South America

Besides the visit to Comuna 13 and the walk to the Stone, I also did some sightseeing. And Medellin is a big city, not exceptionally beautiful or destructive. It’s just a big city. I stayed in the area called “El Poblado”. It’s a bit up the hill, suitable for fleeing the city center’s traffic, dust, and noise. In addition, this area is full of tourists, including laundry services, restaurants, clubs, hostels, etc., so it’s easy to find company there. And if you need to go to the city, take an Uber for 3 USD, and everything is fine.

Entering Comuna 13, the past is still present; you see bullets inside the wall, graffiti describing the history, and museums telling you the story of their neighborhood. It is a cruel and terrifying story:From the 1980s to the early 2000s, Comuna 13 was one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the world, plagued by violence from drug trafficking organizations, guerrillas, gangs, and paramilitaries.

Imagine you own a big rock in the middle of nowhere and decide to sculpt stairs out of this rock that people can walk up, and you later realize that was the best idea ever as now hundreds of people pay 6 USD to step up, and you make a fortune of money. That is what might have happened with the Peñol stone next to the city of Guatapé.

If you ask people living in Cartagena, they will tell you they are more Caribean than Colombian. And walking in the beautiful streets of the historic city, I do feel the same: Palm Trees, Caribbean music, colorful houses… But Cartagena is so much more. It’s a big party city, young people everywhere, going out every day. It’s good food, it’s primarily good weather, but it’s also pretty touristic, which results in a lot of vendors asking you if you need sunglasses (even if you wear your own) or if you need drugs or a hooker for tonight.

You read the headline and might ask yourself: “What did he do? Did he stay for two weeks in Bogota?”. Not, it was 36 hours, which was already too much. Friends warned me about Bogota and the non-existent beauty, so I already have been warned. I arrived late at night at Bogota airport (it was planned) and have been in the hotel around 4 a.m. Unfortunately, the hotel forgot my reservation, so they had no room ready for me… Long story short, it was not the best start 🙂