Guatape is a town about 1 ½ hours from Medellin. It is famous for El Peñón de Guatape (The Rock of Guatape)…the ride there is scenic…particularly through the mountainous are of El Peñól…A beautiful “new city” (the original city was destroyed in 1978 when the construction of a dam caused the entire city to go underwater with nothing visible but the tower of a church)…the town was rebuilt and it is gorgeous…on to Guatape…before getting my work out on climbing the 700+ steps of El Peñón, I decided I would take a helicopter ride so I could get a good view of the majestic waters surrounding the rock…as I was traveling solo, I had to wait a while to be paired with a group that did not meet the 4 person requirement…a good opportunity to eat breakfast at the restaurant attached and have a couple of rum infused juices…eventually it was time to propeller up…a 5 minute flight but, oh man is it a must-do…then back to the ground and a steep walk up the road to the mountain…before I forget, please take cash…I almost got stuck at the rock because I ran out of Colombian Pesos, there were no ATMs, currency exchange does not take card and finding an uber was almost impossible in the area…I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the most physically fit guy in the world…I loathe running…if it doesn’t involve chasing a ball I probably won’t enjoy it…the one form of gym cardio that I actually do like is the Stairmaster…so climbing Guatape…too easy…or so I thought…this was a totally different workout than the gym…everybody struggled…everybody stopped going up (a couple or maybe a few times)…when you reach top of the stairs you feel like holding both fists in the sky like Rocky running the stairs in Philadelphia…you just don’t have the energy…when you finally do catch your breath and get the strength back in your legs…Behold!…Something the Lord made!…while my Insta 360 x3 gave me fits in Panama (most of it because of my lack of knowledge) it got some epic captured some epic content in Medellin and Guatape…I’m still editing and stitching the footage so stay tuned…the ride back was sweet (yes I’m skipping the whole story of trying to find a way back to Medellin)…my driver spoke really good English because he lived in Europe for several years…he was super informative…we hit it off instantly and he recommended several places throughout the country and continent that I should visit…many of them off the beaten path…my kind of traveling…we went through a smaller city called Marinilla..I took note and reminded myself to visit letter…the energy just felt right…I felt connected just riding through the streets…by the time I reached Medellin I was beat…I showered…got under the covers…reviewed the next day’s itinerary…looked over some footage…sipped a little rum and tapped out!
Amazing View of Medellín! Exclusive Suite RNT97069 hosted by Lina
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Medellin “Comuna 13”
Even more than riding Jet Skis and motorcycles…my favorite tour on any trip is going to “the hood”…be it a favela in Brazil, township in South Africa, or comuna in Colombia…I feel most grounded when I’m amongst the people…no I don’t consider myself to be a gangster, thug, hoodlum, or anything of the sort…I’m just from a community of heavily concentrated melanin…I understand the people, I respect their code, I extend love first, and in most cases that love is reciprocated…I also have good instincts, I can feel energy and I know when things are off (common sense and instincts are universal survival skills that translate anywhere—if you don’t have them, as Treach of Naughty by Nature said “If you aint never been to the ghetto, don’t ever come to the ghetto, cuz you wouldn’t understand the ghetto, so stay the ‘f’ out of the ghetto”)…the truth of the matter is for all the stories of drugs, crime, and senseless violence that have become synonymous with communities of Black and Brown people in the Americas, Caribbean, and Africa…the vast majority of the people in those communities have brilliant minds, beautiful spirits, and loving hearts…if a country or a city is a body…these communities are the soul, the brains, spirit, and the heart…however, much of the creativity and genius that exist here either never gets a chance to display itself; receive the credit for it, or it gets extracted, monetized and none of the spoils are reaped by its rightful owners…alas I digress…the feeling here is still special…the people show genuine kindness…the culture is vibrant…the food, the music…everything about it makes you want to stay longer…maybe relocate…you immediately understand why so many expats live in Medellin…Comuna 13 is a neighborhood with a tragic history but over the past several years it has redefined itself…its growing and it will continue to grow…because of the people
I have to give a shoutout to my tour guide Darling. She is a resident of Comuna 13…as I mentioned I speak minimal Spanish and she speaks minimal English however I had no issues with understanding the history that she taught me about the community…If you’re comfortable with a Spanish speaking guide I highly recommend @darling_tour_comuna_13…at the end of the tour we took the Metrocable in Spanish pronounced the syllables are different Metro-ca-ble…don’t forget to roll your “R” and put an accent on the “e”…it took us over 2 more sets of mountains…only to reveal valleys just as densely populated…Medellin is truly massive…some of the neighborhoods that we took the cable over were disheartening to see…not everyone has the best living conditions…prayerfully they will flourish and improve their conditions…after the cable we were both famished…it was about 7p…I hadn’t had a bite to eat all day…I needed to hit the ATM so Darling went and got some type of sausage from a nearby street vendor…I took some video and pics of her while she was eating…hilarious…she then showed me where I could get some chicken because I don’t eat beef or pork…I ended up ordering a whole chicken and some cornbread…we ate a little together before she ended her night and I called my uber…but I was still hungry so while I waited for my ride I found another street cart selling Cubano sandwiches…I ordered 2 and told him to hold the pork and cheese…dude did his thing…I smashed both before I got back to my Airbnb…after a long day…shower…rum…night night…Panama in the morning
