#  >  > Non Asia Travel Forums >  >  > Travel the World Travellers Tales Forum >  >  Medellin Idyll

## happynz

Today was Exotic Fruit Tour at Plaza Minorista. Our tour guide was a lovely young Paisa called Diana. I highly recommend this tour if you decide to come to Colombia. Our first day here we walked around the fruit and veg aisles at the markets with a lot of mutterings of "What is that?" This tour introduced many fruits for sampling so we now have a better idea of what we can pick up at the market.

_Lulo_


_Curuba_


_Granadilla_


_Different fruits we tried on the tour_

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## Maanaam

First time I've seen feijoa called guavasteen. Interesting. Tree tomatoes I've always known as tamarillo and I'm surprised that they're not called that in South America....I'd always assumed "tamarillo" was Spanish in origin.

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## happynz

My favourite was the chontaduro. On its own it tastes very much like boiled kumara. Add a bit of salt it gets more interesting. Top it with salt and honey and it's wicked good.

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## Luigi

Nice.


How long are ya staying there? 


A school mate of mine spent a summer in Columbia after school, at 2 Euro a gram the fooker had quite a coke habit by the time his family forced him to come back.  :Smile:  

Suppose a kilo's out of the question?  :Smile:

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## happynz

> How long are ya staying there?


5 weeks





> Suppose a kilo's out of the question?


Weed's decriminalised here in Colombia. For coca leaves you can buy bushels of the stuff in Bolivia.

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## AntRobertson

Nice one.

Just about gagged at the sight of the tree tomato thingies though. Jaysus those things are dreadful!

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## cyrille

What's this got to do with Merthyr Tydfil?

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## happynz

Taken from my balcony looking east towards the football stadium and La Candelaria (the central business district).

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## Neo

> 5 weeks
> 
> 
> 
> Weed's decriminalised here in Colombia. For coca leaves you can buy bushels of the stuff in Bolivia.


Neckties still available.?  :Smile:

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## TuskegeeBen

Great pics. Thanks for sharing. Stayed at *The Black Sheep* hostel near Zona Rosa, back in '08. Great accommodations, as I recall. 

I also recall the* owner* being a* Kiwi*. You might want to stop by there, to pay a visit for future reference. Meanwhile, enjoy Medellin. Cheers!

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## happynz

The _algarroba_ was an interesting one. It looks very much like a big petrified pea pod. One needs a hammer, or a big rock, to crack it open. Inside is whitish-yellowish chalky flesh that smells suspiciously like pongy cheese and dirty toenails (don't ask about the dirty toenails 555). Yet, when a piece is placed between cheek and gum the _algarroba_ starts to soften and dissolve and the flavour is reminiscent of vanilla and malted milk.

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## TuskegeeBen

Kindly (ahem) disregard post # 10. The Black Sheep hostel owner, in Medellin, is a *rea*l New Zealander, and a *truly* nice person. Enjoy your holiday there,........*bud*.  ::chitown::

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## happynz

Uh...



You're a strange one, Ben.

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## happynz

Transport day  :Smile: 

Medellin has a very good integrated transport system. 



One can transfer easily and without added cost from the trains to the Metrocable.





The Metrocable serves the barrios up on the hillsides reducing workers' commutes by an hour or so.

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## happynz

Brekkie on the balcony...



Coffee, eggs, lulo, pitaya, and arepa con queso.

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## Luigi

Very nice, cheers.

It looks surprising clean and clear for a large city.


Did you go to where Escobar was shot dead? I'd imagine it must be a kind of dark tourist spot.

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## happynz

We're staying in Barrio Estadio, about a 1.2 km walk to Barrio La America where Escobar met his end. The barrio where Escobar was shot is not a particularly dangerous place and is in fact a desirable sort of middle-class neighbourhood. We haven't done any Narcos tours but there are some that run half-day excursions to where Escobar was shot and the grave where he is now buried.

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## SKkin

> One can transfer easily and without added cost from the trains to the Metrocable.


Looks like an appealing transfer ...

