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Thread: Medellin Idyll

  1. #26
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    more street art from comuna 13...

    Medellin Idyll-img_20180619_101120-jpg

    Medellin Idyll-img_20180619_101629-jpg

    Medellin Idyll-img_20180619_100701-jpg
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  2. #27
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    and more...

    Medellin Idyll-img_20180619_100422-jpg

    Medellin Idyll-img_20180619_100923-jpg

    Medellin Idyll-img_20180619_095916-jpg

    ...yeah, enough, alright alright...
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  3. #28
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    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.

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

    Medellin Idyll-img_20180621_122327-jpg

    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.

    Medellin Idyll-img_20180621_101753-jpg

    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.

    Medellin Idyll-img_20180621_112655-jpg

    Medellin Idyll-img_20180621_101856-jpg

    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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    pues, estamos aqui

  4. #29
    fcuked off SKkin's Avatar
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    ^South America's Uluru? Great view from that. Thanks for the pics happy.

  5. #30
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    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.

  6. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by happynz View Post
    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

  7. #32
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    Thanks for the pics & stories, very interesting. Gracias!

  8. #33
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    A typical lunch here in Antioquia...

    First up a drink - guava banana juice...

    Medellin Idyll-img_20180717_124626-jpg

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

    Medellin Idyll-img_20180717_124924-jpg

    ...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.

    Medellin Idyll-img_20180717_125427-jpg

    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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  9. #34
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    Just saw this. Nice report and pictures thanks Hap...

  10. #35
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    Quote Originally Posted by happynz View Post
    Brekkie on the balcony...

    Medellin Idyll-img_20180618_061831-jpg

    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 ...

    Is Medellin as good as people say?

    Very colourful pics, btw.

  11. #36
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    Quote Originally Posted by hallelujah View Post
    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.

  12. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by happynz View Post
    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!

    Quote Originally Posted by happynz View Post
    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.

  13. #38
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    Parque Lleras in Poblado should be worth your time.

  14. #39
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    Stumbled upon this video. Thought I recognised some of the places on his wild ride.

    Comuna 13 in Medellin!





  15. #40
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    ^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.

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

  16. #41
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    Whoa that scared the shit outa me!! I wonder how I would have felt at 25 or 30 watching it. Brave ass rider.

  17. #42
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    Camera makers it look worse than it really is. But still no tucking chance

  18. #43
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    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?

  19. #44
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    Great video.

  20. #45
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    Quote Originally Posted by sabang View Post
    Does it extend to anything more exotic than rice, eggs, banana/ plantain & grilled meat?
    You forgot arepas. Otherwise, that's not inaccurate.

  21. #46
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    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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