Medellin day 1

I woke up at my typical time, 6 am.

Today will be a grounding day, getting to know the neighborhood, getting a Metro "Civica" card and seeing a few nearby sights. This will include: dropping off laundry, visiting a nearby Iglesia, a park and plaza for starts.

From hertraveledit.com

Once touted as the most dangerous city in the world, home to the infamous Pablo Escobar, Medellin is now a thriving metropolis. Its setting in the picturesque Aburra valley and its eternally spring like climate is definitely a big draw. However, the evolution of Medellin is one of the most interesting stories in modern history. I think this article talks about it so well!

Medellin is just as safe as say, Cincinnati, Ohio, which means there are mostly safe neighborhoods, but some not-so-safe neighborhoods. That’s where the similarities end, the Medellin we visited is rainy, lush green, and generally beautiful (Sorry, Cincinnati). It also houses many amazing restaurants, delicious coffee shops (Antioquia produces some of the best coffee in the world!), vibrant street art and, of course, diverse fruits.

Breakfast  is included at the hostel I am staying at, the Cordova Hostel Medillin. This is the second place in a row that serves a full breakfast including eggs (very yellow), cereal, fruit, bread and coffee. Most places that advertise "breakfast included" are only bread or roll and coffee. 

After dropping off  my laundry I headed to the Parque Berrio and Plaza Botero area.

First on my list was to get a Civica card to use on the metro system. Asking around I learned that I had to get this at  the San Antonio station, a short walk from Plaza Botero where I was. At the station I was directed to the second lev5el of the station. But found that the office opened at 10 am, in about an hour.  I did notice that there were a few people sitting on the steps, possibly waiting for the office to open.

I headed back to the street level to explore a bit. The Metro rail here is all elevated and the area under the metro is backed with vendors selling hats, snacks, drinks, shoes and everything except kitchen sinks. 

I found a vendor selling "salpicon" which I was introduced to 2 years ago in Bogota. Salpicon was high on my list of things to buy here in Medellin. Here is a link with a recipe to make Colombian Salpicon:

  https://salpicon.net/frutas/

I got a message  on my phone that I needed to buy more phone data. I found that the booth that sells lotto tickets also sells data. I bought the 30 day recharge for about $9 usd.

It was now almost 10 so I headed back to the station to get my Civica card. That line that was about 6 people long when I left, now extended down about 4 flights of stairs. I had no choice, I got in line. After a few m6inutes another person in line asked how old I was, telling her I was 75, she told me there was a short line upstairs for seniors. Back upstairs, I got in the senior line joining about 8 others already in line. Even in the expedited senior line, it  was close to an hour before I  finally got in and got my Personalized Civica card. This will give me a discount everytime I use the metro system in Medellin.

I then went back to Plaza Botero to visit the Palacio de la Cultura. The building itself is quite unique with almost checker board patterningg on the exterior. The entry is free.

This is not so  much a art museum as a cultural center that provides a space for small performances, community activities  and a  small collection of art.

After touring all through the 4 floors of the Palaco de la Cultura. The architecture, inside and out being the main attraction, I headed back out to the Plaza Botero.

The Botero Plaza is home to a large collection of 23 bronze sculptures by the famous Colombian artist, Fernando Botero. Hence the name Botero Plaza. You can read more about Fernando Botero at:  https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Botero

The theme for all is "rotund". I didn't take pictures of all of them. Many had people standing in front taking selfies. Some had less burnished areas from people touching them or placing there hands on them for selfies.

These areas were mostly big breasts, big butts, or in one case a big penis.

By this time it is the afternoon and I am ready to head back to the hostel for my daily siesta.

After my siesta, I struck up a conversation with one of the hostel owners, Ivan. When I mentioned that I was going out to get a bit to eat, he suggested a few places nearby and also asked if I knew that the hostel had an associated restaurant on the second floor. I didn't know.

He took me upstairs, down a long corridor lined with rooms then arriving at the restaurant. I was surprised how big the hostel was, I had no idea.

The restaurant, Salon Centro, turned out to be a bit upscale and over my budget, but I decided to give it a try anyway. I ordered the one of the cheapest  items in the menu, "Arroz, Sofrito y Pollo Encostado". Fried rice with crusted chicken. Although the meal was double my budget and the craft beer was triple what I usually spend for beer, It didn't disappoint. The fried rice was delicious, the chicken was incredible.