Before we arrived at the bustling city of Medellin, we stopped at Guatape whose claim to fame, apart from being beautiful, is that it is home to Piedra del Penol – a giant granite rock. Someone had the bright idea of attaching steps so you can ascend to the top and take in one of the most stunning views in the world. There are 706 steps and it is steep but it only takes 15 minutes to get to the viewpoint. And what a view it is! I do believe it is the most breath-takingly beautiful views I have seen.
After the serenity of Guatape, Medellin was in sharp contrast. It is home to 3 million people and has the traffic to match! Once Medellin was a no go zone – it was the world’s most murderous city due to its infamous resident Pablo Escobar who controlled the cocaine trade with the US. He killed politicians and police, anyone who opposed him. He used to give out $1000US for every police man murdered. He had so much money at one point he offered to pay off Colombia’s national debt of £7.3billion. He even ran for office (by killing all the opposition). He was killed in 1993.
After his death, Medellin city worked hard to try and rebuild itself and provide more opportunities for its citizens. It constructed an impressive metro system (London could learn a thing or two) and it also built a series of cable car routes as the city is incredibly hilly and a lot of the poorer neighbourhoods are way up in the hills. The cable cars are part of the metro system so are covered in the minimal pricing. Libraries and community centres which give out loans for small enterprises were also constructed in the poorer neighbourhoods. This immediately reduced crime as the locals believed that they mattered. I am not the best at cable cars but when in Rome... Luckily both Bryan and Marijke kept me calm and after the initial dread passed away, i was almost able to enjoy the ride!
On our first night in Medellin, we tried to join an evening walking tour but as we did not book and the fact it was pouring with rain, it did not seem to be happening. A quick trawl of the internet told us that quite nearby there was a bi-lingual pub quiz going on. After a quick bite to eat, we hailed a taxi and found ourselves in the middle of a pub quiz. Even more miraculously, our team (consisting of me, Danny, Renea and Wolfgang) ended up coming second! We won a selection of beers. Alas none of our team drink beer so our winnings were donated to our losing friends.
The next morning, we did successfully join a walking tour of the city. Our guide, Hernan was incredibly passionate and proud of his city. He never referred to Escobar by name, onlyby the title ‘That criminal’ – this is because hearing the name upsets the locals and they think he is being idolised. He also asked if we could stop watching the Netflix drama ‘Narcos’ based on Escobar’s life as it is bringing the wrong sort of attention back to the city and to Colombia and the drugs trade is increasing again. Medellin was recognised in 2012 as the world’s most innovative city and is currently in the top 10 cities worldwide for urban innovation. He pointed out renovated buildings, the metro system, new architecture and sculpture everywhere. You cannot move in the city without falling over a sculpture by Fernando Botero. These are quite comical in nature but the most moving ones were in san Antonia Plaza. In 1995 a terrorist explosion killed 30 and injured 300 and destroyed the statue. Botero insisted the damaged statue remain and he donated another identical statue to be placed next to it as a symbol of hope and peace.
The following day we attempted to do the street art tour of Comuna 13 which was once the most dangerous neighbourhood in Medellin. The tour group yesterday were turned around as gunfire had erupted. We were hoping for a calmer day today. Unfortunately it was not to be. Only 5 minutes into the tour we heard gunfire and the police were racing up and down the streets. After a while, it became clear that the police would not let anybody into the area we were hoping to visit. Instead of cancelling the tour, our guide Santiago asked if he could take us elsewhere. We saw some impressive art, was treated to an impromptu hip hop performance and told some harrowing tales of the history of the comuna. The people here are amazing and resilient and determined to change things for the better. There are now only 100 people involved in the gang wars as opposed to thousands. During the civil war when there were multiple terrorist groups operating, it was the civilians who bore the brunt of the conflict. Thousands of people ‘disappeared’ over the years, bodies never to be found – including a lot of children. This living memory wall was originally set up by one of the mothers. The plants are in containers, each container decorated in memory of a lost child. Again it is intended as a vision of hope for the future – that things will improve because nobody wants to return to the darkest of the past.
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