El Poblado, Medellin
El Poblado is considered to be the #1 neighborhood in Medellin for tourists and expats…considered to be “safe”, accessible, and offering shopping, restaurants and pretty much anything you need in the area. You will also find a few U.S. franchises there like Starbucks and McDonalds. There seems to be a gym on just about every corner…speaking of gyms…Medellin has several outdoor gyms complete with weights and calisthenics area…you can find a few good locations in El Poblado and Laurales (https://en.casacol.co/2022/02/24/medellins-outdoor-gyms/) …
Envy Lounge
My first night in Medellin…I had to listen to some live salsa music…I found a rooftop bar with an unparalleled view of the city…Envy Rooftop…located on the 17th and 18th floors of The Charlee Hotel in the El Poblado…https://www.thecharlee.com/en/spaces/envy-roof-top/ …The temperature was warm…nice breeze…perfect for wearing pants or shorts…the view offered a 240 panorama of the city…Medellin is sprawling…looking down on her it’s like the world was turned upside down and now the lights of Medellin are the stars in the sky…they look that plentiful, bright, and never-ending…The music there was really good…it helped me get into the vibe of the city…that first night, you just want to exhale, let go of home, let go of the tension of long flights and busy airports…disengage and then lean in to your new experience…the anticipation of not knowing what will come next…I ordered a drink at sat by the pool on the rooftop…ordered another drink and an appetizer…met a really cool young ladies who were visiting from Holland…we chatted for a few about traveling experiences…language learning…one of the young ladies spoke 4 languages…it’s people like this that inspire me to grow more…the band stopped playing and the DJ picked up the role of rocking the party…It was getting closer to midnight and I was tired…the young ladies, who happened to be traveling with their grandmother, had to fly out early in the morning and needed to get back to their hotel…We called a Uber to take them home…Walked a block down the street…they helped me order a rotisserie chicken…I appreciated the help because I did not feel like struggling to place an order at the moment…some kids rapping came by…I thought to myself I hope this guys aren’t like the rappers in Cartagena…I don’t know if my nerves can handle that anymore, lbvs…their Uber arrived and I waved them off…called my own Uber and went back to my Airbnb…kicked off my shoes and devoured this rotisserie chicken…that was it for the night…early rising in the a.m.
Hotel vs. Airbnb
I’m often asked if I prefer to stay in a hotel or Airbnb…my answer: it depends…several factors come into play…1) what country/city will I be staying in? 2) how long will I be staying there? 3) cost comparisons 4) amenity comparisons 5) how many people are going and how many beds will be needed? 6) safety and security 7) rewards points 8) etc.…
…1) If I’m in Costa Rica, I’m most likely going Airbnb because I want to be as close to nature as possible…I want as little family resort fell as possible…on the other hand, if I’m in Cabo San Lucas, I’m most likely going with the hotel/resort…(partially due to the party/social atmosphere of Cabo and partially due to an extra barrier of separation from local drug wars) 2) If my stay 1-14 days I’ll consider a hotel…anything more than 2 weeks Airbnb may be the better option when considering having more space to move around, being able to cook or at least store your own food and snacks, laundry, and getting a discount for longer stays 3) generally speaking an Airbnb/Vrbo will be cheaper than a 4 or 5-star hotel as it relates to price however there may be some sacrifices in comfort and conveniences…4) Amenities like spa treatments, restaurants, bar, hot tub, pools, gym, room services, etc.…are usually what separates a great hotel room from an Airbnb (although some Airbnb’s do have many of these amenities)…figure out what your standards are…sometimes it’s as simple as having a comfortable bed and clean restroom…it’s all relative…some people are willing to backpack “Thug-It-Out” and stay in hostels…not for me!…but it’s not bad option if you want to travel on a budget 5) Traveling solo…with the homies…family trip…bae-cation…personally I look for an Airbnb if it’s me and my homies…everyone has their own room and space but we still have community areas under one roof…and we split the cost…family vacation would likely depend on the location and the options/plans for a kid friendly hotel, waterparks, things to do on the resort…likely safer and easier on the nerves if you know your kids are roaming around a resort instead of some foreign neighborhood or apartment complex…solo or bae-cation could go either way…typically I go for 4 or 5-star hotels…I use search engines like Kayak, Expedia, Priceline, and Hotwire can get you some amazing deals if you don’t mind not knowing exactly which hotel you’re getting until after you purchase (there are tricks to find out which hotel you would be booking in advance)…I’m also a Diamond member with Hilton Honors and Diamond Elite with IHG brands so I most frequently book with brands under those umbrellas to keep my status and receive the upgrades and rewards they give me…6) If security is your concern, you will most likely feel safer at a resort style hotel…although there are many Airbnb’s that are in gated communities, they are still private residences…so do some research into where you’re staying and be honest with yourself about your personal level or caution/paranoia when it comes to living in foreign places…personally I feel pretty comfortable as long as I’ve done my due diligence 7) I travel for work so I’m often staying in hotels more than I am staying at home…I rack up points and I can honestly say they come in handy when I take my trips…oftentimes when I go out of the country I don’t pay for lodging, I just book in points or I’ll pay partially in points and partially with cash/upgrading the room…No matter what brand you are staying with I highly recommend signing up for a free membership to accrue points…also travel credit cards like Chase Sapphire and Capital One Venture can pay dividends…
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