Visiting Medellín: Green Guy’s Retreat

It’s a pity that more places don’t use arcing cable lines as a primary method of urban transportation.” – Old Sean

Coma Cruise Control

One of my superpowers I’ve thankfully developed in the past few years is a patience-laden comatose state specifically for travelling purposes.  All it takes is a couple of eBooks, a podcast or two, an armband I use as a sleep-enabling blindfold and a bottle of water.  The result is a long-term exodus into my own head where twelve to twenty hour trips don’t really seem like much of a trial.

While I don’t recommend anyone ever ventures in my head, for obvious legal and sanity-preservation reasons, it is a handy little habit to have available for my trip to Medellín.

Medellín Routes

Last week, I a scuffed together all the coinage in my pocket, tossed some blue-dollar-bills on top and settled into my bus ride through the Colombian countryside.

I wasn’t disappointed.  Colombia’s roads, frantically twisting through mountains, offer some stunning views.  The entire country is covered in particularly dense forests. The elevated mountain roads are the only access points around, making traversing the countryside a windy challenge.  In a word, I would call the area between Bogota and Medellín “lush.”

Our bus made short work of straight lowlands and slow rumbles of uphill and downhill alpine roads.  Rain splashed in occasionally at odd intervals, and ducking into the lowlands revealed intense, deep rivers of frothing brown torrents. 

Cows with loose skin and blatant disrespect for traffic laws bobbed on and off highways at their leisure.  Odd statues appeared of men casting wire nets on land and run down building of red brick and metal bars squatted along the edges of the roads, often painted searing primary colors. 

Sales-folks dotted the entire route, standing in the middle of the road, offering up various fruits to passing drivers.  The route was dominated, mostly, by lumbering transit buses or fearless motorcyclists.

Visiting Medellín

When I finally arrived in Medellin, I remained a bit weary.  Colombia really isn’t a country where wandering alone is a prime plan, so I utilized WIFI and an Uber to make my way to a nearby hostel.

  The drive was pretty cool. Medellín is situated in a valley which rests on rather gentle slopes, allowing buildings to scramble up the sides.  Streetlamps in the night make a unique and mesmerizing snaking pattern, though in the daylight the low red-bricks and sheet metal buildings appear much more chaotic.

I spent my first night in the secluded yet reasonably pleasant Hostel Rich.  My relaxing hours here were spent conversing with cats and lounging obliviously in a bright hammock looking out past barred windows at an often drizzling sky.

The location, while not ideal to be out late, did have a rather excellent burger grill nearby Aila Concina Arabe Y Parrilla.  The mango-milk drink and burger were both splendid.  I also peddled around a few other local restaurants, but while all were fine, only Aila was excellent.

Exploring Urban Medellín

Venturing deeper into the city was more fun.  I got to visit Parque de Las Luces, a metropolitan forest made of pillars of light, splendid at night.  Wandering further into the city reveled the rather overwhelming bustling streets and numerous hideaway boutiques which I tried to sidestep for the most part.  Crowds make me weary, but there were tons of deals, hawkers, food stops, interesting little trinkets and legions of highly amused people.  The volume of shoppers was especially impressive considering this was a Tuesday.

I continued on my way and eventually made it to Plaza Botero, which is an elegant little sculpture park. The sculptures are in the style of Fernando Botero, an immensely famous artist in Colombia.  If you’re unfamiliar with his work, it’s correct to imagine pudgy, humorous humans with unsmiling adult expressions waddling through soft colored landscapes or hefty sums of tarnished bronze.  His many personal exhibits are nearby in the Museo de Antioquia, where I spent two hours lounging in air conditioning. 

I also stopped by Parque Barrio, where a slew of live musicians perform and I nabbed myself some ice cream while learning the words “helado chocolate”.  I eventually wandered back to my hostel and settled in for the rest of the day.

