Im sitting in a shady spot with nice cool breeze overlooking Medellin and something is strange . . . I’m in the epicenter of nearly 4 million people and it feels as though I have this whole place to myself!
As I read some of my past blog posts I came across “Above the Smog” which was written during my visit to Santiago but, unlike Santiago, Medellin has clear skies and fresh cool breezes. I’ve never liked big cities and often do my best to avoid them but Medellin seems different. Sure there are busy streets and crowds but, just a few blocks away, you can find peaceful quiet neighborhoods with lots of green space and easy access to large, beautiful, well-maintained parks but, surprisingly, hardly anyone is using them!
During my first week in Medellin, I walked or biked 2km from the place I’m staying in the heart of Laureles to the park entrance of Cerro El Volador three days straight and, all three days, it seemed as though I had the place to myself. The first day I biked to the park entrance and wasn’t conditioned for continuous ascent so I ditched the bike and walked to the top where I was rewarded with great exercise, peace, solitude, cool breezes, and an amazing views of the city. The second day I opted to walk from my place ascending a path directly from my barrio and the third day I opted to challenge myself by biking all the way to the top, descending into the San German barrio on the other side of the mountain for lunch, returning to the top of the hill, and enjoying the nice downhill bike back to my hostel. On my fourth day I wanted to explore some trails outside the city so I boarded the public transit system in my barrio for a 20 min ride to Envigado and took a 15min taxi to Parque el Salado where, again, I was surrounded by amazing natural beauty.
Today I chose to visit Cerro El Picacho located N/W of the city high above the Robledo barrio and, once again, I was a glutton for punishment (and reward) . . .
I left my hostel on bike for a 10km ride to the trailhead. Not even 4km into the ride, I faced hills too steep to peddle so I ditched the bike and walked the rest of the way. The walk itself was physically challenging as I ascended the steep streets through the Robledo, Picacho, and Picachito barrios. There is some talk about the barrios on the periphery of the city being a bit rough and dangerous and I’m guessing there may be a few, but that was not the case today. In these barrios I encountered friendly people, enjoyed watching children play, saw people working to maintain their cars and homes, and saw a few of them enjoying the public parks. By the time I reached the park entrance, I was exhausted from the climb but the park did not disappoint!
Bottom Line . . .
I’m a bit surprised to find myself enjoying being in the heart of a big city and even more surprised how few of the 4 million people surrounding me are outside enjoying the amazing natural beauty, peace, and solitude around them!