minca the day after the Ireland vs Sweden game unsure what to expect.

We took a 4×4 to the actual town of Minca for €2.50 and we had to take a 45 minute mototaxi (€6) from there up to the Casa Elemento hostel, which we reserved a few days earlier.

The roads were absolutely atrocious but my guy Fabian had been driving motorbikes on shitty mountain roads for seven years so I felt fairly safe.

Once we got to the hostel, myself and Floris bumped into a lot of people we met earlier on the trip so we felt right at home. The cool thing about the hostel is that it’s not a party hostel but it’s a very social hostel.

The weather was crap for the whole day with rain, fog and clouds blocking our views of the undoubted beauty of the place, which was annoying, but the chats were good so it was fine.

The following morning was different, bright and clear skies. Here I am on brilliantly named “The Giant Hammock” looking out at the Sierra Nevada mountains.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BGsI6LOGHVZ

Sadly it was short-lived stay, I had to leave that morning because I had booked a bus to Medellín so Floris, or Flower as he’s affectionately known, decided to go back to Santa Marta too.

To make the most of our time in the mountains, we decided to hike down through the forest to Minca from Casa Elemento instead of taking a mototaxi.

The hike was really cool; we stopped in on this little house buried in the rainforest that was selling coffee grown locally and we saw a beautiful waterfall as well.

It wasn’t all fun though. We were about an hour’s walk from Minca when the heavens opened up and the rain was biblical.

We hid under a tree for 15 minutes thinking it would pass but it only got heavier. The mud road up the mountain was turning into a river.

And do you think we had a rain jacket? Nope.

We were stranded and couldn’t move but thankfully a local guy eventually drove past us so we stopped him and convinced him to take us down the mountain. We were so happy jumping into that jeep.

I had a quick meal after getting back to Santa Marta before catching my bus to Medellín at 8pm. A hell of a journey ahead.

Accommodation: Casa Elemento. €6 per night for a hammock.

Stunning setting, great staff, fantastic food, lovely social atmosphere and the best coffee.

Food: The meals I ate in Elemento were up there with the best I’ve had on my whole trip.

Drink: I had a few beers and shared a bottle of wine. It was very chilled.

Highlight: The people. I met so many nice people there and had some excellent conversations about topics other than backpacking and all Irish people being alcoholics.

Lowlight: Not spending more time there.

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Hammocks in Casa Elemento

Next stop: Medellín, Colombia

I decided to take a night bus from Santa Marta to Medellín instead of a flight because it was cheaper.

The 17-hour bus journey (Brasilia Tours) costs €30 but you can fly for €30 (Viva Colombia) if you book your flight early enough. I didn’t do that because I’m an idiot.

The journey wasn’t that bad. I probably got about six hours sleep overall and the views on the mountain roads coming into Medellín were stunning so that helped.

What didn’t help was the driver. The amount of crazy overtaking (by Irish standards) had me squirming in my seat like guests on The Late Late Show when Pat Kenny was presenting.

I decided to stay in a part of Medellín named El Poblado, it’s where the majority of hostels are and it’s well-known as one of the nicest places.

The first person I bumped into when I got to that area was my English friend Daniel, or The Pheasant as he’s affectionately known, and we decided to do the cable cars in the north.

The Metrocable is like a ski-lift that take locals high up to their homes in barrios on the outskirts of the city so they’re practical and provide amazing views of the city.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BGvDSWDmHbq

Here’s a quick video I took while at the highest point. Incredible views.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BGvDEBvmHbO/?taken-by=imjoeharrington

The Metrocable was the scene for one of my favourite photos from my (almost) three month trip to date.

The Pheasant (Daniel) and I were joking about something on the way down and I managed to capture a brilliant photo of him pissing himself laughing.

However, our high jinx weren’t appreciated by the local lady sitting beside The Pheasant. Look at her face!

po1

I love it so much.

I just chilled when I got back to the hostel that evening and then met Floris and Suz (Dutch) who arrived in on their flight around 10pm.

We strolled around El Poblado to get a feel for the place and we got some food before hitting the hay for the night. A big few days ahead.

We started day two by taking a free walking tour, which is run by Real City Tours. The words “free” and “walking” in the same sentence rarely excite people but the tour was fantastic.

Our guide Maribelle was full of knowledge, passion and pride for her city as well as being honest about the good parts and the bad parts of the city and country’s past.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BGzwpd8GHfq

She spoke about the gold and coffee booms in the region as well as the dark days during the ’80s and ’90s when Pablo Escobar and drug cartels were ruling the place, but she balanced that with the recent developments in the city.

In 2012, Medellín was named as one of the most innovative cities in the world alongside New York and Beijing and it’s developed further since then.

It has the only metro system in Colombia, the Metrocable to the barrios is amazing and they installed escalators to help commuting in Comuna 13, which is a place that had a lot of social problems in the past.

Poblado Metro Station, Medellín

The city is filled with sports facilities, free public libraries, areas for musicians, graffiti artists and artists in general to express themselves.

There is an incredible positivity around the city because there’s a transformation taking place. I felt it, my friends felt it. It’s special.

