Medellin

Getting into Colombia and up to Medellin was a bit of a mission in terms of transport. First a taxi to the bus station where we jumped on a bus to the border town of Tulcan which took us around six hours. From Tulcan it was a short taxi ride to the border, before walking across the bridge to Colombian immigration. We had no troubles getting out of Ecuador, but a bit of a wait at the Colombian side as Cat's passport wouldn't scan. They also showed they are perhaps a little backwards when it comes to gender roles: I was pressed with loads of questions re what I do for a living etc, whereas Cat didn't have to answer a single question. Never mind, we made it through complete with passport stamps.

From the border it was another taxi ride to the Colombian border town of Ipiales. We looked at the weather forecast and decided to head straight up to Medellin and give Cali a miss (temperatures were in the range of 40 degrees in Cali). We had a couple of hours to kill before our bus was due to depart, so we grabbed a cab down to the spectacular sanctuary Las Lajas.

The church is relatively new (around 100 years old or so), but set in an impressive setting. It looks a bit like something out of the Lord of the Rings:

Another cab ride back to the bus station, grabbed a bite to eat, and then we jumped on our bus up to Medellin. The stretch of road between Pasto (north of Ipiales) and Cali is notorious for its nighttime hijacks and robberies. With our valuables hidden in multiple places, we figured we'd be alright and that probably what one reads on the internet is over-inflated - who posts about a safe bus ride, right? Thankfully for us, the Colombian authorities take the issue extremely seriously. Overnight our bus was in a convoy of ten or so buses, accompanied by jeeps full of machine gun armed guards at the front and rear of the convoy. We made it through the night with no troubles, although not the best of sleeps as the convoy stopped every hour or two (seemingly for the guards to grab a bite to eat), and around 36 hours after we left Quito (including two more stops for passport checks) we made it to Medellin, a touch tired.

Medellin is an amazingly picturesque and fast developing city, with a torrid recent past. Labelled as the world's most dangerous city in the early 1990s due to the drug cartel related violence, in addition to the ongoing civil war, Medellin has made a pretty remarkable recovery and straight away it was a place that really appealed to us.

We stayed in the pretty well-off district of El Poblado, in the south of the city. The area is full of bars, cafes, restaurants and clubs, and is an ideal spot to chill. We originally planned to spend just a few days in Medellin, but ended up staying for over a week.

The city is characterised by its many brick high-rise apartment blocks in front of the lush green hills which surround the city:

We spent a lot of time wandering around Poblado drinking coffee, beer and rum, browsing shops and relaxing. Best of all it is pretty cheap for all of these activities.

Enjoying some of the street food, buñuelos and something else:

The city has a couple of telefericos (gondolas) which are part of the metro transport system. There is also the extended 'K' line which heads right up to the top of the hills overlooking the city.

Cat enjoying the view:

Heading over the lush bush on the hilltops:

At the top of the gondola there was a market which we browsed for a little, and enjoyed a fruit salad in the fading light:

Cat found her favourite South American pastime, playing with local perros:

The view over the city on the way back down at dusk:

A large part of the city's violent past is associated with the Medellin Cartel, and its infamous head, Pablo Escobar. We took a really informative 'Escobar' tour of the city, which stopped off at some significant Medellin Cartel landmarks, and provided an intriguing insight into Escobar's life, the Colombian drug trade and the recent history of the city. Our guides had grown up with the violence of the early 1990s and it was clear how significant the lasting effects of the violence are to the people of the city.

One of Escobar's many homes which was the first to be attacked by the rival Cali Cartel:

The house which Escobar was holed up in when he was finally tracked down and killed in 1993:

Escobar's infamous grin, when arrested:

Our tour ended at the grave of Pablo Escobar. This is the second most visited grave in South America, after Eva Peron's grave in Buenos Aires.

The view from the graveyard over the city was awesome:

And without me in the way:

We managed a couple of cracker nights out in Medellin too. Cat enjoying a spot of rum or two above the street:

And we went out for coffee everyday, sometimes more than once:

The coffee was awesome every time, and cheap too.

We made our way into the CBD and checked out the Botero Plaza, featuring many sculptures by the famed Colombian artist, Fernando Botero.

Cat and cat:

Me and the gang:

We also checked out the Museum of Antioquia, which is filled with hundreds of his works which he donated.

Escobar is inescapable, and Botero's works include this depiction of Pablo Escobar after he was shot and killed:

Cat had a go at being a subject:

Spot the difference:

The streets and plazas in central Medellin are really nice to stroll through:

There is also a massive amount of graffiti and street art throughout the city. We didn't do such a good job of photographing some of the better stuff (i.e. we didn't photograph it at all), but here is a taste:

One of the highlights for us was probably the food that we ate in Medellin. Colombian food not being famed for its flavour, we ate a huge number of international dishes including Mexican, Japanese, Italian, North American, Thai, Indian, and of course Colombian, too. The highlights of the Colombian dishes were Cazuela de Frijoles (bean stew with crispy pork belly, avocado, banana, crispy potatoes, and a range of other items) and Mondongo (tripe stew with pork and a whole heap of extras). Surprisingly easy to stomach, the tripe was tender and delicious. A+ would recommend. They also serve arepas (flatbread made with cornflour) with every meal. These are great when dipped into a stew, but a more than a touch dry and heavy when served with a slice of cheese for breakfast.

Overall Medellin was an awesome way to start our time in Colombia, and a great way to unwind for a week without touristing so hard.