Medellin - On the road with photo enthusiasts - Colombia 2025 - 7
2025-02-18 - Medellin
Today we are going on a “city tour” of Medellin [↗]. Before we set off, some of us take clothes to a laundry around the corner. Let's hope it's done by tomorrow morning. However, as we learn during the course of the day, Thomas has tipped the laundry to deliver the stuff to the hotel already during the day.
First, we take the metro to Comuna 13 [↗], where a local guide is waiting for us. To avoid having to walk the same streets twice, we take the public bus from the metro station up the hill. At this stage, we don't know that we will end up taking down the same route.
Comuna 13 is a district of Medellín and was long considered the second most dangerous place in the world (after Gaza). At least according to our guide, other sources rank it number one. Three left-wing and one right-wing group were fighting here. The drug routes to the Pacific could be controlled from the hills. A highly profitable business.
At some point, the government decided to bring it to an end. However, this was not so easy. It was not until the 23rd attempt and with the help of combat helicopters that they finally succeeded.
By the way, Pablo Escobar was never in Comuna 13.
Today, Comuna 13 is a showcase project and very touristic. The infrastructure has been improved with roads and the longest escalator combination in South America. Schools, healthcare and free lawyers to settle disputes have also been added. There are now plenty of stores, bars and other tourist infrastructure. Graffiti covers almost every wall.
After the guide has left us, we walk around the area on our own for another hour. We intend to leave at 1pm. So far so good, only two members of our group think they want to wait in a café a few hundred meters from the meeting point. We finally manage to get going and take the bus and metro back to the city center.
When we arrive in the center, it has started to rain. So, we change our plan and go for lunch first. By now it's 2:30pm anyway. We go to a restaurant for locals and eat a lunch menu for the equivalent of 6 euros. No worse than some of the restaurants we've been to.
Nearby is the Salon Málaga [↗], a cozy bar where tango is danced at the weekend. But it's also worth a look during the day. The walls are decorated with old photos and guitars. In front of them is one or the other jukebox.
It is now almost 4pm and the question is what else to do. In the end, we walk a little further to Plaza Botero. There are many statues of the famous Colombian artist [↗] here. But there are so many tourists that we quickly flee and head back to the hotel.
