“Have you watched Narcos?” This was one of the most common questions I was asked when I told friends and colleagues I was heading to Colombia. Drug cartels operating in lush green hills and of course the infamous Pablo Escobar (the drug lord who at the height of his career is said to have supplied approximately 80% of the cocaine smuggled into the USA) seem to be images associated with Colombia for many Netflix viewers. See trusty wikipedia for more on Escobar – wiki link.
Our tight itinerary allowed for a grand total of 22 hours total in the city… we decided to include it and I think it was worth it. The 1 hour domestic flight was easy given the small arrival airport and the taxi transfer to town was nearly an hour but a beautiful drive through mountains covered in lush greenery.
We checked into our hotel in El Poblado district (where most of the upscale hotels and restaurants are found) and had a quick lunch at a chain Crepes&Waffles (huge ham and cheese crepe and tasty spinach soup). According to the Lonely Planet aka my travel bible, this chain employs women in need.
Arranging an English speaking driver to take us to the main sights was a good call with hindsight. Medellin is not small, the main tourist spots are scattered and we wanted to fit in as much as possible in an afternoon.
After stopping at Parque San Antonio, we headed to Plaza Botero in front of Museo de Antiquia. This main square is buzzing and lively with locals and tourists posing in front of Fernando Botero’s many chubby scupltures. Note Botero is a famous artist that comes from Medellin and his sculptures can be seen regularly across the rest of Colombia. The place felt very safe despite a few hawkers and I couldn’t help but chuckle at families and children posing in front of some of the sculptures.
We hopped onto the Metro cable car towards the Spanish library in the hills, queuing with locals who were heading back to the poorer suburbs after a day of work. These French made ski resort-style cable cars operate as part of the public transport system. Even though you can sense these communities are not wealthy (the poorer end of the city’s residential zone categorisation according to our guide Carlos) they are generally well dressed. In particular I noticed how most of the little girls had ornate braiding or hairstyles that must have taken a lot of care.
Cerro Nutibara is another viewpoint we visited after the sun had set – an 80 metre hill offering 360 degree views. The twinkling lights of the poorer sides of town up on the slopes are more beautiful by night than the metropolis where the concentration of lights are interrupted by skyscrapers. We drove up the hill but many groups of adults and teenagers were running and doing abs crunches… so not a million miles away from a summer evening in Primrose Hill!
At the top there is also a model township called Pueblito Paisa (paisa are the people of this region called Antioquia) which is a bit touristic but looks pretty when lit up in the evening.
We rounded up the tour by seeing Pablo Escobar’s house (which was once the tallest building in the area before tower blocks were constructed) and Basilica de la Candelaria (a church alongside Parque Berrio which is known for a dramatic scene in Narcos I hear). We then headed back to El Poblado area for some dinner and drinks, walking through the smell of fried empanadas from street stalls but opting for a friendly Italian restaurant called Il Castillo.
I was not sure what to expect in Medellin, Colombia’s second biggest metropolis, but I found it a safe and lively city surrounded by beautiful scenery. Our guide remembered how dangerous it felt before Escobar’s death in 1993 but it is now a different place. Medellin is nicknamed the City of Eternal Spring due to the pleasant climate and it is somewhere you can get a feel for even in a brief visit… I will probably start watching Narcos now to see more!
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