Medellin

After a freezing and Salsa blasting night on the bus, 16 hours in total, we arrived Medellin. With the taxi we drove to our Hostel Casa Kiwi which is situated in the Poblado area. This suburb is definitely for the Colombian upper class and has plenty of funky restaurants and bars.

After exploring the area and getting our barring we had an early night. The next day we took the Metro, which is a fantastic way to get around the city. To see the city from a different angle we took the Metrocable up over the barrios of Medellin. This city is quiet big and the poorer people living pretty cramped in those barrios.

In the Parque Arvi we searched for tracks to enjoy the forest but you can only go in with a guide, so we left for the Botanical Garden. When we got back to our Metro Stop Poblado we were surprised to see so many people at this time. Everyone was coughing and scratching their eyes. Soon we started doing the same since the air was full with tear gas.

Masked men had entered the closed by University and had activated some explosive devices. The special force dropped some tear gas and blocked the road. The tear gas was so intense, our eyes where burning and we were hundreds of meters away from the University. Well, let’s go back to our hostel.

The next day we started our city tour in the Parque Berrio with its funny sculptures from the artist Fernando Botero. He was famous for his oversized, weird looking humans and animals. From here we strolled down to the Parque de Bolivar and Cathedral Metropolitana.

From the Paseo Peatonal Carabobo we reached the Plaza de la Luz and the Parque San Antonio. One of Botero’s sculpture was blown up in a massive explosion in 1995 which killed 29 people. He placed a replica just next to it so you can see the massive impact.

Afterwards we drove back to our hostel and packed for the next day trip.

Accommodation: Casa Kiwi, Carrera 36 # 7-10, Medellin, El Poblado, www.casakiwi.net

Price: COP 24 000 per person, 6 bed dorm, shared bathroom, WiFi, TV room, small pool, kitchen

Comment: big hostel with good facilities and friendly staff