The combination of crisp air and car exhaust from heavy traffic, that’s how Medellín lingers in my mind and sinuses after three days in the city. I will tell you now; you have not booked enough time for this city.  Time spent in beautiful opposition.  A city built in the valley surrounded by mountains, where high-rises spring from shantytowns, where typical Paisa street food competes with critically acclaimed restaurants.  Once a city run by Narcos, now is bursting with pride and reputation.

We arrived at our Airbnb which was more of a boutique hotel called Energy Living in the Pablado neighborhood complete with a wrap around balcony and rooftop infinity pool.  It’s one of the nicest and safest neighborhoods but also is close to the swanky nightlife and notable restaurants of Parque Lleras.

We met some new-found friends from New York at our hotel and they invited us to join them for dinner with locals. El Gato was where we landed since adjacent Burdo was packed but comes recommended.  Many of the restaurants were designed as open-air taking advantage of the eternal spring of the city and avoiding the heavy cost of AC.  

Gin and tonics are having a moment in Medellín so if it’s the house specialty why not give it a try?  The wine was disappointing the entire trip, so come to terms with it early.  It took me the better part of the week to get the hint.  Cocktails are king in all of Colombia so don’t even try to find a good Malbec.

At dinner I had the pleasure of meeting a woman that ran a budding resort wear line, Scapelia Swim.  We made plans to meet the next day so I could try on some of her designs.  Colombian designed, Colombian made, check them out!

The Metrocables are credited with boosting the economy because they connected the lower income population living higher up the mountains with better jobs and greater education down towards the city center.  Once limited to opportunities within a one hour walk in any direction they could now cover in a 10 minute scenic ride down the mountain.

While the MetroCable serves as mass transit for most of its riders, it is one of the best ways to see the views of the city.  We decided to go to Parque Arvi which is nice if you need a break from the city.

We went to El Botanico for dinner and we enjoyed amazing steaks and cocktails before walking the streets lined with bars and clubs. I LOVED the DJs at these places because they played salsa club music that makes everyone think they would win Dancing with the Stars.

The streets and squares offer up plenty of people watching and entertainment abound.  Maybe you’ll be as lucky as I was to find to find these musicians to dance with.

The party streets surround the Charlie Hotel known for their rooftop deck.  Frankly, the pool I wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot leper. But I was glad when it wasn’t shoulder to shoulder like I was expecting.  We were seated at a romantic sofa for two overlooking the pool and city.

We made it out until 1 am and I was proud of us for living like a Paisa if a Paisa went out on a Tuesday.

(Paisa is the name for someone from Medellín, like a New Yorker is from New York. See the similarity?)

Day Trip to

Guatapé

Our first day was spent heading to Guatapé, a day trip from Medellín.  We were joined by a couple of New Yorkers whose families were from Colombia. We met them in the hot tub the night before and they were game to share in the ride. Vacation friends are a beautiful thing.

El Peñón de Guatapé, or the Rock, is a main attraction of the city. 740 steps aren’t so bad when we were told 900.

We made the trek up 740 winding steps up the Rock to look down on a breathtaking archipelago.  Breathtaking because I was actually out of breathe from the step climb but also a natural wonder!

The lake has all kinds of surrounding activities, ATV tours, ziplining, kayaking and other water sports. We opted for hang gliding.

They took us out on the lake with a mechanism that hoisted the wing to the back of the speedboat.   A crew of three guys ran the operation with precision  It was without a doubt one of the greatest adrenaline rushes I’ve ever experienced partly because I had no idea what was being said so everything was a complete surprise.  I kept asking ‘are we okay, are we okay?’.  Turns out, we were okay. If you go be sure to ask for ‘pirouette’.  Definitely watch the landing! 

Could spend another week in Medellín, but alas, the ocean was calling. Up next San San Andrés island.

Obvious and Avoids:

• Uber is illegal in Colombia but it operates anyway as we ordered one from the airport oblivious to this detail and somehow the driver with limited English was able to convey to me that we are friends and she is “not Uber”. So upon pickup I gave her a big hug and sat in the front seat.   Around town this is less of an issue, but it’s actually a courtesy to sit in the front seat.
• Google Translate is the $h*t – You can talk and type into it to translate, or if you’re reading a menu it will translate the text!
• Tipping is okay but not expected – You would tip 10% at the nicest restaurant. Sometimes it’s already included.  But really, you might leave a few coins or low bills at the end of a meal.  Tipping taxis is not the norm but our tour guides usually wanted a ‘propina’.  Which I grasped fairly quickly and then acted like I didn’t understand.
• When we rode the metro we followed the locals and wore our backpacks in the front.  Pickpockets are a part of any transit system and usually an opportunistic grab, so don’t become a target.
• Take the escalators up to Comuna 13
• Everyone asks about the Pablo Escobar tour and I hadn’t heard great reviews so we skipped it. What I did learn while we were there is that you can channel your inner Pablo and play paintball at his mansion. Also, his brother lives there and greets the tourists.   http://www.escobarpaintball.com/
• Restaurants as recommended by locals: El Cielo, Bordo, Botanico, Oci, Clandestino, Hanami, Carmen
• If you are flying within Colombia like we flew regionally, prepare for lines at the airport.  The attendants don’t always speak English.  I insist you make every humanly possible effort to get internet to pay for your luggage ahead of time because these are separate lines. If you’re solo make sure to give yourself 2.5 hours at the airport maybe more.  If you’re traveling with others, you can divide and conquer these lines.
• Getting To Guatape: If you care about time, I suggest a taxi/Uber at $50 one way.  If you care about money, for less than $10 round-trip, you can take the bus to Guatape.  But under time constraints we opted for the taxi.  Our driver offered to stay with us all day for the cost that Uber would charge round trip.  For $100 we had a private driver for around 10 hours.  Thanks to our fluent Spanish-speaking friends this was easily arranged and negotiated. It is 45 min – 1.5 hour via taxi and about 2 – 2.5 hours on bus all depending on traffic and construction on the two-lane highway.