Medellin

The road to Medellin is filled with opposing images. One sees beautiful nature such as this:

Interspersed with extreme poverty like this:

Medellin itself is located at the bottom of a large valley. In 1991, Medellin had 6,349 reported homicides or 380 per 100,000 people making it on of the most dangerous cities in the world. In 2013, however, it was named the most innovative city in the world by the Wall Street Journal with the homicide rate having fallen by over 80%. Especially considering its history, it's a strikingly modern city, with its expansive metro system being finished in 1995.

The three pictures above are all examples of how Medellin has transformed itself. The public works started by the city are largely responsible. Those rods sticking into the sky are where the worst of the city used to be. They light up at night, symbolizing hope and renewal. Where there used to be crime, there is now commerce and restaurants.

Of course this is still a big city in a developing country. Right outside a colonial-age church are ladies of the night.

We were told you can get an hour of time, including hotel room, for approximately four dollars.

Moving on, there is public art everywhere and unlike our home, the people here appreciate it and even congragate around it.

These sculptures are by famous Colombian artist Botero.

Because of its history, the population here is very proud of its accomplishments. The metro costs about one dollar and there no transfer fees. It spans almost the entire city and is spotless. No graffiti, no vandalism. For twenty years.

 

 

There are also remnants of violence here.

This damage is due to a bomb that went off in bright daylight in the middle of a public concert in the middle of the day. Instead of taking it down, the artist put up an identical sculpture right next to it.

The people here are so full of hope. They have been though he'll and now their home is being internationally recognized of its successes. It's a lovely place with worthy people.

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Parque Tayrona

My wife was determined to visit the most beautiful beaches in Colombia and that entailed going to an impoverished town, a forty five minute bus ride, and an hour and a half trek trek through jungle.

Not pictured is all the hills and stairs we had to traverse carrying packs. It was very pleasing to the eye, but by the time we got to the park we were exhausted. Still, it was worth it when we saw this.

And this:

The sun was bright and mild, the water was clear and blue and the sand was cool to the touch. We were in paradise.

We slept on these.

Sleeping in a hammock is surprisingly peaceful. All you heard was the jungle and the ocean. It was one of the most relaxing nights of my life.

We've been to paradise and it was wonderful.

 

 

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Viva Colombia!

So, its been just over 3 years since I last posted in this travel blog. 3 years is a short and long time at once, not too long to forget, but long enough that many things can happen. So in the last 3 years, I have worked a Recruiter for a healthcare staffing agency in Los Angeles. Assisted my mother in her new business venture as a restaurateur. Moved from La Canada to Sylmar and assisted in 2 other moves. Trapped, neutered, and released 8 feral cats. And I met, dated, and married David- my love, my best friend, and current travel campanion. David and I are now currently on our honeymoon. And given that I occasionally like to buck convention, we quit our dead end jobs and are traveling around Colombia & Europe for 2 months. Once we return stateside, we'll pack up an head north to the Pacific Northwest. 2014 has been amongst the most momentous, tumultous years of my life.

We are currently in the beginning of week two of 8 weeks. We started our trip in Cartagena, one of the oldest cities in South America. It is a real life historical Pirates of the Carribean location. The walled city is a unesco world heritage site and is filled with gorgeous examples of colorful, colonial architecture. One can spend days wandering around the old city just enjoying the picturesque surroundings. Our first evening was spent walking on the old fortress wall and enjoying dusk while overlooking the Caribbean Sea.

Other highlights of cartagena included visiting Castillo San Felipe- which was one of the city's main defenses against marauding pirates. It was a hot, humid walk to the Castillo. However, it offers a sweeping view of the city and sea. David and I took a private salsa lesson at Crazy Salsa. There, David learned just how uncoordinated I am and he learned to count to 8 in Spanish. Our salsa instructor also offered many useful life tips such as "fast with your body, slow with your mind" and "don't think about the movements, think about the steps."

One of the reasons I choose Colombia as my pick for the honeymoon was to enjoy tropical beaches. Also, I wanted to ensure that David experienced a level of culture shock on this trip. Our first tropical beach was Playa Blanca, a 45 minute boat ride from the main land. It had the white sands, clear blue waters, and palm trees that I craved. But also came with many tourists (ourselves included), aggressive peddlers, and a high level of commercialization. A tad disappointing, but overall still very nice.

We spent our last days visiting the Oro Museum, which detailed the role of gold in pre-colonial days, and the Palace of Inquisition, which detailed the history of the city and had a torture exhibition which I chose to forgo. At night, we visited Plaza Trinidad where we enjoyed tropical cocktails and people watched the bustling square filled with street vendors, children playing futbal, and friends visiting.

The last few days we have been in Santa Marta & Parque Tyrona, about 4 hours away from Cartagena. Our first day we went to Taganga, once a quiet fishing village but now a bustling night life scene for backpackers. It was a crazy bus ride and nice for the afternoon, but not really worth staying for long in my humble opinion. The highlight in the region is undoubtedly the Parque Tyrona, which is arguably one of the most naturally beautiful parts of Colombia. However, getting to its beaches is a bit of a trek; one must hike for about an hour and a half on a moderately challenging trail- however made a bit more difficult with the heat, humidity, and carrying a pack. However, I got the more isolated Caribbean paradise that I desired. Plus, we slept in hammocks while falling asleep to waves crashing and surrounding wildlife.

Tonight we head off to Medellin which is more inland and hopefully less expensive. I conveniently forgot the sticker shock with traveling compounded with the loss of income. However, this trip is a new beginning for David and myself and I am (reasonably) optimistic for our future. Again, I rediscovered the somewhat negative reality that American culture does not encourage extended travel. We received many looks that were a mix of incredulous wonder and envy when we told people at home of our plans. However, we have pinched, saved, and received incredibly generous wedding gifts from family which made this trip a reality. This was the best time to do such a trip. And I am so excited and fortunate to share these tremendous experiences with my new husband and best friend.

 

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Playa Blanca - 45 minute boat ride to somewhere like paradise

Cartagena is a place of contrasts.

The very old against the very new.

 

 

And the very poor is just a very short distance away from the very rich.

 

 

You pass all these things on the 45 minute bus ride to Playa Blanca, a touristy beach accessible from Cartagena's port.

That's what it looks like right off the boat. Crowded, kind of dirty and peddlers bugging you every couple minutes. Walk twenty minutes down the beach though and it looks like this:

The water is warm and blue and there are charming hostels and little bars all over.

It looks like a scene out of a movie. The big downside is the peddlers are extremely aggressive. People handing you various mussel-like things, rubbing your shoulders without asking, and pushing coconut water and beers. Besides that, it was a glorious day and, like most places here, all that was missing was more time.

 

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Two new videos

 

 

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Arriving in Cartagena

After getting three hours of sleep over the day long travel, my new wife and I arrived in Cartagena, survived a talented but dangerous taxi driver and explored the Walled City of Cartagena.

This is the view from our hotel.

One of the busier streets in the Walled City

The buildings are so colorful.

It's not all rays of sunshine. Parts of the area are in serious decay.

My lovely wife on the historic wall that runs along the ocean.

 

She's really embracing the Colombian lifestyle.

There are sights like this around every corner.

I'll have a complete album and a video up when my connection allows.

 

 

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