First Time in South America (Medellin Trip Report)

[Woody]

Before people go and tell me that not to worry and generally feel sorry for me, don't. This trip was the best decision I have ever made.

I am pretty sure I found my new home in the world and I am damn sure that I won't bother dating American women anymore. It's not that there aren't diamonds, it's that finding one that is available and also likes you is damn near impossible. Whereas in Colombia I pretty much have to exert zero effort to get a date with a beautiful woman with a lot of long term potential.

My stated goals for this trip:
1. Learn some Spanish (Check, learned a LOT more than I thought I would)
2. Get to know my way around (Man, did I underestimate how much sightseeing I would do. Over 2000 pictures taken with my camera this trip.)
3. Generally have fun (Parapente, Check. Skydiving, no, maybe next trip. Parapente was the one thing I HAD to do)

Success!

I also realize a few things I said in my last post could be cause for concern, don't. I did, in fact, have WAY too much fun this trip. I am not going to elaborate any more on that.

[Dan Las Vegas]

Glad to hear that you enjoyed yourself in Medellin  I can't wait to return!

Dan

[whitey]

Great trip reports Woody ... thanks for all the detail.

I'm in the Ft Lauderdale airport right now waiting for my flight to Cartagena ... can't wait to get down there!

Next month is Medellin for a week ... after your posts, I'm more excited than ever to check it out for the first time.

When you get some time, would you mind posting 4 or 5 "must do's"?

Thanks, and enjoy the rest of your trip!

David

[Woody]

When you get some time, would you mind posting 4 or 5 "must do's"?

Must Do/See (Note that I am highly ecotourism biased):
1. El Peñol, no ifs ands or buts about it. The views from the top are spectacular (see my 360 degree panorama)
2. Parque Arví (Metro Cable to the entrance, a 10 minute walk down the hill, take the bus the 3.5KM to the eco-park. 15mil each for admittance, but you get a zipline ride, a boat ride(4mil to upgrade boats, btw), a tour of the butterfly habitat, and a tour of the Colombian insect mini-museum)
3. Santo Domingo/Biblioteca España (The contrasts here are astounding. The sheer poverty versus wealth really makes you consider life.)
4. Parapente (Parasailing). 20mil taxi ride from Prado station, 100mil for 30 minutes (80mil for 20 minutes) tandem flight. When your instructor asks if you want some acrobatics, say YES! We're talking 3-4G's here! Better than any roller coaster!

Other cool places to see:
-Medellín's Zoologico Santa Fe (Cool, but sad. The enclosures they have for some of the cats are WAY too small)
-Parque Explora (Cool aquarium too, almost all the fish are native to Colombia)
-Parque de Norte (Across the street from Parque Explora): Amusement park. I suggest you wear flip-flops and shorts for this one. They have some decent water rides.
-Rio Negro/Llanogrande area (Some decent scenery, the main square in Llanogrande{pretty sure it was Llanogrande} is packed with vendors and there is a killer desert shop. It is all home made Colombian deserts, you pay for a token and pick a desert. Awesome stuff.)
-Pueblito Paisa (Cero Nutibara) is pretty cool. It offers some great views of the city too.

[Woody]

Well, that was fun. First time I have ever felt truely unsafe. Most likely it was nothing, but there was no way in hell I was sticking around to find out.

So I visited the Museum of Modern Art. Kinda cool but it was only two rooms of stuff frm a single artist. Afterwards, I noticed on my google maps that I was relatively close to the Universidad de San Buenaventura(gotta love the unlocked iPhone). Since it was only 5 or 6 blocks away, I decided to check it out(every movie I have seen in theaters here has had a comercial for them). Well, I'm pretty sure I walked the perimiter of the school, but the back side wasn't exactly the best area of town(this area is close to prado). Someone started doing the "hey, you whistle" about 100 feet behind me, after the eighth or so try, I figured it was me they were calling. Then I had proof positive that it was me when they said "hey, gringo!" Yeah, no way in hell I'm acknowledging that. First time since I have been here that someone has yelled gringo to get my attention. Not in the nicest of tones either. If it was caballero or mono in a friendly tone, sure, I might have responded. But givn the tone and verbage, all my red lights started flashing. Fortunately I knew that I was right around the corner from a decent area with a lot of people. So while I could hear the person gaining on me. I knew I was close enough to safely to not have to respond, just kept my pace(I walk pretty fast anyways) and was in the safer area within a minute. I made a b-line for the nearest taxi and gtfo. Turns out I was less than the minimum cab fare from Prado station. Yeah, not a good area.

