Colombia
I made it to Medellín and just signed up for a tour tomorrow to visit Pablo Escobar's old hacienda-mansion. Even though my first post about Colombia was about political violence, life here has felt completely nonthreatening. In Cali, my first stop after the crossing the Ecuadorian border, it strangely felt safer walking the streets at night than strolling down the seedy city during the day. Street salsa parties marched through the cool night air, touring the streets to drums beats and rapping and singing Caleños. One night a local artist hosted a fiesta on his roof, where everyone danced to three-step salsa in front of picturesque views overlooking the mountains and the city. The people in Cali, in general, are the most genuine people I have ever met in my life -- and I've met some real welcoming pueblos along my journeys. The sincerity that everyone has when they gladly strike-up conversation is unmatched and gives Colombia the building blocks of its new reputation as one of the warmest nations.
Between Cali and Medellín I stopped in the coffee growing region, La Zona Cafetera, in the Valle of Cocora. The small rancher pueblo was the perfect place to relax, hike, visit a family-run coffee farm, and make funny faced at the roaming cows and horses.
While living the good life in Salento, I realized that the hostel scene has changed drastically since I hopped off the circuit two years ago. Back when I started traveling, maybe one, or two people tops, in an entire hostel would have a laptop with them. These always invited questions about worrying what happens if their computers got stolen. Now adays, in every single hostel I visit, I'm the odd man out because I don't have an iPad or a small Acer. Hostels are all hooked up to WiFi. I'm surprised at how nobody seems to worry about their expensive electronics and at the same time saddened at how people now hide away in their hostels, more connected to their electronic lifes at homes and cut off from the incredible places they visit.
I've finally reached Medellín, one of my most anticipated stops in all of South America. Known as the "City of Eternal Spring" with its year round warm weather, the city feels like a Western metropolis. Open-aired cafes surround streets and tree covered plazas. Even the busy center feels like a well-developed and happening business district (as opposed to the dreary cement faces that tower over the streets in Cali). The trains are more modern than the Green Line in Boston.
After spending all morning wandering the streets, trying to get a feel for and understand this infamous city, I signed up for a Pablo Escobar tour tomorrow and plan to also check out the largest aquarium on the continent. I'm loving Colombia!
Between Cali and Medellín I stopped in the coffee growing region, La Zona Cafetera, in the Valle of Cocora. The small rancher pueblo was the perfect place to relax, hike, visit a family-run coffee farm, and make funny faced at the roaming cows and horses.
While living the good life in Salento, I realized that the hostel scene has changed drastically since I hopped off the circuit two years ago. Back when I started traveling, maybe one, or two people tops, in an entire hostel would have a laptop with them. These always invited questions about worrying what happens if their computers got stolen. Now adays, in every single hostel I visit, I'm the odd man out because I don't have an iPad or a small Acer. Hostels are all hooked up to WiFi. I'm surprised at how nobody seems to worry about their expensive electronics and at the same time saddened at how people now hide away in their hostels, more connected to their electronic lifes at homes and cut off from the incredible places they visit.
I've finally reached Medellín, one of my most anticipated stops in all of South America. Known as the "City of Eternal Spring" with its year round warm weather, the city feels like a Western metropolis. Open-aired cafes surround streets and tree covered plazas. Even the busy center feels like a well-developed and happening business district (as opposed to the dreary cement faces that tower over the streets in Cali). The trains are more modern than the Green Line in Boston.
After spending all morning wandering the streets, trying to get a feel for and understand this infamous city, I signed up for a Pablo Escobar tour tomorrow and plan to also check out the largest aquarium on the continent. I'm loving Colombia!
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