Hello again, friends & family!
Long time no see! As you can tell, after a few months of traveling I wasn’t able to continue to keep up the blog. This was for a variety of reasons that I might post about at another time. But, after having some time and space to reflect while back home in California over the holidays, I was reminded of why the blog is important to me, and decided to start it up again. Better late than never!
So, after a much-needed month at home spent riding, reconnecting with loved ones, and just enjoying the comforts of living in my native culture again, I felt re-charged and ready to tackle my next adventure: Medellín, Colombia!
Ready to go again!
Beautiful view of the landscape just before landing in Medellin
This is the view from my apartment balcony! Even though there are plenty of high-rises, the city is so green and jungle-y that you barely even notice they’re there!
Exploring the City Center
My first morning in Medellin, I woke up bright and early for a 4-hour walking tour of El Centro. Despite my jet lag, I can easily say it was the best walking tour I’ve ever experienced. Our guide, Julio, a charismatic Paisa (this is an affectionate term for people from Antioquia, the department (province) of which Medellin is the capital), shared with us the fascinating history of his city through eye-opening glimpses into neighborhoods deemed “unsafe” for tourists, stories that came to life, and personal anecdotes. One that stuck with me was his account of when, at age 4, he was awoken to a loud blast that took out all the windows of his family’s small apartment. Just a few blocks away, an entire neighborhood block was obliterated by a bomb: a “message” from one gang to another. Although Julio and his family were physically unharmed, the trauma of growing up in a city plagued by a decades long drug war has stayed with him for life.
Not many cities would consider their metro “postcard worthy”, but in Medellin the metro is proudly displayed as a landmark of the city.
More than a metro
One of the few things I had heard about Medellin prior to coming here was that they have an amazing metro. And it’s true - although it was built over two decades ago, the metro still appears immaculate. Julio explained to us that when it opened in 1995, the metro was seen as a symbol of the city’s transformation. Connecting parts of the city that had previously been isolated, the metro was a sign of hope — a glimpse into a brighter future. As such, there is a palpable sense of respect that can be felt the moment you set foot on the platform. Climbing the stairs to the ticket booth, you leave behind the grimy, litter-filled city streets of Medellin for one of the most clean, quiet, and well running public transit systems in Latin America.
Julio explained that the metro is not the only example of how Paisas seek out symbols of hope wherever they can find them. He recounted how, when a Colombian cyclist won just a single leg of the Tour de France, locals celebrated in the streets for days. When the Colombian soccer team scored one goal to tie a quarterfinal match, based on the outpouring of pride you would have thought they won the whole World Cup!
Colombian “bad memory”
As we stood next to the gleaming metro system, Julio somberly pointed to a building standing just a couple hundred feel away.
“See that balcony? In the mid- 80s, someone threw a grenade from that balcony to right here where we’re standing. That same week, terrorists took hostage hundreds of workers in a government building. When the Colombian military came in to stop it, they took fake photos of the soldiers “saving lives”, only to discover those same people had bullets through their heads. Two days later, a volcano eruption destroyed an entire town, killing 22,000 residents. So what’s a grenade when all this is happening in just one week? We don’t remember those things. Instead, we celebrate when our soccer team scores a goal. This is how we keep smiling.”
The ability to remember the good and forget the bad is what Julio describes as Colombian “bad memory”. In many ways, it seems that this mentality has contributed to the remarkable transformation Medellin has experienced in recent years. What was once the world’s most dangerous city is now becoming an international tourism destination. The building that once stood as the headquarters of Pablo Escobar’s drug cartel now stands as the Department of Education. Millions of dollars have been poured into restoring some of Medellin’s most seedy squares into beautiful representations of growth and progress.
Yet Julio admits that most of Medellin’s neighborhoods are still controlled by gangs, if now slightly more veiled. For this reason, Julio never once said the name “Pablo Escobar” out loud. “Out of respect for the locals”, he said. It is clear that painful remnants of the city’s past continue to bleed into its present.
A country without a history?
