Medellin

• Country: Colombia
• Location: Medellin
• Date: 09/07/24
• Duration: 5 Days
• Company: Solo
• Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The first step on my voyage to freedom from a corporate 9 to 5. I spent my time in Medellin exploring the city center on a walking tour, learning about the rejuvenation of areas like Communa 13 away from its violent past dominated by drug cartels to a more sustainable one based on tourism and textiles; largely due to the implementation of cable cars facilitating easier transportation from the suburbs. I was also there during the time semi-finals of the Copa America where Colombia beat Uruguay. On the day of the match the city was littered in yellow shirts and watching the match in the streets of El Poblado there was chaos when the final whistle below. A street parade of drums seemed to materialise from thin air and the waiters from the bars poured Aquadiente into the open mouths of locals and tourists. On one of the nights I popped into one of the gay bars, Chiquitas ( little ones ). Unfortunately it was karaoke night and latin love love songs weren’t my vibe. Having said that I found Medellin to be a vibrant colourful city that was surprising queer friendly. The Area the hostel was located in, El Poblado, is super touristy and although there are lots of nice bars and cafes I would recommend Laureles for a more authentic experience. Lastly I also went out, evading the Bad Bunny and Karol G to listen to explore the Techno scene, firstly to a rooftop bar called CincuentaCincuenta and then on to a club called Sonorama. I’d recommend both.