Colombia: Medellín, Guatapé, Jericó, Jardín, Manizales, Salento, San Agustín (Week 5-9)

Medellín

Medellín is a magnificent city!  One of my favorite cities I have ever visited thus far. The entire city is nestled beautifully amongst rolling hills and it is so accessible with their metro system constructed a few years back. I happened to coincidentally arrive in Medellin during another festival, the annual Festival of Flowers. The festival took place for more than a week where it held events in different parts of the city ranging from concerts to flower exhibits, performances, and food vendors, to the exciting culmination of El Festival de Silleteros. I met Arwyn, a lone Welsh man, at the hostel I was staying at. I noticed him trying to get info from the reception desk on things to do while in the city, so I invited him to join me that evening at Pueblito Paisa, where I wanted to get a nice hilltop view of the city just as the sun began to set. The next morning as we were getting ready to head out to watch the Festival de Silleteros, we met a British girl name Irram and we all three headed together to watch the parade. The parade showcased silleteros who are those from the region of Antioquia (known as paisas) that carry a tradition of bringing down harvested flowers from the high hills down to the city to sell at the market. These flowers were traditionally carried on sillas which were then carried on their backs, hence the name silleteros. Only those with a family history of silleteros get the opportunity to participate in the parade and showcase their flower arrangements. I witnessed people of all ages participating. It was heartwarming to see children proudly celebrating their family tradition. It was awe-striking watching those much older carrying silletas that weighed more than their own body weight.

Arwyn, Irram and I decided to go to the Atlético Nacional vs Millonarios football game later that night. Arwyn let me borrow his newly purchased Atlético Nacional jersey under the condition that we trade during halftime, and I wear his red Welsh football jersey. He wanted both of us to have the opportunity to wear Atletico Nacional representing Medellín. The game felt like an interesting mix of being at a live concert with a sprinkle of athleticism. The fans were on their feet singing different songs and chanting different cheers the ENTIRE TIME. There were fans jumping on the edges of where the highest level drops to the next seating level down. Irram and I were confused the entire time how this was happening without them falling over to their death. They had immense energy and there were huge amounts of marijuana smoke in the air. I could’ve sworn I was hotboxed in an open football stadium. That is how much smoke was up in the air. During halftime, Arwyn was coming up the stairs to our seats, and a few Colombian fans cussed him out for wearing red at the game. Apparently, that color was the Atlético Nacional’s rival team color, something none of us knew.  That’s when I knew I was going to have to go back on my word. I was scared to switch jerseys with him after that incident. Arwyn, being the gent that he is, was fine with me keeping his green Atlético Nacional jersey for the rest of the game.  We continued watching (and participating) in the concert for the second half of the game.

While in Medellín, I also got an opportunity to learn a little more about Comuna 13 which was one of the most impacted neighborhoods in the city during the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s with drug activity and homicides. I learned there is great work being done to help with the transformation efforts of this community through graffiti art, dance, the construction of the electrical escalators, and other community efforts being done to help lift people from the hardships they’ve experienced the past few decades.

Sarah and I decided to meet each other up in Medellín. The one full day and night in Cartagena just wasn’t enough for either one of us. And that is how the group came to be: Arwyn, Irram, Sarah, and myself. It became “instant friendship love”, a term Arwyn claims sounds like the name of a pop group. We all instantly got along so well and connected. We convinced Irram to not take a night bus to Bogota that she had planned, in exchange for having one final night together as a group. So, we decided to cook a spaghetti dinner and go out dancing to have our last hoorah. While we were cooking, I got a little bossy with who and how the food was to be prepared. Luckily, everyone was a good sport about it. We enjoyed our romantic dinner at the hostel and headed on out to dance. We didn’t know Monday night was going to be as slow as it was, given there seemed to be a pretty active night scene other days of the week. Still, we made the best of the three spots we found and had a great time dancing and even being DJ to an empty club where only the 4 of us were present at. The last bar was where we hit our limit with shots of disgusting Aguardiente, a popular Colombian liquor. We danced the remaining night to salsa and merengue and headed on back to our hostel after stopping for some late-night street french fries.

By this point, I had already shared multiple meals, multiple outings, and multiple days with the muskers (as Irram named us in our WhatsApp group chat). Sharing life experiences, opinions, perspectives and topping it off with some humor on catch phrases we notice in one another, accents, or the way in which American and British English are different, really helped create a special bond quickly. There was this immense sense of mutual respect between all of us that to me felt so authentic and pure. Irram had to head on home to England a few days later to get ready to start her first year as a 10th grade teacher. Arwyn and Sarah, who each have individual plans to continue traveling through South America for the next few months, began planting the idea in my head to continue on after Colombia and follow them down south into some countries they’ll be visiting like Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. At this moment, I had been open with myself to continue traveling, but I hadn’t made any specific travel plans beyond Colombia. So, this became the start of considering something different.