Even more striking is the fact that in Colombia, national history is not taught in schools. This creates a fascinating paradox: the immense pride that the Paisas have for their country juxtaposed with their apparent denial of some of the uglier truths of their past. Yet it also appears that in doing so, Paisas are taking control over re-writing their own history. Their openness and welcoming nature to anyone who sets foot in their country is evidence of how genuinely happy they are that people from around the globe have chosen to visit their country. As Julio said, we are all taking part in shaping his country’s future.
Plaza de Cisneros, also known as the “Park of Lights”, used to be one of the most dangerous and run down areas in Medellin. Now, it has been rebuilt and is a symbol of progress: the 300 light poles illuminate in night, creating a beautiful display.
Birds of peace
Perhaps the most haunting symbol of the reconciling of Colombia’s past with its future come in the form of two, nearly identical bird sculptures. The oversize birds, sculpted by renowned Colombian artist Fernando Botego, stand adjacent to each other on the edge of San Antonio plaza, an eerily empty square known for pickpockets and homelessness. The city center is adorned with dozens of Botego’s sculptures, which are distinctly recognizable for their disproportionate and oversize features. Around the same time that Botero’s other sculptures were erected around the city center, a single bird sculpture was placed in San Antonio plaza. The story goes that in 1995, there was an explosion during an outdoor concert held in the plaza. Some 22 pounds of dynamite were placed directly under Botero’s bird, blasting an enormous hole straight through its steel body. The blast killed 23 people and injured hundreds more. In the aftermath of the bombing, the Colombian president wanted to have the obliterated statue completely removed from the plaza (Colombian bad memory?). Then, he received a phone call. The voice on the other line demanded that the statue be left right where it was. “Who is this?”, demanded the president. “This is the artist.”
Instead of removing the bird, Botero built a second, slightly larger one, standing right by its side. With the names of the bombing victims forever carved into its wing, it now stands as a symbol of both Colombia’s violent past and its future of peace.
The destroyed original sculpture
The two birds side-by-side
Traveling with the Tribe
The previous 9 months of globe hopping have taught me a lot about myself as a traveller. One of my takeaways was that having a community makes an enormous difference in my well-being. It helps me to feel connected in my new surroundings, which in turn makes it easier for me to be open - to new people, new adventures, and personal growth. For this reason, I decided to try something new this month. It’s called WiFi Tribe. Basically this means that I am not in Medellin alone; instead, I’m living, working, and playing with 30 others from around the world. Turns out, the playing part is big, and I’m struggling to find a balance between the seemingly endless social opportunities and the need for me to actually hold a job. Still, being thrown into a group of 30 new friends is a challenge in itself. I’m getting a lot of practice finding my place among so many other personalities, pushing myself to be open to new connections, setting limits to take care of my own needs, and sitting in the discomfort during these early days when the strangers feel more like strangers and the loneliness starts to set in.
THE TRIBE. And yes, they have KFC in Colombia.
Still, I feel very lucky to be surrounded by so many inspiring, yet humble people. Many of them have started their own companies doing what they’re passionate about, yet you’d never know how successful they are until you Google them yourself. Others (like myself) have decided that travel is what they’re passionate about and have found a way to make it happen. Pretty much all of us are here because at one point or another we reached a crossroads where we decided to take control of our own future and create the life we want for ourselves.
An admittedly terrible photo of the dance school where I’m taking lessons
Baila baila baila!
Many of you will not be surprised to hear that I have already managed to spent a handful of nights dancing Salsa into the wee hours of the morning. A few of my fellow “tribers” are also interested in learning, so it’s been nice to have a crew to go to the discotec with. I also discovered that private lessons are incredibly cheap here, so last week I had my first hour of private instruction. What a difference it makes! My instructor told me he thinks I’m going to be a great dancer by the end of two months here. Stay tuned…
Future plans
Right now I’m thinking I’ll probably stay in Medellin for 2 months, and then join the Tribe again in Peru in March. Although the tribe is a lot of fun, I think one month on, one month off might be necessary to allow me to re-charge and also have some space to feel more like an independent traveler again. As I’m typing this, it still hasn’t completely dawned on my that this is my life - choosing a different country to live in every couple of months. I’m just trying to appreciate it and take it all in while I can! Hard to believe 10 months have gone by since I started in March of 2018. What a special year!