Day 6 Salento to Medellin
I survived the national game – it was much harder than it seemed. Trying to throw small, metal weights to land on tiny triangles of white paper filled with gunpowder was not easy. Mind you when someone did hit the mark you leaped into the air in shock the explosion was very loud. It was good fun.
Early start for the 9 hour bus trip to Medellin. It takes so long because you have to drive up into the Andes. The Andes break into three here in Colombia and the are not as high as in Peru. Unfortunately the main road is only two lanes with no passing points. Most of the time was spent trying to overtake huge wagons and it always seemed to happen on a bend!
The scenery is spectacular – coffee and avocado plantation, sweeping green hills, mountains and valleys, fast running rivers and the odd waterfall. We were breathtakingly high.
Day 7 Medellin
In the morning we completed a city walking tour. Five years ago this was a total no go area but now the city has new buildings and lots of parks and areas for the people to relax.
We used the metro which was very good. A city is a city any where you go and after a while you tune out from the guides talk. We then had a 2 hour break and luckily found a good cafe just before the heavens opened! We were going to go up in a cable car but when thunder and lightening started we decided to leave that trip until later in the day. We then caught the metro again and met a graffiti artist from the Comuna 13 neighbourhood. He was explaining what the area was like when he was a child – not good I can tell you! The guerrillas would parade a person around the neighbourhood with a gun to their head, take them to the football field and shoot them. Members of the victim’s family would also be shot if they tried to help or even to collect the body!
This neighbourhood is much better now. 6 escalators, moving up the hill, have been installed which gives the people the chance to go to shops at the bottom of the hill and gives them a much easier return to their homes at the top. They are well maintained and the people of the neighbourhood take pride in keeping them clean and running well. The people have taken ownership and pride in the area and they certainly don’t want to return to the old days!
The graffiti artist, Chota, is slowly beginning to become very well known for his work – there is always a story about the old days hidden in his work. Although only young himself, the younger kids look up to him and see that you can pull yourself out of poverty.
By the time we got back to the hotel we were exhausted – we had been walking for about 9 hours but it was a really great day.
Day 8 Medellin to Cartagena
After an hours drive we arrived at the airport for a one hour flight to Cartagena. After flight number 9 we landed into 34C heat – getting us acclimatized for home I think. We are on the Caribbean coast – the sea is a rather grey with quite large waves – not as good as Wollongong beach!! Our hotel is in the old part of town, inside the walled city. This place reminds me a little of Cuba.
Emeralds are the stone of Colombia but the prices are too high to indulge oneself!
I survived the national game – it was much harder than it seemed. Trying to throw small, metal weights to land on tiny triangles of white paper filled with gunpowder was not easy. Mind you when someone did hit the mark you leaped into the air in shock the explosion was very loud. It was good fun.
Early start for the 9 hour bus trip to Medellin. It takes so long because you have to drive up into the Andes. The Andes break into three here in Colombia and the are not as high as in Peru. Unfortunately the main road is only two lanes with no passing points. Most of the time was spent trying to overtake huge wagons and it always seemed to happen on a bend!
The scenery is spectacular – coffee and avocado plantation, sweeping green hills, mountains and valleys, fast running rivers and the odd waterfall. We were breathtakingly high.
Day 7 Medellin
In the morning we completed a city walking tour. Five years ago this was a total no go area but now the city has new buildings and lots of parks and areas for the people to relax.
We used the metro which was very good. A city is a city any where you go and after a while you tune out from the guides talk. We then had a 2 hour break and luckily found a good cafe just before the heavens opened! We were going to go up in a cable car but when thunder and lightening started we decided to leave that trip until later in the day. We then caught the metro again and met a graffiti artist from the Comuna 13 neighbourhood. He was explaining what the area was like when he was a child – not good I can tell you! The guerrillas would parade a person around the neighbourhood with a gun to their head, take them to the football field and shoot them. Members of the victim’s family would also be shot if they tried to help or even to collect the body!
This neighbourhood is much better now. 6 escalators, moving up the hill, have been installed which gives the people the chance to go to shops at the bottom of the hill and gives them a much easier return to their homes at the top. They are well maintained and the people of the neighbourhood take pride in keeping them clean and running well. The people have taken ownership and pride in the area and they certainly don’t want to return to the old days!
The graffiti artist, Chota, is slowly beginning to become very well known for his work – there is always a story about the old days hidden in his work. Although only young himself, the younger kids look up to him and see that you can pull yourself out of poverty.
By the time we got back to the hotel we were exhausted – we had been walking for about 9 hours but it was a really great day.
Day 8 Medellin to Cartagena
After an hours drive we arrived at the airport for a one hour flight to Cartagena. After flight number 9 we landed into 34C heat – getting us acclimatized for home I think. We are on the Caribbean coast – the sea is a rather grey with quite large waves – not as good as Wollongong beach!! Our hotel is in the old part of town, inside the walled city. This place reminds me a little of Cuba.
Emeralds are the stone of Colombia but the prices are too high to indulge oneself!
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