Wednesday, June 15, 2022
This morning I am heading to Guatapé for a quick overnight trip before I return to Medellín for the weekend. You can get to Guatapé pretty easily by taking the metro to the Caribe station and then taking the pedestrian bridge across the street to the North Bus Terminal. I stopped in the city center on the way because I wanted to go to Plaza Minorista Market. The market was supposed to be pretty big, so I’m pretty sure the small one I found that was mostly closed was not the right thing. I gave up because I didn’t want to linger in the center for too long, and I headed to Caribe.
When I got there I asked one of the attendants at a counter without a line where to get a ticket to Guatapé and they pointed me to the right place. There’s two companies so between the two you should be able to find a bus leaving within 30 minutes. Then I ordered a Subway sandwich (in Spanish) and ate it before boarding the bus.
The bus dropped me off in the middle of town so I didn’t have to walk too far to Lake View Hostel. The hostel is nice enough for one night but I didn’t see anyone to befriend so I set out on my own. I heard about a restaurant here named Guatacrep’, so of course that will be my first stop.
The crepe was pretty good, but afterwards I stopped in a bakery for a mediocre piece of cake. Then, I walked to the Parque Principal and took some pictures of the umbrella street. I lingered on Calle del Recuerde for quite a while because there’s a ton of shops there. Then I called it a night because the rain was pretty bad.
Thursday, June 16, 2022
I ate breakfast at Guatacrep’ and then went to the Zócalo to find a tuk tuk to El Peñón. I found my way there pretty easily (you have to walk from the main road for quite a while or take your tuk tuk all the way).
I did all the Guatapé things (climbing to the viewpoint, taking pictures, getting a drink, going to the rooftop of a bar at the base to take more pictures, and going inside the little shops) which was actually pretty difficult because I was feeling pretty sick this morning. Then I walked back to the main road to the “bus stop,” and told them I was heading to Medellín. I didn’t actually buy my bus ticket at the stand, but they did help flag down the bus and made sure I got onto it when it arrived.
I would say that a day trip is enough for Guatapé. I didn’t really get anything extra from staying one night, but if you wanted to stay for awhile there are hiking opportunities and lake activities. I felt sick and it rained, so I couldn’t really work those into my trip, but even so I only had half a day when I got there to spare, and that wouldn’t have been enough to do one of those activities. I did have early access to El Peñón, however. It was still crowded, and if it gets much worse when the tours arrive midday (as I suspect), that could be a benefit of coming the night before.
When I got back to Medellín I met up with my friend from before and we went in the Viajero hot tubs. Then we decided to get dinner at a birria taco place right near the hostel, which was really good. We also got cocktails and chatted with the owner. Then we hung out in the Viajero basement for a while before calling it a night.
Friday, June 17, 2022
I went to Hijamía for breakfast and then headed to the San Javier metro station for a tour of Comuna 13. I also got a personalized metro card while I was at the stop because I had time and I think the rates are better, or at the very least it’s a fun souvenir (it’s free, you just need your passport).
The Comuna 13 tour is absolutely amazing and you have to go with Zippy tours. You’ll get a guide who grew up in the comuna and has first hand experience, which is a really unique experience for a tour. I won’t say much about it here because I think it’s best to see and hear for yourself, but it’s definitely a must do in Medellín. It poured rain during our tour, so don’t forget your umbrella.
When I got home I went to Mezcla Creperie, which is right near the hostel. Everything I had at this place was great, including the cocktail, the homemade pesto pasta, and the Nutella and banana crepe! Then I hung out with some people from my hostel and we went to a club with an expensive cover and techno music. I didn’t want to listen to the music or pay so I went to Criminal Taqueria and then went home.
Saturday, June 18, 2022
I got ANOTHER crepe for breakfast at Cambria this morning, but it was the worst of the three so maybe it’s time for a crepe hiatus… Then I did my laundry and headed downtown to El Hueco to try my hand at haggling in Spanish. I didn’t really buy anything except an umbrella (because it was pouring and I still didn’t have one), and some empanadas.
For dinner I went to Subula and Pergamino. There’s a dry law again this weekend so the clubs are closed (that’s why I attempted to go out yesterday even though I wasn’t feeling it).
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