That night was all about the Copa America quarter-final between Colombia and Peru. A group of 10 of us went to Parque Lleras in El Poblado to watch the game and the place was full to the brim with people.

Colombia won on penalties; here’s the moment their ‘keeper David Ospina made the decisive save. Nuts!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BG15huBGHXx

The city was hopping for the rest of the night and we all ended up in this weird underground club until 4am. The Colombians know how to celebrate.

I got up early to watch Ireland’s game with Belgium – the less said about that the better – and to be honest, I went back to bed for most of the day. I was wrecked.

We all rose again at around 6pm to liven ourselves up ahead of our first Saturday night in Medellín.

It was slow to get going because of the excursions the night before but we ended up in this old derelict mansion where heavy house music shook the walls and everyone in there. It was an experience.

The following day was all about this…

https://www.instagram.com/p/BG0hXS0GHQk

Thanks to Suz, we managed to get our hands on tickets to the Colombian Cup Final between Independiente Medellín and Juniors.

The chance to see a team from Medellín playing a cup final in the football-crazy city of Medellín is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and it did not disappoint.

Myself, Flower, The Pheasant, Suz, Blair and Nora got to the stadium at 4pm ahead of the 6pm kick-off and the place was bouncing.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BG3JfUOmHR5

We were chanted at by a group of hooligans, one of them offered us protection, supporters wanted photos with us, the songs were deafening, there was a sea of flags and police dressed like cyborgs roamed the area.

All of that before we even got into the stadium. Incredible.

When I walked up the steps of the Atanasio Girardot Stadium to my seat I was blown away. I know I’ve used the term “blown away” a lot in these diaries but there’s no other way to describe that moment.

Well, “f**king unbelievable” is pretty close, but yeah, blown away.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BG3i6w0mHQP/

Like I said in the caption, the people gave us such a warm reception. We were the only gringos in the 46,000 seater stadium and they wanted to include us so we’d have a great time.

They made sure we were safe, they high-fived us for wearing their jersey, they hugged us for supporting their team, they watched out for us with vendors and they made the occasion absolutely unforgettable.

I have never seen fans support a team like I did on Sunday night. The chanting, the dancing and the devotion didn’t stop for one second throughout the whole game.

This was the view just behind us.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BG3JPeqmHRN/

Independiente won the game 2-0 and the emotional reaction of the people at the end was amazing. Men and women crying tears of joy as smiles from ear-to-ear took over their faces; that’s how much it meant to them.

The people in Colombia always seem to be smiling or having fun. They live life to the maximum and our guide on the free walking tour, Maribelle, explained the reason for that attitude.

Colombia was a very dark place for a long time so people had very little to be cheerful about so when something good happened – no matter how small or insignificant it might seem to me or you – they celebrated.

Maribelle said the smallest positive kept people’s heads above the water. The Metro, for example; the people of Medellín are so proud of that rail system.

It might just be a train to us but for local people it’s a symbol of the moment the city changed, a symbol of the new Medellín, she told us.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BG5YJV9GHfo

Myself, Floris, Blair and Nora visited a place called Comuna 13 in San Javier today which has has seen a positive transformation thanks to the innovation in the city.

Comuna 13 was always considered one the most dangerous places in Medellín but it’s now getting more popular with tourists because of its graffiti tours and outdoor escalators.

To get there, take the Metro to San Javier on the orange line, do yourself a favour and do a lap on the Metrocable (cable car) which will take you high up into the hills with stunning views and a different perspective to the one in the north.

Once you return to San Javier station, go and explore the area around the library, there’s savage graffiti there. We did a very touristy thing and got an Uber (so cheap here) up to Comuna 13 with a local guy named Jaime.

The place felt a little bit sketchy but Jaime kindly offered to walk with us to the escalators and the graffiti so that calmed us down a bit. Another example of how kind the people are here.

Comuna 13 is amazing though; it’s full of colour and character.

We were deep in the barrios but we embraced it by talking to locals, checking out the graffiti, the guys and Nora ended up on a slide, we ate a fruit cocktail made by a local woman and tried to play football with local kids.

The view from the top is breathtaking, here we are with the sprawling city in the background.

(L-R: Me, Blair, Floris, Nora)

It’s been an incredible week in this city and I still have to do the Pablo Escobar tour, paintballing at his house, paragliding and a visit to Guatepe in the next few days.

It’s as modern and interesting a city as I’ve ever been in and I’m loving every minute of my time here.

The food is great, the history is fascinating, the nightlife is crazy, the transport is so good, the people are friendly and there’s so much to do here.

I’m hoping the rest of my time here is as good.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BG5X9cNGHfP

Accommodation: Casa Kiwi. €10 per night for a good dorm room.

A great location, lovely local staff, cinema room, kitchen, rooftop terrace.

Food: Al Alma, The Grill Station Burger,

Drink: Lots of bars in Parque Lleras, Happy Buddha for backpackers and it’s a different club every night so ask around.

Highlight: The Colombian Cup Final. An experience that will live with me for the rest of my life.

Lowlight: The Pheasant leaving the gang for Peru. Sad to see that boy go.

If you’ve any tips, advice or questions, let me know on Twitter at @ImJoeHarrington or Instagram/ImJoeHarrington.

Talk to you next week.