Medellin, Colombia
We arrived in Medellin early yesterday afternoon, after an uneventful 50 minute flight from Cartagena.
Medellin is the second largest city in Colombia, with a population of 2.5 million in the main part and maybe another million scattered around the outskirts. Upon arrival at our hotel, we all walked to a hamburger joint for lunch, then continued on for a trip on the very modern metro system. We took a train to one end of the valley, then a series of two cable cars that lifted us up over one of the densely populated slopes of the city and into the clouds, eventually traversing a portion of a huge tract of densely forested parkland. The humidity and low-lying mist gave an eerie feel to the whole thing.
Unfortunately the weather gods were not on our side for this journey and we were caught in a nasty rainstorm for the rest of the day, including a long walk back to the hotel from the metro station on our return trip. It is the rainy season here so I guess we shouldn't really be too surprised.
This morning we woke up to a completely different kind of day, with blue skies and sunshine. We signed up for a 4 hour walking tour of the central part of the city, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We not only got to see the downtown itself, but also learned a lot about the recent and ongoing political and economic situation in Colombia and especially this particular region of the country. The city of Medellin has gone from having the dubious title of the most dangerous city in the world, just 15 years ago, to now being recognized as one of the most innovative cities. Right now it seems to be very upbeat and progressive and the people generally friendly and happy. The future holds a lot of promise, albeit not without a few lingering problems.
{GMST}6|12.4218|N|75|33.93|W|Medellin, Colombia|Medellin, Colombia{GEND}
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