Saturday, June 11, 2022
Today is an admin day. I start of at Al Alma Coffee Roasters for breakfast. I got a smoothie and toast with hummus and avocado which was really simple but delicious. I had a really bad experience, however, because there’s not much seating inside so I sat outside and then no one came to take my order. I even got up and asked if someone would take my order and they still didn’t! Honestly, that’s not all that bad. What really got to me was the American man who asked me how my Spanish was and tried to coach me through it all. I don’t need help!!
When I was finally done, I took an Uber to El Tesoro to go shopping, particularly to get some new white sneakers at the Reebok store. This was pretty much a failure because I couldn’t find shoes anywhere. I also Ubered home because I haven’t taken urban public transport in Colombia (I know, I know), and there wasn’t a metro stop nearby.
When I got back I went to Hakong Vietnamita, which is pretty close to the hostel, and got a decent bowl of pho. The mosquitoes kind of ruined the experience though.
For dinner I went to Criminal Taqueria and then Arte Dulce Gelateria and Repostería for a Nutella ice cream sandwich (which was delicious). I went up to the Los Patios rooftop for a bit but didn’t feel comfortable approaching anyone, so I just ended up going to bed. I also was dealing with my blisters and didn’t have any shoes to wear out, so I was not in the mood to pay for an expensive bar crawl.
Sunday, June 12, 2022
For breakfast I went to Ganso y Castor and then took the metro to the Botanical Gardens. I also ended up going to Parque Explora which was a pretty cool hands on science museum. I’d like to go back there once I improve my Spanish, because it was difficult to interact with in English. They do have English explanations but the font is much smaller and it was difficult for me to read.
For dinner I got some nachos at Park 37 and then went to read my book for a while at Cafe Velvet, which I enjoyed more than Cafe Pergamino (a controversial choice).
Monday, June 13, 2022
For breakfast I went to Hijamia for avocado toast, which was amazing. Then I met up with some people for the walking tour of downtown. My favorite parts were Parque Berrio and Plaza Botero (The Palacio de la Cultura Rafael Uribe is a very cool building, and the architecture reminds me of Barcelona, not because it looks particularly like anything in Barcelona, but more just because it’s so iconic looking). Then the tour guide metroed home together. If you’re planning to visit downtown Medellín, I suggest being careful and going with a tour guide first. It can be a bit rowdy.
Now I’m in the mood for Indian food so I take the chance and go to a place called Masala. I figure if I’m going to find Indian food at all this summer, it will be in Provenza. It ended up being pretty good, and the prices here are lower (and the portions more reasonable), so I was able to get curry, naan, and samosas.
For dinner I went back to Hijamia for a green smoothie because the Indian food filled me up, but the girls I met on the tour are eating there and we’re going to go out afterward. I finally can since I got my shoes back from the laundry (They did and amazing job by the way! It’s a lavandería right near Los Patios.) so I have an appropriate outfit.
The girls heard about a salsa class at the Selina hostel so we try to stop there first. We got there too late and missed the lesson, but everyone was still having a great time on the dance floor. There was even a live band which was fabulous. They had several teachers on the dance floor who offered to help us. I’ve never danced salsa before so I was nervous, and honestly I find the beat difficult to dance to because it’s somehow the opposite of Irish music, but the teachers are good at making you feel like a pro, so I had a great time. I also saw some old friends that I met in Bogotá and Salento. We went out to another bar afterwards but then ended up just heading home because the vibes weren’t as good as the Selina. I definitely recommend this as a Monday night plan in Medellín no matter where you are staying or your level of salsa.
Tuesday, June 14, 2022
For breakfast I headed to Bagatelle, which is inside a hotel so it seemed nice, but was just alright to me. Then I headed to Juan Valdez to meet up for the Pablo Escobar Tour (which I booked on GetYourGuide). I know this is a controversial tour, and that many locals are even against them, but I’ve decided to do it anyway. First of all, I’ve chosen a tour company that seems to be very honest and not interested in glorifying the story to make more money. Second, I’ve been to many “darker” types of tourist sites including Chernobyl and Auschwitz, and I have always been as respectful as possible about it. I know that I can do the same here. I haven’t even done much research about Escobar to be honest, and I just want to hear from a local about it all.
Having been on the tour, I can say that most of it felt respectful. Everything the guide said about the subject was respectful (and true as far as I know), although he was personable and funny as well. You get to go to Pablo’s mansion (which is now a government run retirement home funnily enough, and the tour companies support them in exchange for allowing us to come on the grounds), his grave, and his football field in Envigado. Some tours also show the location of his death, but even without that the tour involved a lot of driving through the city, so I’m glad we didn’t see it. You also get to see the memorial for everyone who died during this period of history, which is a really cool memorial and I suggest you go even if you don’t do a tour.
I personally didn’t need to go to Pablo’s grave, and I felt a little uncomfortable in his football stadium since I feel like it was kind of obvious what we were doing there. I did enjoy going to Envigado though both to see more of Medellín and to learn about Escobar’s history there. Overall I am glad I went because I learned a lot.
For dinner I headed back to Hijamia because it’s so good and I didn’t have much time before I’m meeting up with the girls for the renowned Gringo Tuesday. We meet up and get some ice cream at Dolci before stopping at a bar on the main street of Provenza, then we make our way to Gringo Tuesday. It’s at a bar named Vintrash and there is a cover. Once you go in you can choose from four different floors of music. When we went there was also a pong tournament. We had a really great time, but I’d definitely like to go to more traditional clubs as well.
Just as a note, Gringo Tuesday starts out as a language exchange before devolving into a party. I think some Americans get the idea wrong here that Gringo Tuesday must either something to make fun of foreigners or to make fun of people from Medellin. It’s really not; it’s popular because there are so many foreigners in the city and everyone is welcome, but I think people from Medellin just aren’t a fan of the music they play so you won’t see too many of them there. Gringo is also just a term here used to describe any foreigner, rather than in Mexico where it’s more a derogatory term specifically for Americans. My point is: Gringo Tuesday is all in good fun and anyone is welcome.
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