 :Smile:

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## Dragonfly94

sniff sniff

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## happynz

> It looks surprising clean and clear for a large city.


In many areas it is tidy, but in parts of La Candelaria it gets a bit dodgy. We were down that way this morning and sussed quickly that it's not the kind of place to be flashing a late model mobile phone (so no pics).

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## TuskegeeBen

Double post!  :Notworthy:

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## TuskegeeBen

> Uh...You're a strange one, Ben.


 Indeed, I am a strange one. Thank you, for *that* recognition. Cheers!  :Smile:

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## happynz

COP 9,000 menu del dia (THB 1 = COP 89), served midday.



Soup, salad, chicharrón (pork belly), rice, an arepa, fried plantain, a baked potato and a fruit juice. Oh, and a wee sticky guava fruit lolly...

That's us done eating for the day.  :Very Happy:

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## happynz

Today's excursion was to _Las Escaleras Electricas_ - public escalators that go up the hillside into a notorious barrio in comuna 13. Once the most dangerous barrio in what was once one of the world's most dangerous cities, the barrio has began to transform itself. It still is a hotbed for rival street gangs and narco outfits, but with the introduction of the escalators and the local government providing paint to local artists the barrio now welcomes a steady stream of local and foreign visitors to appreciate the street art and to hear the locals' stories. 

Many blogs advise only going with organised tours for safety reasons, but we decided that we would go as independents. One can take a combination of train and busses to the escalators, but with two people it was not much difference price-wise so we took a taxi (taxis are a bargain here). 

We got to the escalators at about 09.30. The first level is at the top of a very steep street. It becomes readily apparent that this isn't a barrio plagued with random gang tags scrawled on every available surface, but a vibrant if troubled neighbourhood..





The first level escalator...








More art...

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## Luigi

Great stuff. Interesting to see, cheers.

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## happynz

more street art from comuna 13...

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## happynz

and more...







...yeah, enough, alright alright...   :Very Happy:

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## happynz

*Guatape Interlude*

We had a pleasant day trip to Guatape about two hours to the east of Medellin. Easy ride on the Metro to the Terminal Norte and a bus to Guatape. Our main interest was to climb to the top of El Peñon, or as the locals call it, La Piedra (The Rock), a massive 200 metre high rock sticking up on a hill.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Pe%...p%C3%A9_02.jpg  shameless nick of a wiki pic. The rest  are mine.  :Wink:  

South face of La Piedra. Some enthusiastic dickhead supporters threw up a Atletico Nacional tag.



There are 675 steps to the viewing area at the top of La Piedra. The platform in the upper right of the photo is only one-third of the way up. 



The south and north views from the top looking over Embalse del Peñol, a large hydropower scheme where 30% of Colombia's electric power is produced. 





For fans of Escobar, his lakeside mansion (or what is left of it) can be reached by boat from the nearby town of Guatape. Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to arrange transport. The story goes that Escobar used the mansion to store his cocaine and cash. When a 200kg bomb planted in one of the bathrooms went off police quickly came in and scooped up the coke and hundreds of millions of dollars in cash that were scattered by the explosion.

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## SKkin

^South America's Uluru? Great view from that. Thanks for the pics happy.

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## happynz

:Very Happy:   I don't think that La Piedra has the spiritual significance that Uluru seems to have. Hell, at the top one can buy beer and ice cream.

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## SKkin

> Hell, at the top one can buy beer and ice cream.


Cool...beer floats. 



Beer Floats Will Make Your Summer Boozier, Better
https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nati...cream-pairings

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## katie23

Thanks for the pics & stories, very interesting. Gracias!  :Smile:

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## happynz

A typical lunch here in Antioquia...

First up a drink - guava banana juice...



...then a bowl of soup. Beans of course...



...and now the main. Here we have lettuce and beetroot salad, rice with an egg on top (how Thai, 555), fried banana, and some pork (surprisingly "porky" and tender, which always isn't the case at these sorts of restaurants). As always, we asked for salsa picante as Paisas seem to shy away from spicy food. 