Now, it was probably nothing. I figure it was a pimp or door man to a brothel(consider the neighborhood, I have been approached many times for this exact thing when o was walking through prado last week), just trying to get a customer. But like I said, no way in hell I was about to bother finding out.

[Jason1]

    Enjoyed the trip report Woody.You seem reluctant to receive any advice but what the hey.Marry this chick,don't marry this chick whatever floats you boat.I'm glad to hear you are not rushing in to anything.Good luck on your future endeavors! 

[robert angel]

I think Woody has given great advice, sometimes you just have to read between the lines. Besides, there's info on great places to go, (and not go) about transportation there, cultural information and a lot more.

Sometimes he explains that his perspective might not be someone else's, but that seems to be just intelligent good manners. While there's obviously no substitute for getting up and going there, his posts have been informative, at times entertaining and always a good read. He's had a great time and even taken his valuable time to share some excellent pictures. The guy's a world class citizen and I'm glad we've got a someone with some class making us Kano's look pretty damn good 'down there'.

[Woody]

Thanks Robert. I wouldn't call myself a world class citizen. I paint a better picture than in reality.

But, yes. Life is all about how you percieve things. I made a few mountains out of molehills.

It is not that I am closed to advice, but often I take someones advice and see how it fits into my 10 year plan. My 10 year plan has only had two modifications in the past six years(ok, used to be my 15 year plan). The first modification was three years ago, when my timeline was delayed by two years because of stoploss and the Army. The second modification came around six months ago. I decided then that retirement in the states was not for me. The second change is the location for my retirement. I have not finalized the location, but Colombia is probable.

Anyways, boarding my flight to Miami now, gotta go.

[raycjs]

Woody

Great report i am glad everything went well with your first trip.
take it slow and and plan you next trip back


Best of luck to you


Ray

[utopiacowboy]

Thanks Robert. I wouldn't call myself a world class citizen. I paint a better picture than in reality.

But, yes. Life is all about how you percieve things. I made a few mountains out of molehills.

It is not that I am closed to advice, but often I take someones advice and see how it fits into my 10 year plan. My 10 year plan has only had two modifications in the past six years(ok, used to be my 15 year plan). The first modification was three years ago, when my timeline was delayed by two years because of stoploss and the Army. The second modification came around six months ago. I decided then that retirement in the states was not for me. The second change is the location for my retirement. I have not finalized the location, but Colombia is probable.

Anyways, boarding my flight to Miami now, gotta go.

Retirement in South America is a good option. I would check out other countries like Peru, Uruguay, and Argentina before I committed myself to Colombia. The security situation in Colombia is always going to be dicey.

[Woody]

Retirement in South America is a good option. I would check out other countries like Peru, Uruguay, and Argentina before I committed myself to Colombia. The security situation in Colombia is always going to be dicey.

I can't argue the security being dicey. Unfortunately right now I don't know anything about those three countries when it comes to government and foreign investors/residents.

I have not committed myself to Colombia and I will be checking out Peru in the near future(within the next year). I am planning on visiting most of South America in the next four years, so I will definitely be seeing different countries.

[Osa]

my girl and I also talk about retiring to colombia, but after I put in another 18 years in my job and retire with a pension, and have developed other income generating assets that can sustain us

[Jeff S]

If you're planning to put South America on your list to visit - make sure you include Montevideo Uruguay - My favorite spot in S/A

[jman]

If you're planning to put South America on your list to visit - make sure you include Montevideo Uruguay - My favorite spot in S/A

Montevideo is great and only a ferry ride away from Buenos Aires.

[utopiacowboy]

Uruguay is where a lot of Argentines park their money because they do not trust their own government. It's a nice spot off the radar.