Medellin, mi amor

The 3rd country has been crossed off the list and it was a tough one to cross off because I never wanted to leave. All my friends in the know told me I would love Colombia. They were not wrong. Medellin is an amazing city. Easily my favorite city thus far on this Polaris journey. I had high expectations coming in for Colombia and not only were they met but they were exceeded. There was nothing I didn't like about it. Let's start by pointing out Medellin is so lush, so green, so mountainous, and so jungly. It's beautiful. As a guy who prefers beaches to mountains, I was overwhelmed with the mountainous beauty of Medellin. The food was very good, the people were very friendly, be it locals, fellow backpackers, or travelers alike, and the vibe was just solid. There was a decent amount of rain (thanks mom for the umbrella even if I already managed to lose it!) but it was still pleasant all the time. Our living accommodations were pretty splendid and basically everything overall about Medellin was great.

One thing I did not realize was how seriously Colombians took the Pablo Escobar legacy and his "taint" on Medellin in particular. Pablo Escobar has been glorified a long time now in pop culture but in Medellin, his name cannot be mentioned. For many Colombians, and in particular Paisas (Colombians from Medellin), Pablo Escobar is a villain who killed countless innocent Colombians and caused incredible harm to the country. They look down on tourists who seek out any Escobar related tours or attractions and they especially get angry at fellow Colombians who dare mention his name. I am going to be honest but with the success of "Narcos" in particular, I figured Medellin would attempt to monetize and create tourism from doing tours around the shooting locations of the show as well as play up the drug lore of the country. I couldn't have been more wrong. I came into Colombia somewhat interested in learning more about Pablo Escobar and visiting a Pablo Escobar museum or doing a Escobar tour of some sort but after hearing how passionate our local Colombian city managers were about how scarred the city and country were from Pablo Escobar, any curiosity I had vanished. And honestly, I enjoyed Medellin so much without that part of it that it may have actually enhanced my appreciation for the city.

It's also just a fun city. It's overridden with travelers but they mix well with the locals and we never felt unsafe in Medellin. It's a party town. I felt like I wanted to go out every night. There's just something about the entire town. I could very easily see myself living in Medellin down the road. I could spend another 3-6 months there without a doubt. I have already started thinking about heading there when this Remote Year ends and extending my absence from the good ol' USA for several more months. However, that's a long ways from now and a lot can change and although I have nothing but great memories surrounding Medellin, I do have to remind myself I was there with 30+ friends that made it all the easier. That being said, it has a huge expat community and meeting travel peers seems like it wouldn't be difficult. To be honest, Medellin was one of the first cities I didn't feel inclined to leave to explore other areas. I would have loved to get to Cartagena or check out Bogota or to go search for Sofia Vergara in Barraquilla but I loved our little bubble. We stayed in Poblado, which is sort of the affluent area of Medellin and reminded me a lot of the Miraflores vibe in Lima. We did a lot of fun activities around town which included playing bubble soccer (one of my favorite activities), riding a chiva bus (essentially a party trolley), competing in tejo, the national game of Colombia (basically cornhole but with explosives... yep), and attending a soccer (oops, I mean futbol) game. Here's a sampling of those activities:

Our Chiva bus

Tejo: The Colombian national game

An Atletico Nacionals game: They lost and the power went out for 15 minutes

Bubble Soccer: A great excuse to brutalize your enemies, I mean friends

Of course, when you think of Colombia you also think of coffee and we definitely had fun going to a coffee lab and tour as well as a coffee farm and learning all the fun facts about coffee. Unfortunately, great coffee in Medellin itself wasn't super common because they export all their good coffee! I did learn quite a bit about coffee however. Did you know...

• The discoverer of coffee was an Ethopian man named Kaldi
• He first noticed beans being eaten by his goats that caused them to be energetic. He tried them himself but found the taste to be bitter. He brought the beans to a wise man who threw them
  into a fire. The aroma was so pleasant it was recommended he try it grounded up with hot water. Hence coffee was born (in the 4th century).
• The first ever café was located in Istanbul.
• The largest exporters of coffee today are Brazil, Vietnam, and Colombia.
• Coffee comes from red berries that encase a white bean that encases a green almond. The almost is what is roasted and is most commonly known as the coffee bean.

 

Finally, I did escape one weekend to go see see Guatapé, a growing tourist town that has beautiful lakes and a gynormous rock you climb for amazing views that I think everyone can agree are amazing: 

The town itself is quaint but adorable. Lots of beautiful multi colored buildings and fun touristy stuff. I actually fell in love moreso with the town of San Antonio, which we stopped at on the way back from Guatape and felt like an authentic Colombian town with little to no tourists. But overall, the trip was a nice little getaway. What can I say, my heart was in Medellin. I highly recommend going there at some point. Some Medellin highlights:

Macster Recommendations:

For Food: 

Oci.Mde: This restaurant wasn't on my must-go list but it was delicious. Everything we had was amazing. I highly recommend the tuna tartare and the sirloin steak (bife de chorizo). I actually enjoyed it more than...

Carmen: Carmen is THE restaurant in Medellin. We didn't do the 7-course pairing (recommended) but the food was still very good. They have fun cocktails too. Fun fact: The chef (Carmen Angel) went to UCSC and Le Cordon Bleu in San Francisco. 

Criminal Tacos: The Polaris crew ate here pretty much every day. Best tacos we had in our journey to that point and their salsas are really good. Both the "suave" salsa (delicious) and the "habanero" salsa (big time kick) are recommended. Plus, they play like 90's rap pretty much full time. 

Home Burgers: This was just a casual burger joint that happened to serve pretty decent burgers. If you like burgers, I'd recommend giving it a try. 

Andres Carne De Res: This place was a kick! If you want some authentic Colombian food or a very unique experience (think dancers and performers while you eat) come here and enjoy. You may get serenaded at your table by a band or you may get roped into a skit with some Grease gals. You never know! Also, all the food is pretty dang good. 

For Drinks:

Old Tom - The Gin Palace: This place is small but has crazy drinks served in mini-bathtubs or bird cages or other crazy things. As you can guess by the name, they specialize in gin cocktails but they have other offerings as well. This place is a must to try at least once!

Mad Radio: This place is a cool bar/lounge that has dancing if that's your thing but also areas to chill if dancing isn't your thing. Also, the front opens up to a public outside space people use to loiter. They have good music and a pretty good vibe. 

Envy Rooftop Bar (Charlee Hotel): Great panoramic city views (go at sunset if you can) and pretty solid Japanese food to boot. There is a dress code and you may need a passport or ID to get in.

Must-Do's:

Honestly, I just really enjoyed Medellin and doing fun stuff around town. I didn't take the side trips I wanted to Cartagena or Bogota but I'll most definitely be back at some point. The town was awesome and the country as a whole seems awesome. If I were to recommend anything it would definitely be to take the cable car to Parque Arvi. Medellin is super proud of their cable car system (think gondolas) that has helped connect different wealth classes to the hub of the city and the latter third of the ride to Parque Arvi is very tranquil and remote. Oh, and do the Chiva bus for a good night out.

Remember: NO PABLO ESCOBAR TOURS!

Don't be surprised to hear that I move here at some point because I truly love(d) Medellin!