The food was pretty well prepared, the fruit juice was outstanding (as fruit juices are in Colombia), and the price was a reasonable COP 20,000 ($US 6.60) for my wife and I.

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## aging one

Just saw this. Nice report and pictures thanks Hap...

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## hallelujah

> Brekkie on the balcony...
> 
> 
> 
> Coffee, eggs, lulo, pitaya, and arepa con queso.


I enjoy all of those, especially pitaya, but it's just a shame that most of the cheese lacks any real flavour  :Sad: ...

Is Medellin as good as people say?

Very colourful pics, btw.

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## happynz

> I enjoy all of those, especially pitaya, but it's just a shame that most of the cheese lacks any real flavour ...
> 
> Is Medellin as good as people say?
> 
> Very colourful pics, btw.


Thx.

I agree. The cheese is as described on the label "blando" (mild).

Medellin isn't much tourist-wise. It's not exactly overflowing with colonial charm, but as an urban centre it has a lot going for it. The transport is great, the weather is fantastic, and the locals are genuinely friendly. Many overseas visitors base themselves in ritzy El Poblado, but I prefer the Laureles/Estadio barrios. Poblado is hilly as and traffic is a pain.

If you decide to fly in to Medellin try to get a flight into EOH, the city airport. The main airport is quite a trek from the city.

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## hallelujah

> Thx.
> 
> I agree. The cheese is as described on the label "blando" (mild).
> 
> Medellin isn't much tourist-wise. It's not exactly overflowing with colonial charm, but as an urban centre it has a lot going for it. The transport is great, the weather is fantastic, and the locals are genuinely friendly. Many overseas visitors base themselves in ritzy El Poblado, but I prefer the Laureles/Estadio barrios. Poblado is hilly as and traffic is a pain.
> 
> If you decide to fly in to Medellin try to get a flight into EOH, the city airport. The main airport is quite a trek from the city.


Right. I've heard good things and taxi drivers are always raving about the women to me!




> Thx.
> 
> the locals are genuinely friendly.


Colombians really do tend to be very welcoming.

Oh, as for the cheese, try Paipa if you haven't done already. Like a decent cheddar.

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## happynz

Parque Lleras in Poblado should be worth your time.  
 :Smile:

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## happynz

Stumbled upon this video. Thought I recognised some of the places on his wild ride. 

Comuna 13 in Medellin!

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## katie23

^the buildings remind me of the houses in Baguio city (see my Angeles - Baguio thread). Similar colorful houses stacked up in the mountains.

Colombia - reminds me of Shakira - her hips don't lie.  :Smile: 

Cheers, Nz! Drinking homemade pineapple wine as I browse.  :Wink:

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## aging one

Whoa that scared the shit outa me!!   I wonder how I would have felt at 25 or 30 watching it. Brave ass rider.

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## Saint Willy

Camera makers it look worse than it really is. But still no tucking chance

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## sabang

I'd love to visit Colombia & Venezuela. Must say though, the cuisine looks kinda uninspiring! Does it extend to anything more exotic than rice, eggs, banana/ plantain & grilled meat?

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## Hugh Cow

Great video.

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## happynz

> Does it extend to anything more exotic than rice, eggs, banana/ plantain & grilled meat?


You forgot arepas. Otherwise, that's not inaccurate.

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## Shutree

Nice pics and interesting thread.
I visited Bogotá a couple of decades ago and I really wanted to spend more time there, although the purpose of the visit revolved arround kidnap and ransom response. At that time the routine was that an American expat businessman would find a charming local lady and take care of her and her family, sometimes for a few years. When the expat was posted back to the US then the family could see the gravy train grinding to a halt so the not uncommon solution was to kidnap the expat and squeeze a large ransom from his employer as a sort of parting gift. Sometimes things didn't work out well.
At the same time, a couple of people I met were keen to tell stories of nights passed in bordellos. It seems that the K&R risks aside they enjoyed their lives there.
In recent years I have heard much better stories of life in Colombia and this thread confirms that. It would be good to revisit as a tourist.

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