Paragliding

March 20th, Medellin Colombia

After our fun filled day yesterday, we decided to go on another adrenaline pumping adventure - paragliding. We'd heard from other people at the hostel that it was a lot of fun and quite cheap, so we took the metro to the bus terminal and then a bus outside of Medellin. Unfortunately Bernie saw a misleading sign and we got off the bus too early on a steep mountain road so we had to wait around  chatting with some locals for another bus. However, since I love Hooters chicken wings, but they don't love me, I was lucky there was a restaurant nearby with a toilet!

Not too long later, we hailed a bus and got to the point where the were 3 paragliding companies at the side of the road. It was a very quick process of filling up a chit of paper with our names and nationalities and we were off. We had to climb a steep mountain to get to the top of a grassy patch for take off and landing. We were then given what I would call giant backpacks which we were strapped on us and they actually had a seat. Then we were each strapped on to our respective pilots so we were in front of them and without much further ado, we were high up in the sky overlooking the city. The first few minutes were quite scary but soon it was just a feeling of weightlessness and gliding really. Then I suddenly watched as Bernie's pilot did some acrobatics swaying them from side to side and twirling and going really low, I was petrified and immediately told my pilot that I did not want to do any of that. He laughed and pretty much did the exact same acrobatics! 

It was insanely cool how they have so much control over the parachute and can take you as close or far to anything - a waterfall, some horses on a mountain and even a house where we were so close to the roof and all the people were waving at us and I swear I could almost touch them! We were up there for 20 minutes and the landing was very smooth. I thought we'd have to run or something like the movies, but we were actually sitting on airbags so it was absolutely seamless and painless. As we walked back down to the road to catch the bus back to Medellin, I realised my legs were still shaking! It's definitely one of the cooler things I've done, but now that I've crossed it off the bucket list, I'm glad I won't be doing it again too soon. 

Once back in town, we chilled out, ate an amazing burrito and now Bernie is out partying with some of the hostel peeps while I'm in the room because of my dodgy stomach. Either way, I'm glad for an early night in since tomorrow morning we fly to our last and final destination in South America - the Colombian capital city of Bogota!

Adventure sports

19th March, Medellin Colombia

This morning we woke up early ish and decided to check out the metrocable. One of the fascinating things we learnt on our walking tour is how proud the people are of their metro. In fact they look at the metro as a sign of development, built in a time of violence and despair in the early 2000's and so it's their symbol of hope. As a result they are also extremely protective of it and there is not a spot of grafitti to be seen on the carriages or the station. Not a sticker, not a wrapper, not a coffee spill in sight. It's very amazing and heartwarming to see all of this. Bernie and I didn't even dare to open a window incase we mistakenly broke it and caused another revolution. 

The metro costs 1,900 pesos for a journey (Usd $1) so it's affordable for all the residents; however Medellin faced an issue with the people staying up in the hills. Roads were not great, buses were worse and these people commuted 2 hours one way everyday to work. So Medellin built the first metrocable to connect the hills and the 2 hour journey was cut to 10 minutes. The metrocable is a part of the metro line so it's great for us tourists to just travel around looking at the sights. 

We went up one of the metrocables which has 3 stops and goes above the 'slums'. If Medellin was once 'the most violent city on the planet', this slum was the most violent place in Medellin. They've seen so much pain and heart ache that the government is building a huge library right in the middle of this area, HUGE. Again, trying to bring hope to the most devastated areas of the city.

We took a second metrocable to Parque Arvi and this one was more than 15 minutes long and went over a jungle. Honestly, they could have charged 5 times the ticket price and that ride would be so worth it! At the end of the metro, we got off as we'd heard we could bike around. Unfortunately the bike rentals were not to be seen so we took a shuttle to the main park. We walked through and though there's a lot of jungle around and it looks very beautiful and untouched, the park itself was extremely manicured. In fact there were so many kids play areas that it felt like a kids park. We played on the most high tech swings ever - we had to wear a safety harness - and watched a short film in a 4 D cinema (my first, I was screaming with joy, never had such a cool experience) before we went to the zip lining area. 

This was really cool, like an obstacle course where you had to climb rope ladders and cross bridges and zip line. We got our harnesses and had a short training course on using the safety clips and ropes and then we were off. We completed about half the course before deciding to stop from exhaustion. Definitely a super fun day filled with activities. 

Once back at the hostel, we excitedly went to Hooters (again!!!) for hot wings. Felt good to have been super productive all day!

Metrocable

Overlooking the 'slums'

Metrocable over a jungle, such lush greenery

Swinginggg

Bernie in a log slide

Look how high up we were zip lining

Walking tour

17th - 18th March, Medellin Colombia

Went on the walking tour and it was really good. We really learnt a lot about Medellin and it feels so much more special now.

