Medellin: The City of Eternal Spring

The bus ride from Pereira to Medellin took about 5 hours and wound through the gorgeous Andes mountains. I was excited to venture off to a new area for the last few days of my trip, especially because two dear friends planned to join me in Medellin that weekend! I would have 2 days by myself before they arrived, and I wanted to make the most of it.

As often happens in the random ways of travel, I met a new group of traveling Germans on the bus who just so happened to have reservations at the same hostel. We found our way to Poblado, which is a popular zone for tourists due to its party scene, abundance of hostels, and cute little restaurants. After dropping our things off at the hostel, we found a nearby restaurant for dinner and explored the area a bit. The boys were dead set on finding a good club, so I joined them for a few dances before finding my way back to my bunkbed. I was trying to be responsible since I had plans to take a day trip the next day!

The next morning I had a leisurely breakfast and then began the somewhat difficult journey to a nearby city, Guatape. It was only difficult because I had no idea where I was going, but I'm getting better at asking for help in Spanish! I eventually ended up on the right bus, and an hour later I was dropped off close to La Piedra del Peñol, my first destination.


El Peñol (The Stone) is a visual oddity in the countryside - a giant monolithic rock jutting out of the earth and surrounded by beautiful lakes. It's not so surprising to learn that the Tahamies Indians used to worship the rock! It certainly inspires a sense of awe. I climbed the 740 stone steps to the top for fantastic views of the surrounding area and treated myself to an ice cream :)

Once I descended, I took a tricycle ride to the nearby town of Guatape, a vibrant, colorful little town. I wandered the pretty streets for an hour to take some photos and have a late lunch. I thought I would stay longer, but I got a bit bored so I found the bus station and headed back to Bogota. I decided to have a peaceful evening and hung out in the hostel watching a movie. I was tired from my day trip and I knew I needed to get some sleep because Natalia and David would be arriving at 5am on the night bus from Bogota!



I was pleasantly awoken by the two wiggling my big toe. Ah, the joys of dorm rooms! Everyone showered and then we headed out for our first adventure in Medellin...Parque Arvi, an ecological preserve. To get to this park, which is located  in the northeast section of the city and covers over 16,000 hectares, we had to take the metro and then a cable car. The journey itself was so interesting because we were able to see Medellin from above and pass over neighborhoods I would never have entered on foot. The city is HUGE!

Once we got in the park, we were very touristy. We rented a rowboat, we zip-lined, and we ate a ton of picada, or mixed barbeque. By the time we went back to the hostel, we were all ready for a long nap! About the same time, I received a text from my friend Claudio, the Argentinian I mentioned in the posts about Pereira. He decided a weekend in Pereira would be boring, so he had hopped on a bus and was coming to join us! The more the merrier!

Natalia had another friend living in Medellin, so we met up with him and his friends for dinner and then we hit the town. We went to Parque Lleras, which is a famous area in Poblado known for its clubs. It was a fun group and we had a blast. Claudio showed up around 11pm and seamlessly joined the party!

The next morning, after we recovered from our hangovers, we decided to explore the city. We went through the city to a few famous places, but we were cursed with rainy weather, so we spent most of the time sitting inside a restaurant, talking. That evening, we met up with Natalia's aunt and went to look at some Christmas lights in Parque Lleras. Then, the young-ins hit up da clubs once again. It was my last night in Medellin and a really nice time shared with good people.

The next morning, Natalia and David returned to Bogota and I spent one more day with Claudio until, at last, my trip had to end.  After all, I only had one day left to pack for my trip home to Atlanta!