Medellin.....it's not you, it's me!

---

Let me start with the statement that Medellin is a BEAUTIFUL city. In fact, the whole valley of Antiochia is filled with delicious sights for the eye. There is a basic, but efficient public transportation system here that combines the metro (train) and the metro cable (cable cars that transport you from the city up into the mountains). The metro is super easy to navigate as there are really only a few lines, with the main line moving north to south through the city. Once I figured out how to purchase my tickets (which was made more difficulty by the fact that it is still during times of Covid-19, so everyone here is still wearing masks, so this made it hard to understand the ticket seller), I made use of the metro pretty regularly. I was really impressed that the government would invest so much money adding the metro cable lines. It has really opened opportunities for work, and for connection in general, for the many families who live up into the mountains. Without these cable lines, I would imagine it was very difficult. Also, from my experience here, and from what my friends here in Medellin told me, the system is VERY reliable. I remember my time living in NYC when more often than not, your train, and several others, were not working on any given day, leaving you to try to figure out some other way to your destination.

I visited a few tourist spots that did not disappoint. Parque Berrios, which was less park and more open space, displays many Botero statues to enjoy for free. El Museo de Antiochia houses many of Botero's paintings, which I had never seen before, and kind of fell in love with. Parque Explora is an interactive science--y/aquarium-y/get your hands dirty kind of place. Probably geared towards a school aged audience, but I loved it -- it was really fun recording voice overs in Spanish for Harry Potter, and giving the play by play on a futbol match, etc. My two favorite tourist adventures were my full day trip to Guatape, and my visit to Parque Arvi. The trip to Guatape included climbing the 740 steps to the top of La Piedra del Penol, an authentic Colombian lunch of Bandeja Paisa, a super chill boat ride on the lake, a walking tour of the town of Guatape, and a good hour and a half of free time to explore the town. Such a beautiful, and colorful, day. I also had a very full day of adventure hiking in Parque Arvi. The cable car ride up to the park was almost adventure enough. It was so interesting to watch the city transform into the smaller towns built into the hillside, which transformed into farmlands, again, basically growing crops on the hillside, which then transformed into a vast forest of lush, tall green trees. It was really breathtaking. Once inside the park, again, a typical meal of carioca beans and rice with chicken and an arepa with queso -- Yum!! Then a hike through the forest headed toward el Chorro Clarin (the clear waterfall, I think). Wow wow wow....just such a beautiful place. On the way back, I got to try a Michelada de Mango. It was fresh lime juice, mangos, mango juice, and soda (I think it's normally beer, but this was a non alcoholic kinda day) in a cup with a salted/spiced rim. On any given day, I think this would be amazing, BUT, I was super thirsty from the hike, and I think a cold cup of iced water would have been better. Haha - that salted rim, wasn't helpful.

So, Medellin is an amazing and colorful city. I think if I had planned to just come for 5-7 days, my impression would be much better. However, my reason for this trip was to see if I liked the city enough to possibly move here, get a job teaching ESL so that I could get a work visa, and then live here for a year or two. I will say that the trip fulfilled it's purpose. It helped me make that decision, and the decision is that Medellin is not for me. Here's some of the reasons why:

• I have come to terms with the fact that I just prefer a smaller city. In this moment, Cartagena Colombia is my favorite place in the world, and has been since I visited there maybe 4 years ago. I did not love Paris France, I did not love Bogota Colombia, I did not love NYC USA, but I love Cartagena, I love Bologna, Italy, I love Playa del Carmen, Mexico. I think Medellin just falls into that Big City feel for me.

• Medellin also seems to have a reputation for being unsafe. Not like you would get murdered here (as it was apparently in the city's very rough past), but I was told by almost everyone I know to BE CAREFUL. Be careful of pickpockets, be careful of prostitutes, be careful of guys on Grindr (one local friend warned "don't even use it here because guys pretend to be gay just to rob you), be careful you don't get drugged and then robbed. Scopolamine, or the Devil's breath, is a very real threat here. Don't use your phone, don't use your headphones, don't, don't, don't and watch out for this, watch out for that, don't blink, don't say hello, watch your phone, watch your back. It was overwhelming here, how much I was warned against the evils of Medellin, while in the same breath hearing...."oh, yes, be careful of ALL that, but people here are so nice, so friendly, it's such a fun city. Honestly....I couldn't decipher, so it made my time here, not good. In my day to day experience, I did not see or feel any actual mischief, but there were the constant voices in my head with all the warnings, so.....ugh.

• I also went against my better judgement and stayed in El Poblado. El Poblado is the MOST touristic neighborhood in town, and it's just filled with other gringos and party people. I prefer to "live like a local" when I visit someplace new, and I had wanted to stay in either Laureles or in Sabaneta, but, again, EVERYONE said, no, you need to stay in El Poblado, so I did, and I think it contributed to my not liking it here so much. I travel to other countries, particularly Spanish speaking countries, to improve my Spanish.....not to hear a bunch of other Blanquitos ordering beers and wings. I mean.....there's even a Hooter's here in El Poblado.

So, as I finish my time here in Medellin, I can honestly say, I do think I would return. I have made some very nice new friends here, the food is soooo good, and there are definitely more sights here that I did not get to see. I normally prefer to travel solo, but I think my return trip to Medellin will be with friends!