Medellin & Jardin

As we drive out of Santa Barbara, we look at each other and ask ourselves, are we really doing this? Are we really leaving the comfort of our daily lives as Post Docs in Santa Barbara for the unknown world of South America? We don’t speak Spanish. We have no actual plans other than a plane ticket into Colombia and a plane ticket, two months later out of Bolivia… Armed with a lonely planet travel guide and a couple of adventurous spirits, we’re off!

A red eye flight to Miami, an 8h layover was filled with a jaunt into the city, Miami Beach. As we walked on the beach at 10am, I was off put by the frequency of waves, which seemed rather fast compared to what I’m used to. It left me feeling a bit disconcerted rather than calmed. Also, the beach was groomed, reminding me of early morning on a ski hill before anyone has skied on the pristine groomer tracks, perfect corduroy all around. There were beach chairs sitting empty waiting for sunbather. There were deeply tanned people laying on towels, applying tanning oil. There were people standing oddly still in waist deep water, as if waiting for something to happen. It was muggy. We returned to the airport.

Landing in Medellin, much to Adam’s delight, in the customs area was a GIANT billboard of a bikini-clad woman welcoming travelers to Colombia! Diego, our local friend welcomed us and drove us to our hotel in Medellin. We booked it about 10 minutes before boarding the plane from Miami.

Diego’s hospitality as a tour guide kept us busy, showing us many great things in Medellin. It struck me as a city of contrasts: rich and poor, clean and dirty, danger and safety. Many areas appear quite rough, with rubbish and graffiti prevalent. The metro however, is a completely different atmosphere. Built 20 years ago, there is not a speck of dirt or vandalism. The people of Medellin are very proud of their train and the respect is obvious.

After a few days in the city we took a bus to the country. To an incredibly beautiful town, virtually unknown to gringos. Diego hooked us up with some locals who helped us find a gorgeous family B&B with views that take your breath away. We’ve been horse trekking to caves, taken a tour of a sugar cane farm/factory, watched Gauchos strut their stuff on the cobblestone streets (the horses here would put Bojangles to shame!). We’ve also lounged in a hammock watching lightning in the surrounding mountains, drank coffee made from beans grown and harvested within a few kms. We got trapped here for an extra day due to return buses being full… I feel a bit like I’ve been locked in paradise. We’ve seen two awesome bird species too, the Andean cock of the rock (Rupicola peruvianus) and the Blue crowned motmot (Momotus aequatorialis).

The Colombian people are wonderful, helpful, friendly, kind and patient with non-Spanish speakers like us!

Next up, we’re headed into the jungle…

Thanks to: the Rothman lab for the great send off, Sally for chocolate, PJ for the final sushi dinner, Shirin and Thomas for the Lonely Planet, Diego for being a great host, Carlos for helping us out in Jardin.