Colombia-Joyas y Cafe Day 4

Day 4 - Thursday, March 27, 2014 - Midmorning Flight to Medellin; Explore Medellin; Take the Metrocable Up Nutibara Hill; Lunch/Dinner at Local Restaurant

The day begins early on the streets of Bogota. By 6:00 AM the trucks were bringing goods into the city center, motorbikes were zipping past the hotel, and the vendors were setting up their stands at the corners.

Our bags were to be outside our room at 7:30 and after breakfast we were ready to leave the hotel at 8:20. Saying good-bye to Bogota was hard as the people were so friendly and went out of their way to welcome us.

We arrived at the Avianca’s Domestic Terminal and thanked Pablo for his careful driving. Edgar took our passports and all of our bags to check us in as a group. He brought us our boarding passes and we found that he had managed to get us the seats that Gennie had arranged before we left Colorado.

There were about 45 minutes before we went through security, just enough time to stop by Dunkin Donuts for a snack. Security was very minimal and then we found Gate #3.

Before the agent called our flight, Edgar walked us upstairs and then directly to the aircraft stairs. As a group, we were the first to board the plane. The flight was full; we were happy to get on early to have space for our carry-on bag.

We flew on an A-320 Air Bus directly to Rio Negro, less than an hour flight. If we had taken a bus overland, the trip would have taken eight hours. Landing in the middle of this green ocean of trees and mountains was a bit tense.

From the air, it looked like it was going to be hard for the pilot to find a flat strip of land for a runway but he managed to put us on the ground safely at noon. We landed in Rio Negro and after we got our bags we were met by our local guide, Paulo and our driver, Raul.

Paulo explained why the city of Medellin is now known as one of the most innovative and progressive cities of the world. After having the negative status as the home of the drug lord Pablo Escobar, in the past 14 years, they have made remarkable progress to restore the reputation of the city. Signs everywhere say of the State of “Antioquia is the Most Educated”.

Paulo told us the story of Escobar’s humble birth, petty youth crimes, and then growth into the king pin of the cocaine traffic. It is thought that he was making up to $16 million dollars a day!

We took time from the story to stop at Casablanca, a very upscale super market to pick up a few things for our dinner; bread, cheese, and a few pieces of fruit. We knew we would eat lunch later, so we did not want a large dinner.

Back on the road Paulo told us about the downfall of this drug lord and the guerrilla warfare and the help of the U.S. Delta Forces. Escobar was killed in 1993, and finally the country began to cleanse itself of this violent criminal and look forward to a new prosperity.

We had a brief photo opportunity at an overlook where we could see the whole city of Medellin in the valley below. Two statues, The Genius and The Beggar by Cristobal Gavia-Gavi stand guard over the Medellin. They are very impressive and give a hint of the art and culture to be found in the city below.

We got off of the bus at 2:30 and found the temperature to be 86° and the humidity was 44%. We walked to the cable car station at Acevedo and rode three stops to the top of the Santo Domingo Savio neighborhood or barrio.

As we walked, we met Alicia who graciously invited us to visit her home. Simple but with everything this 84-year-old lady would want and a view of the city below to die for! We were able to ask her a few questions and even met her daughter, Estella who lives with her family in an apartment below her mother.

A little boy named Angelo followed us and Paulo told us he is a boy of the neighborhood who he befriended a few months ago. This curious and friendly little boy of eight was very happy to talk with all of us and we helped him practice his English while he joined us for lunch.

Our lunch was at La Mesa del Barrio run by Lina, a single mom of the neighborhood. Through a participatory budget project the community gives her money to run the restaurant and OAT contributes to this worthwhile endeavor.

After lunch we were treated to a demonstration of local dances by six senior citizens of the barrio. We thanked everyone and then walked back to the tram station for our trip back down the mountain.

Because traffic at 5:00 is terrible, we rode the metro, a very fast and well run system of transportation that has brought more prosperity to these poorer neighborhoods. People no longer need to spend two hours riding buses back and forth to work.

Raul was waiting for us and we still spent the next half hour in traffic to get to the hotel. After we checked in and got ourselves organized, we went for a walk with Edgar and a few members of our group just to get to know this area close to the hotel.

We were back to work by 8:30, writing the journal, and sorting photos. We ate our light snack, plenty after our late lunch.

Accommodations: Art Hotel Medellin - - - Meals included: B & D

To receive $100 per person off your first reservation with OAT, mention the following information when reserving your Overseas Adventure Travel Trip: Mr. Victor Garcia Customer #673062

And yet another great adventure! Thanks for sharing. Love you.

Enjoying your trip to Columbia - have thought about doing this someday!! Enjoy - in the OAT tradition!! We are currently enjoying a month in Sedona - hiking or mtn. biking everyday - it is gorgeous here!!

Day 18: Mediterranean Navigation

Malta

Tunisia

Algeria

Gibraltar

Spain

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Day 18 - Wednesday, March 19, 2025 – Disembark Ship & Return to USA

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Continue Reading Day 18