For the past month I have been traveling through Colombia. The country was not a part of my travel plan when I left Australia. Others I spoke with, friends, family had never been and warned me against doing something crazy like going to the ‘dangerous’ countries in South America.
“Colombia is where all the cocaine and killing is. Maybe some people are crazy enough to go there, but I really don’t think it’s a good idea for you to, especially alone.” Now I’m not one to do exactly what others tell me, I mean I have just quit my job to travel the world for the 2nd time in 18 months, but I too was unsure about Colombia. So as I said, when I left Australia it wasn’t on my planned itinerary.
All that changed as soon as I arrived here in South America. Speaking with fellow travelers during my first week in Montanita, Ecuador they all said how much they loved Colombia. It was easy to travel, completely safe, there were heaps of backpackers, the weather was warm and the Colombian people were amazing. I kept hearing the same thing over and over from other travelers, so of course decided I had to go.
Viva Colombia makes it so easy for travelers to move into and around Colombia
Colombia has been opened up to travelers enormously through the relatively new airline Viva Colombia. Low budget but with a wide travel area, Viva Colombia allows travelers like me to easily and cheaply get into various cities. During my month in Colombia I flew with the airline five or six times. I was able to get flights as cheap as 89,000 Colombian Pesos (AUD$45) including baggage from Cartagena to Medellin. The airline was perfectly good to fly with. There are no assigned seats (big deal, I’m a solo traveler I can’t chose who I sit next to anyway) the line at check-in was very long and I needed to be there the full two hours prior to departure, but I always made it onto the flight with no problems.
After spending time at the very top of Colombia around the melting hot city of Cartagena (blog post to come) I decided to stop into Medellin on my way back down into Ecuador.
Now for those that don’t know, twenty years ago Medellin was considered the most dangerous city in the world. The capital of drugs and home to cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar was ruled by drug lords and violence. Local people feared sending their children to school, danger was present in literally ever part of the city and tourists were completely non-existent. Medellin was a no go zone and really so was Colombia.
However over the past twenty years Medellin city has been through almost a complete turn around. With the death of Escobar and the Colombian government taking control of the city from the various drug cartels, Medellin started change.
Today the city is a thriving metropolis of life. Tourists are still a new element to Medellin and the local Paisa people are really doing their best to encourage and support their new visitors.
There are many beautiful and open parks to explore in the perfect weather.
I only had one day in the city and immediately signed up for the free walking tour. Having read online that it was one of the best in the world, I went on the Real City Tour and was not disappointed. The tour was a fantastic way of exploring a city that most people at home freaked out that I was visiting in the first place.
I discovered that the city is very safe. I felt safer in Medellin than I did in Quito, Ecuador. Real City Tours takes visitors through downtown Medellin which is a busy, dirty, crazy, pornography selling and prostitute neighbourhood of the city. What was once the most dangerous section Medellin is now an absolute must for travelers to visit. Fantastic Colombian food, market stalls with all kinds of counterfeit goods, and beautiful buildings and sculptures fill downtown. Our tour leader said of the area, “There is a line between legal and illegal here in downtown Medellin, and we Colombians dance salsa right on its edge.” Yes there are counterfeit goods being sold everywhere on the street, yes there are prostitutes selling their love right out the front of the churches and yes in some parts of downtown pick-pocketing is definitely something to be aware of, but there is also a buzz about downtown. People are happy, they are living their lives looking forward and are thrilled to see visitors such as myself.
The Real City Tour was definitely one of the best free walking tours I have ever been on.
The Real City Tour went for approximately four hours and constantly through the tour local people were stopping to see what we were doing. Conducted in English our guide Hernan spoke fantastically about the history, current state and future of the Medellin. He had to stop many times when locals came up to ask him what he was telling us, as the majority don’t speak English. Hernan was then asked to say hello to us and tell us how happy the Colombian people are that we are visiting their city. Over and over this happened, to the point where Hernan would ask us to stand shoulder to shoulder to try and prevent the locals from sticking their heads into our group while he was speaking. They are incredibly curious about what we tourists are doing and are even more excited to welcome us.
There are many sculptures throughout downtown.
I didn’t realise this selfie would include an impressive brass ass!
I didn’t expect so much public art, especially that looked like a forest of light sabers.
I stayed in the beautiful suburb of Zona Rosa. The expensive neighbourhood is lush with plant life and filled with beautiful suburban houses. A really trendy area with restaurants everywhere, it’s easy to walk to the Metro Station and completely safe.
Colombian’s love their fried food and the downtown empanadas were pretty delicious.
Medellin was a complete surprise for me. I heard the city was great, but it thoroughly exceeded my expectations. I was only able to stay for two nights, but I hope to return. It would be great to spend another few days exploring this amazing place, and I absolutely encourage anyone who is considering South America to visit what is now a gem of Colombia.
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