Guatapé

Sarah and I decided to head on out to Guatapé, a quaint little town about two hours east of Medellín, just as an overnight trip.  e clearly saw on the weather app that it was expected to rain, but for the sake of not overpacking our day bag, we decided to leave our rain jackets behind because we somehow figured… we would be alright. We were wrong. When we arrived in the evening we were freezing in our shorts and tank top. We did not bring any type of clothing that remotely showed we were ready to guard ourselves from the cold and rain. As we walked around town looking for a place to have dinner, we settled for a pizza shop called Pizzota. The name itself should have told us it was going to be horrible. But I think the fact that we had not eaten since midday and were so uncomfortable with the cold, led us to settle here. Because of the pizza dinner, we had bubble gut for the next half day. My stomach was definitely speaking to me. What was sadder was our walk back to our hostel from Pizzota and seeing a number of fabulous looking restaurants we could have eaten at if we would have just waited and walked a few blocks further down from Pizzota. Nonetheless, lesson learned. The next day we made sure to be patient and scope out better restaurant options during our morning free walking tour of the town. We definitely hit jackpot with a healthy vegetarian restaurant we ate at for lunch. Now, our main purpose for going to Guatapé was to go see El Peñón de Guatapé, a huge rock formation that visitors can climb 700+ steps to the top to see spectacular views of Guatapé and the surrounding region. The climb was not as difficult as I was expecting it to be. It actually took less time than my estimate and it was very well worth it. The views were absolutely stunning! Sarah and I had planned to do some kayaking through the waters of the man-made reservoir below after visiting the top of the rock. However, we decided to change plans and sit at the top of the rock for a few hours to take in the views and chat about nothing and everything.

Jericó and Jardín

Jericó and Jardín are two little towns nestled within the green rolling mountains of the Antioquia department. The drive to both of these towns is breathtaking! I got a chance to stay in Jericó for two days and Jardín for four. It reminded me tons of the pueblos back in Mexico with a plaza and church that serves as the center of town where people congregate for afternoon/evening strolls, to grab food, or sit in benches and people watch. In Jericó, I happened to again coincidentally arrive during a festival, their annual Festival of Kites. However, I didn’t get to stay long enough to watch the weekend events take place. I had to leave early because the hostels had all booked up. I did get a chance to do some exploring by hiking through the botanical gardens and up the hill where the Cristo statue is located. From the beginning of my hike, I was followed by a small black dog I met in the botanical gardens. Actually, I followed him as he led most of the way up the Cristo. A second small white dog joined us during our walk halfway through. Once we arrived at the Cristo and enjoyed the views, they still continued with me back down to town. The second dog that joined soon parted ways from us, but the original dog continued by my side. He stayed with me for four hours as I entered a store to browse through bags and a café to purchase a drink. A few storeowners asked if he was my dog because we clearly seemed to come as a pair. I walked him back to the botanical gardens where I had originally found him, to see if he can find where he is supposed to be. I didn’t want to take the chance of having misguided him out of known territory. However, everyone I asked seemed to not know who he belonged to. He was most likely a street dog. I figured if I am hungry after four hours of walking, he must be too, so I bought him an empanada to eat. He ate it so patiently. About five minutes later, we parted ways after he found a group of dogs to play with. Besides the beautifully colored buildings and cleanliness I noticed throughout the entire town, the gorgeous hike up the Cristo accompanied by this mystery dog were probably the two main highlights of my short stay in Jericó.

Jardín is where my next stop was and that is where I met Marvin, a young guy from Scarborough, England or Scarbados as he taught me, because of its beauty and resemblance to Barbados (supposedly). After meeting him, I came to the conclusion he is probably one of the biggest football lovers I know. We got to spend quite a bit of time together going on a few group hikes, taking a yoga class, eating meals together, and watching his all-time favorite Leeds United play. The majority of our conversations entailed topics I had no clue to, and he was well versed in. One main topic that was never absent was conversations on Leeds, even though I did not understand when he talked football to me which he was well aware of. Hanging out with him gave me insight into current events I am clueless about and less important facts I could probably live without. One example being when he tried to tell me about the history on why people in England drive on the left side (the correct side) according to him. He likes to say he is a fountain of knowledge. I also like to mention he is a cheater when it comes to playing cards.  He cheated his way twice in a game of Speed with me. He must have reached a frustration level for having lost to me repeatedly. While in Jardin, a group of us in the hostel got a chance to go visit a waterfall nestled within a cave called La Cueva del Esplendor. The hike there was one of the most serene and beautiful hikes I have taken. So quiet, so green, so peaceful.

