Medellin, COLOMBIA

In my previous post, I mentioned I have been to Medellin recently. This was my second trip to Colombia in a year; Medellin and Cartagena the first time. I was not yet blogging during my first trip so I will try to summarize all of my reflections

1. The tourist infrastructure in Cartagena is fine. This is a nice Carribean beach city with a long history. The original city is walled as it was a big pirate target for all the gold there waiting to go back to Spain. Its orginal name as Cartagena das Indias because it was discovered while enroute to find a western route to India! The hotels are nice & unique, especially the Sofitel & the Charleston Santa Teresa. The are also many old houses of the very rich from the 17th & 18th century that are small unique B&B's. You can rent the whole place! The food is very good. Contact me if you want to go to Cartagena; POTHOS can provide the perfect experience as I am now well educated in the destination.
2. Medellin is not quite ready for the tourist masses but non the less, dont think of this city as unwelcoming or unsafe. It is in transition.
3. The currency exchange here is the longest most involved process I have ever been thru at the airport currency exchange! They copy your passport and finger print you! I was alittle disturbed by that as who knows who might steal my identity! Now I will worry when I enter the US that my passport will alert that I am a Nigerian business man committing bank fraud by transferring $2M of cash from a recently deceased relatives fortune from International oil that is in a bank in Ghana of which I will give some American that I never met 10% to manage the electronic transaction in secrecy and send the rest back to me. hahaha
4. When I was in Medellin, the entire city (at least the part I was in) had no city gas supply. This made restaurant food choices interesting, but the people were resilent. They cooked in electric stoves, portable gas bottles and the inconvenience was only a slight disruption of some menu items not being available.
5. Four Points by Sheraton is not what you would expect in the US! I am certain this hotels used wood boards with sheets on top for mattresses and hay & sand filled pillows. I have never been on something so "firm" since boyscouts. And, dont be put off that there are no lights on in the hotel foyers, etc. I think that is their way of saving energy.
6. When in Colombia, do your best to eat typical & native food. It was difficult for me to get the hotel to recommend restaurants and they commented on safety. Well, they didnt mean physical safety except for stomach upset. I did not want to be in Colombia and eat Italian and Fondue, so, my journey began. Close to the hotel I found a small stall restaurant that made the perfect hamburger. You added your own "salad", meaning pickles, slaw, onions, etc. The meat was very very good and the bun soft. I had 4 of them over 3 days! Good snack. My friend Nicolas and his friend Carlos took me to the restaurant Triada for the second time (I was there last year too). It had good food and excellent Sangria but Nico did a better job the second night as we went to a more typical food restaurant across the street from the Intercontinetal Hotel. I had a bean "soup" that had many items including pork cracklins. The Sangria & beer was good here too but even better was the seat.... on a patio deck outside. Here I should mention that Colombians do not like spicey food (this is not Mexico) but that doesnt mean they dont have it. Nico went to the bar and brought a small bowl of a hot pepper mixture for my soup which was a delicious compliment.

Lastly I should mention the airport inspection process at departure. Be prepared to be inspected, every inch of you & your belongings. If you are the type of person that is frustrated with US TSA, this will be sure to make you insane. I think every Federal agency is there; police, military, special investigators, etc. Your bags will be disected and every piece of your belongings taken out, touched, put back in and then taken out and inspected again later...... even though you checked your bag into the airline and had no access to it! Your person will be touched several times, Xrayed, re-screened and I am really not exaggerting when I say it is about 8 levels of check and re-check. Just arrive the airport early and relax into the process. I dont know why it is so intense. I have to wonder what is the percentage of drugs smuggled in someone's suitcase? Probably almost zero. Heck, I started to "feel" guilty with all the inspections! Is my aspirin ok? How about my daily vitamins?(which the police did pick up the bottle, shake it and asked me what it was, lol)...

Colombia... the only risk is wanting to stay! (as their government tourism slogan goes). Or maybe the risk is in leaving? :)