Formerly the center of Colombia's (Pablo Escobar's) drug trade, Medellin has since transformed herself into a booming commercial city with new trades in textile and cut flowers. This valley city of 4-million inhabitants is surrounded by lush mountains and has a pleasant t-shirts-and-shorts weather in the day and a sweater-weather in the night. Medellin is also re-known for her beautiful muchachas (ladies). The chuckle is that many foreign males who moved to the city, did so for the ladies - many of whom look physically pretty but are also artificially-enhanced (a sad legacy of the city's former drug history).
Sergio Fajardo Valerrama's (the city's beloved mayor's) social projects to improve the lives of Medellin citizens have elevated the living conditions of the poor and leveled the playing field for all in terms of work and educational opportunities. Most notably of all was the (2002) development of the cable-car extension on the hill of Santo Domingo (a low-income suburb) that now connects with the city's well-oiled subway. This link reduces the time needed for the dwellers in this barrio to travel to/from work or school.
Above: The cable car links the Santo Domingo barrio to the city's subway system
Over the long weekend (Monday being Columbus Day holiday), David (a college friend from Maastricht) took me around his city and the outskirts. Unlike the typical guidebook tour, he immersed me into the local lifestyle - we attended Mass at Santa Gema on Sunday, watched a football game (Colombia vs Paraguay) on TV in the Zona Rosa bar area, went to the local mercado, and attended a free rock concert. David and his family made me feel so welcomed and at home, I felt like a member of his extended family. Gracias David!
Above left: David with his mother; Above right: David's sister and father
Above left: David and Sergio; Above right: Sergio and I
Above left: View of Medellin from Cerro Nutibara (an 80 m or 262 ft tall hill)
Above left: With 3-mo-old Valentina (David's niece)
Above: Taking an ice-cream break en-route to La Ceja - this shop was known for her fruit-based ice creams
Above left: La Ceja - the town where David's parents were from; Above right: La Ceja welcomed the (southern) Spring season with the Flower Fest over the weekend
Above left: One of the foods served at the fest - I was wowed by the way meat was roasted on this pit; Above right: David with his aunt and godfather in La Ceja
Above left: Spanish-inspired wooden window grill of a house in La Ceja; Above right: We had a brief rest at the Tequendamita Falls
Above left: David with his elder brother
Medellin citizens live and eat well. My palate was delighted to the max during my short stay there. Some photos of the fruits and foods I sampled/saw when I was in Medellin:
Above left: Cerveza (beer) with orange
Above left: Pitaya - said to be a nature's cure to constipation so be careful not to eat too many in one sitting!; Above right: A bunuelo - a type of salty, doughy, deep-fried ball
Above left: Check out the red pineapples
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2 comments:
Did you have any of the red pineapples? Were they different from what we get here?
No I didn't try the red pinas or the bananas too....when I do, I'll let you know how they taste! :)
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