Manizales

Sarah and I decided to meet up again for 4 days in the city of Manizales to take a break from hostels. We booked an Airbnb to have more comfort since pricing was almost similar to booking individual stays at a hostel. We didn’t have too many plans for Manizales besides going to one of the few hot springs in the area. I quickly realized Manizales was not the most exciting city but given we had 4 days there, we took advantage to do quite a few things. We watched nearly half of the movie Bridesmaids one night (before falling asleep), attempted to go out for a social night but semi-failed (we left too late and ended up eating a calzone at one of the few open restaurants left), and used the time to do some research on our travel plans for the next few weeks. We decided to go to the hot springs that showed to be the most beautiful in pictures but also happened to be the furthest away from our stay. It did not disappoint. There were multiple hot pools to choose from and an area where a gentle waterfall fell right down into a cooler body of water. After Cartagena, Sarah began using the word bestie to refer to me.  I actually really love it. I’ve enjoyed all the opportunities we have gotten to meet up and spend more time together in Colombia. It has been rather smooth meeting up in certain cities and towns, as we both had similar routes heading down south through Colombia. She is traveling until March and visiting most of the countries in South America. I think I hit a peak of annoyance with my British accent practice in Manizales. I had been working on my British accent since Medellín, and I’ve been trying to master the word “water” because I think it is one of the smoothest and easiest words to say. Sarah may think otherwise. She’s probably heard me say it aloud more than 50 times by now and it’s only been two to three times max where she’s complimented my pronunciation. We even went over the differences between the Scottish, Irish, Welsh, and British accents. I think I nailed all my “water” attempts minus the Welsh accent. I’m hoping to pass as a Brit in Sarah’s eyes very soon. During our time in Manizales, we continued talking about the possibility of meeting her and Arwyn in the next few countries they plan to visit after Colombia.

Salento

I decided to head to Salento after Manizales to meet up with Marvin and visit the Cocora Valley where the tallest wax palm trees in the world are at. This town was more touristy than the other small towns I had visited previously, yet it was still very nice. I invited Rafael, a German traveler staying at our hostel, and his friends to join us on the Cocora Valley hike. For Marvin and Rafael, it was an instant connection. Perhaps “instant friendship love” once again. Our hike to the Cocora Valley was an adventure. We took a wrong turn where Marvin, myself, and a few others got lost for about 3 hours. This led us into taking a more difficult uphill trail. I was exhausted many times and needed to stop to catch my breath. Marvin’s humor along with the bromance that sparked between him and Rafael helped make the hike a bit more enjoyable. Though difficult, the tough trail ended up giving us a beautiful view of the mountain towards the end. The remainder of my time in Salento consisted of more Leeds talk and visiting a coffee farm. Both Marvin and I don’t like coffee but given that Salento and the surrounding area is known as the coffee region of Colombia, I felt I couldn’t leave without visiting a coffee farm. I’m pretty convinced I do not like coffee after my many attempts at tasting what is considered to be the best. The coffee farm gave really great information on the entire process from planting to consumption.

San Agustín

I used the city of Popayán as a rest stop before heading to San Agustín, an archaeological site that takes a bumpy 4-hour ride to get to. San Agustín is a beautiful town well worth this difficult journey. Because of transportation difficulty I was having with reserving a bus ticket, I was about to pass on going, but I am so glad I didn’t. I think one of my favorite parts was the hostel I stayed at. It was so warm and inviting. It felt like a cabin retreat amongst green lush vegetation. Besides the archaeological site, there are a few waterfalls (one of them being Salto de Bordones, the second tallest waterfall in Colombia), and the narrowest stretch of the Magdalena River that empties out all the way in Barranquilla along the Caribbean coast. San Agustin is a less travelled hidden gem.

It’s a little heartbreaking meeting such extraordinary and inspiring people and having to part ways. This thought never crossed my mind until Sarah mentioned it more than a month back in Cartagena, where we first met. I’ve been experiencing it every time I have to say my goodbyes to people that have touched me in one way or another. Especially those I have got the chance to spend more intimate time to build connections and help challenge my perspective with.  Arwyn, Irram, Sarah (bestie), and Marvin are those that made some sort of positive impact on me already and for that I am filled with gratitude. Irram recently tagged Arwyn, Sarah and I on a post from Instagram that has a very profound quote: “When there is an old intimacy. With new friends.” by Nayyirah Waheed. I hope to continue building friendships that encompass this feeling.

I’m down to my last day in Colombia. I got to visit such beautiful places and still, I feel like I barely got to scrape the surface of what Colombia has to offer. I’ve learned that I prefer small towns over big cities, something I would’ve never thought I’d say. Colombia is definitely a special place. It welcomed me with such open arms and kindness from the people here. Now, I do have a life update: I was convinced by Arwyn and Sarah to head on down to neighboring countries and continue my travels. So, starting tomorrow, I’ll be making my way to Ecuador. Afterwards I’ll continue heading down to Peru and Bolivia. I’ll be meeting up with Sarah in Ecuador and hopefully I get the opportunity to meet up with Arwyn as well. I don’t have an exact return date yet besides knowing I’ll be in South America for the next few months. Marvin’s recommendations on Peru and Bolivia will definitely keep me going for a while along with recommendations I’ve received from others the past few weeks. I’m very excited, but still, with a few apprehensions lingering.  Given this blog is titled “Journeying through Colombia” I am not quite sure what to do with it now. Technically that journey is coming to an end. Writing has been a great opportunity for me to practice reflection and gratitude. I’ll have to figure out in the next few weeks how to tweak the title to continue on.