A night bus from San Gil to Medellín was straightforward and uneventful until I changed buses and we got stuck in a small town where a truck was blocking the road and there was absolutely no way past, no alternate route. So as it began to get light we were stuck on the side of the road for just over 2 hours. I have become accustomed to travelling in Latin America and it is never as straightforward as expected. Delays are inevitable.

Finally arriving into Medellín a few hours delayed but actually better as it wasn’t so early in the morning and the metro would be running normally. However this did mean that it was almost peak travel time for people on their way to work. One of my favourite things is to travel on public transport with all my bags in the humid heat with people going to work. A bit sweaty I disembarked from the train in the ever popular El Poblado district and for reasons still unknown I chose to walk 30 minutes up hill to my hostel – Chillin’ District.

I had arrived into Medellín the day Colombia played Chile in the quarter finals of the Copa America Cup. This means party time and instead of taking a much needed nap after the long journey, it was a couple of cold beers with new friends and a mission to a local hangout where the game would be played on a big screen. It was super local and everyone was in their yellow shirts to support their beloved team.

Unfortunately the game came down to a penalty shoot out and didn’t go in favour of Colombia. Disappointed we returned to the hostel but the party didn’t stop there. A few more drinks and we went to a popular club called Calle 9+1, a dingy techno club but popular with backpackers. Randomly I bumped back into the crazy crew from Palomino and also my friend Martin who I had met in Nicaragua some 8 months ago. Mind blown how small this world is sometimes. Lets just say it was a good night and drifted home at about 5am.

One day for recovery before another party – Medellín Pride Parade.

A colourful day out in every way, it was hard to keep everyone together as the party progressed through the streets of Medellín and it ended up just being me and my new friend Tim and we easily walked about 18km that day. As we walked along people walked through the crowds with carts selling cold beers and snacks. Others would offer us a shot from their bottle of aguardiente – a strong alcohol made from sugar cane that reminds me a bit of Sambuca – my favourite. What an incredible party that continued well into the small hours of the morning.

There ended up being a super solid crew at the hostel where we seemed to alternate days partying with recovering for the next week or so. One particular night started very quiet with just a couple of beers. We joined 2 of my now favourite Colombianas Marcela and Antoinette who had both recently moved from Bogotá and were excited to explore the nightlife. There is a bar in El Poblado that is nice to start the night and it has a pit of colourful balls much like at McDonald’s which in reality is pretty gross where people are drinking and jumping into the ball pit, but a lot of fun all the same. With bars closing early midweek we decided to go back to one of the girls apartments for a few drinks. We piled 6 of us into a taxi and were somewhat surprised when the police pulled us over. We got the full pat down and had to empty all our pockets and bags onto the street. We ‘of course’ had nothing to hide but still not the most pleasant experience. Instead of going to the apartment someone had a bright idea to go to another club on the other side of town, maybe a 30 minute taxi ride away. The taxi seemed to get a bit lost and then another police group stopped us and proceeded for another full pat down. We arrived at the suggested bar only to be a bit more sobered up and no one really in the mood so we got back in the taxi and returned back to El Poblado, haha so really we felt like we spent most of the night just in the taxi driving around.

The next day I decided it was high time to explore more of what Medellín has to offer other than parties and venture out of touristy El Poblado, which could have you guessing if you are even in Colombia. I joined up with a couple of people from the hostel and explored the Metrocable.

The Metrocable is not only a tourist attraction but a cheap necessary way for locals to get around the city. Life changing for the people who live in the slums who used to be faced with a long tiring commute into the city centre for work or have no choice but to stay in slums where the only work was provided by the drug cartels.

Another interesting day was exploring the historic downtown area. A good way to get an overall history lesson and necessary safety pointers is to do a walking tour. Often a good idea to do in first few days of arriving in a city but a week and a half later I finally get around to doing one. The guide drew on some personal experiences about life in Medellín where he even told us his account of when his 2 uncles were kidnapped and held for ransom. His family lost all their money and had to move from the safety of El Poblado where he was then shot twice. He then decided that was enough and saved enough money to move to the US. After finishing the tour I just enjoyed walking around and getting almost lost amongst the hustle and bustle of a big city. Shopping where the locals shop and eating street food.

Comuna 13 is another barrio and was once considered the most dangerous area in Medellín, itself the most dangerous city in the world. It has undergone a complete transformation and the area is no longer known for gang violence, police raids, cartels and illegal trafficking, but more readily associated with graffiti art, street performances and walking tours. Our local guide said although things are now more expensive, the tourism that comes now provides jobs and with that an opportunity for people to earn a good wage and stay away from the once violent unsafe options only available.

In the transformation of this neighbourhood, a free escalator was built and again like the Metrocable gives locals easier access for work in the centre of town. A ride on the escalators takes 6 minutes which used to be a commute that was equivalent to walking up a 28 story building to get home.

The rest of my days in Medellín were filled with eating good food, drinking good coffee and of course a few more parties before finally confirming a volunteer work exchange in Guatapé which is about 2 hours from Medellín.