Minor Move

That more or less sums up my time at Hostel Rich.  I really wanted to reside in El Poblado.  It’s a very sleek and jungle-oriented neighborhood in a special segment of Medellín.  El Poblado is rather well known for being the “tourist” part of town, and despite the tourist trappings, it’s really quite gorgeous.

As such, I booked a room at the quaint Hostal Lleras Calle 8.  Now, I can honestly say that this hostel has comfy, curtained beds, great prices, an accommodating staff and spectacular water pressure.  But I don’t advise anyone stays here.  Directly behind the building is some sort of club or rave site that closes around 3 AM.  If you’re a person who loves that kind of thing and wants your residence to be 10 convenient feet away from your party, by all means.

But if you’re a grumpy white person who sulks when his bedtime is lost to a techno drop, I recommend elsewhere.

That being said, El Poblado is a great section of town during the waking hours.  While slightly pricey, the classy area boasts a great array of food, cafes, ice cream shops and unique flavors. 

Most importantly, El Poblado isn’t all that urban.  The area has taken great pains to ensure numerous green zones, bisected by rather rapid and extremely therapeutic-sounding streams,  Huge leafy plants abound and trees are half coated in thick layers of nuzzling moss.  I tried a lot of craft beers and local specialties while I was here, and allowed myself to stay out past sunset since the area is renowned for being so safe.

Skyland Parks

However, the highlight of my trip was undoubtedly Parque Arvi.  I’ve heard nothing but astounding things about this place, and every word is well-earned.

Getting to Parque Arvi isn’t difficult, but it is slow.  Riding the main train line through the city to cable line K, takes you steadily up into the mountains, eventually switching to cable line L which rises high into the mountain.  The cable ride itself is worth the trip.  The cable line drifts past the urban sprawl of Medellin, passing numerous homes bustling with activity and many sheet-metal roofs painted with bright artwork for commuters.  Eventually, passing the city limits of Medellin results in a dipping ride through treetops of dense foliage, bright red parasitic blooms creeping up wooden pillars.

Once one arrives in Parque Arvi, everyone is strongly encouraged to take a guide, as the intense density of the neo-tropical woods can send the best woodsman into a state of dizzying obscurity.  I was warned four times that the park wouldn’t be responsible for my wellbeing if I wandered off on my lonesome.

But, to be frank, I go to these kinds of places to avoid folks and their safety nets.  So I bobbed my head like a polite tortoise and delved into the wilds.

Wandering the Woods

I should mention first that Parque Arvi has numerous well-established trails, a handy bus route and a bunch of restaurants on their grounds.  I stopped by a few of these for some ribs (Colombia is a fantastic place if you’re a carnivorous food enthusiast) and wound my way deeper into the woods.

Exceptionally lush carpets of moss and ferns coat nearly every surface.  Tropical birds flit in all directions, only bright yellow plumage giving them away.  Everything is dappled under broad leaves and even at midday, moisture coats leaves in a net of light.  There is an invigorating smell of soil and life everywhere, forcing deeper and easier breaths.  Great, crisp rivers and streams cut away topsoil, leaving powerful patterns of exposed roots staunchly holding down the surface, small pockets of moss taking refuge inside them. Occasionally, a Colombian walker will arrive offering refreshments and snacks to any who may have forgotten them, but as I pressed further these eventually pattered off.

I adored every minute of it.

An End to Medellín

Eventually, I returned back to Medellín and treated myself to a quiet meal near my hostel.  My only regret during this visit was not making my way out to Guatape, a village in the mountains boasting a stunning overlook over gorgeous splotches of islands and clandestine blue water.  However, my final day in Medellin was drenched in rain virtually all day, leaving me to recuperate and occasionally head out for pleasing little meals.

Finally, I managed to catch a bus after work heading back to Bogota.  I didn’t feel much like sleeping, so I folded into myself for a bit as night fell.  Back into my travel trance.

Anyway, until next trip,

Best regards and excellent trails,

Old Sean

Written May 24th 2019

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