I was very pleasently surprised by Medellin. It is a lot bigger and more modern then I was expecting. There has been massive investment in the infrastructure. We are staying in the fancy hipster part of town called El Pablado. It is colourful and full of cool shops, cafes and restaurants. It is not the cheapest place but it is really lovely to stroll around. The night life is vibrant, lots of music and bars. Lots you people milling about. We have a good night night soaking it up and chatting to the locals till wee hours.
I have to take the next two days off due to an affliction I will not go into here but needless to say I feel bit bad that I gave up two days of my time here in this lovely city.
We headed to a small town about 2 hours away called Guatape. It is on a huge man-made reservoir. There are lots of islands and you can take boat trips around. We walked up the El Peñón de Guatapé. It is a large monolith 200 meters high. 650 steps and you are met with great views. A short tuk-tuk to the colourful town of Guatapé. They paint all the houses in different colours and make these panels with little artworks. Lovely place.
Our last day in South America!! We headed to Camuna 13 area of Medellin. It is a place steeped in history and violence. It is an amazing colourful place now with escalators that carry you up the steep town. The walls are full of art and the energy is infectious. Street performers everywhere and generally happy people. At the moment peace reigns here luckily. Tourism is a big business. The gangs still run the place but more in a way of pride and protection.
