Mädellin

We reached Medellin with the van around lunchtime and Linda had booked a nice Air bnb in the quarter of Laureles. For Rosi we found a paid an secure parking, which was not so easy because most of the gated parkings were full. The next day we treated Rosi with the second oil exchange of the trip and waited in the nearby cafe until the mechanics were finished. The airbnb was small and nice, but the highlight was the hot tub in the tiny patio. After we had checked in Naomi arrived with her huge backpack, which had pretty much the size of herself. She is teaching at the same school as Linda in Berlin and also took a sabbatical, but instead of going by van, she is backpacking central and south America and we happened to be at the same time in Medellin to share the Air bnb together. Naomi spent some more time than us in Medellin and used the time to do some voluntary work in the famous Communa 13, where she taught little kids some english. 

The next days we discovered Medellin in multiple different ways.

– We walked around the quarter Laureles and really enjoyed it there. It was a nice mixture of local life, some nice cafes and restaurant and green areas. Of course we also used our hot tub since we have not been in a tub for months. 

– We also did a Pablo Escobar tour, which was recommended to us by another traveller we had met on the Galapagos. The tour was guided by an ex-cartel member who started this tours after he had spend 20 years in prison in the US. He explained everything about Pablo Escobars life, the Drug war, the structures of the cartel in the older times and always made sure to be as neutral as possible to allow everyone to make his or her own picture. We visited the memorial where Escobars house used to be, his grave, the place he died and the quarter he helped to built. It was a really interesting tour with a lot of insights of someone who was willing to share his own experience. 

For most Columbians it is really really important to not be reduced to drugs and the history of Escobar, because the country has so much more to offer and I can really understand that. Nevertheless, it was interesting to learn about the history of Escobar.

– Of course, we visited Communa 13 as well, although this felt more like a 24/7 street market with loud music to us. Stuff is being sold everywhere and it is a tourist hotspot, but Naomi could show us some really nice corners and also her little „classroom“ where she taught English. It is always cool to see travellers giving back by doing voluntary work like Naomi was doing it there. 

– One day we found out that there was a supercup soccer final game in Medellin and we managed to watch the second half of the game in a bar next to the stadium. The level of importance of soccer in Colombia is hard to explain. People life for the sport. The excitement was high and although it was not a game of very high soccer quality, the passion of the fans was impressively intense. Of course we made some local friends watching the game and I felt reminded of my few visits of the Südtribüne of the BVB. The level of craziness about soccer is definitely comparable.

– The next day we did a free walking tour and it was nice to get view on the sights and places of importance of Medellin excluding Escobar. A few highlights were the huge statues of the artist Fernando Botero and the old National Palace hall which is an impressive old building now used as partly shopping mall and partly art exhibition center.

The following day we left Medellin in the direction of Guatape together with a Portuguese couple that we met on the city tour the previous day and that is living in Berlin as well. Our goal was the Piedra de Penal, a huge lava stone rock formation next to a big lake. Due to the nice conversation we had in the van I missed at least one important crossing in the direction of the rock, and we ended up on a tiny unpaved road through the hills, which was unplanned but rewarded us with a nice view of the rock. You can hike up the rock over about 700 steps that are built into a crack on the side. Since the rock is free standing we were rewarded with amazing views of the surrounding beautiful lake landscape.

After the exhausting hike we visited together the colourful and beautiful little town of Guatape which is next to the Rock. Our passengers took a bus back to Medellin and we started to search a place to sleep. In iOverlander we found the Portus Hotel which was located right at the lake. The last few hundred meters were again extremely narrow and a challenge for Rosi, but we made it to the hotel and once agains….the complete area was empty. After I called, a friendly lady came, opened the gate and once again we had the full place for ourself. A big lawn next to the lake with an outdoor kitchen and seating area. The next morning I went for a refreshing dip in the lake before we took off in the direction of the Caribbean sea.