Lazy hazy crazy days

March 15th-16th, Medellin Colombia

Lazy days. The hostel is too comfortable with many different seating areas and balconies and hammocks, but mostly the big screen tv in our room, it's hard to leave. Went to Hooters again for hot wings even though both of our stomachs were destroyed after the last meal. Bernie ventured out on Friday night but they couldn't find a party so he was back in an hour, I was too involved in a movie so I ditched which I'm glad I did.

Missed the walking tour because we signed up too late so we're going tomorrow. We tried walking a bit but we can't seem to leave El Poblado. This morning we were up earlyish and decided to actually go out and do something, no more watching CSI! We walked to the metro to catch the cable cars to a different side of the city but it was randomly shut. Luckily the metro security told us before we made the journey only to turn back. Once again Bernie made us all laugh by misunderstanding the guards and speaking Spanish!

We ate tacos for lunch and walked around, this area is beyond cute. Sometimes I feel like I'm in the US, but then we walk by little parks and cafes with so much personality that is so Medellin! We thought we'd eat a small meal as we've signed up for a BBQ at the hostel this evening but then we passed the restaurant chain popular in Colombia called Crepes and Waffles that I had to go into. It was yum, my crepe was more like a banana split, so so good.

We've taken to hanging with the older people here ranging from 34-60 years. Today we chatted with a Canadian who must be atleast 65 years old! I like old people, they just do what they want and are so wise :) Medellin is very special, it's a city but feels like a town (especially in Poblado); it's also very pretty and developed but not so much that it's a generic US town. Its got great weather and there's a heavy rain shower every evening at about 4 pm like clockwork. As a result of all of this, there seem to be a lot of Americans and Canadians here, many of whom stay here for a couple of months.

As much as I love it here, we must leave to Bogota soon... the last city of our South American trip. Sad as I am to leave, I've been hit by a bout of home sickness for London so I'm counting down the days (12) till we're home!

City of the eternal spring

March 12th-14th, Medellin Cololmbia

After a relaxing few days in El Rodadero, Santa Marta in the north of Colombia, we took a 1 hour flight south to the second largest city in Colombia - Medellin. We had the best hotdogs of our lives at the Santa Marta airport, of all the places!

I've been really excited about Medellin, especially after watching so many episodes of Entourage! We're in the land of Pablo Escobar, notorious leader of the Medellin Cartel, who used to control 80% of the world's cocaine. Medellin was once known as the 'most violent city in the world'. However Escobar's death in 1993 ended the drug war and crime has since decreased. What's actually kinda funny is the number of people who've mailed to warn us not to go to Venezuela because of the violence (we're not going), and we've resassured them that we're fine in Colombia. It's great how this country has managed to pull itself up and shed it's past image. Of course not all areas are safe, it's still very violent at the border near the Amazon but we're sticking to the cities, so we should be fine.

We got here and took a 45 cab from the airport which is outside the city, to our hostel Black Sheep. This place is awesome! It's like a hotel really, in fact better than many hotels I've stayed at, but still has a downstairs hang out area for the social hostel vibe. Reminded me of 7 Patas in Sucre! We checked in and immediately started chatting with a British couple in the patio. Soon the conversation extended to everyone there and we were all exchanging our travel stories, it was good fun. We met a Canadian guy, about 45 years old, who used to be country head at a pharmaceutical company and quit his job to travel - and he's now been traveling for 2 and a half years! He told us that it was 2-4-1 chicken wings at Hooters that night. Hooters in Medellin!! We immediately said yes because the day I say no to hot wings is the day something is very wrong with me. So the 5 of us went to Hooters for dinner and the wings were definitely the best I've ever eaten in my entire life. They were so spicy even I was dying!

Then we walked around the main square and enjoyed the sights. We are staying in a nice resedential neighbourhod on the outskirts of El Poblado barrio which is very safe and quite upscale. The main El Poblado area is also the tourist hotspot, so lots of restaurants, bars, nightclubs etc. The place is very beautiful, I never expected Colombia to be so pretty and well kept! After dinner, we went to the Medellin brewery for a quick beer before heading home. As usual, Bernie was a star, no one in the world can resist his happy vibe. :)

The next day we didn't really do anything at all other than go out for lunch for ribs. The rest of the day we were complete vegetables watching TV! We've been told that Colombians speak the nicest or 'best' Spanish in all of Latin America. However they speak quite fast and have some major differences which confuses us - for example, the word 'calle' means road. We were taught to pronounce it 'caye', all double 'l's should be pronounced as a 'y'. In Medellin however, it is pronounced 'caje'! In Buenos Aires it was 'cache'. It's not easy being a Spanish student traveling across this continent! However I understand pretty much everything but Bernie seems to have some trouble with the accents. People in Colombia as well don't understand his Spanish, it really makes me laugh.

Today we plan on going on a walking tour of the city, this place is definitely one of my favourites already. Because of it's great weather, not too hot and not too cold, it's known as the city of the eternal spring.