February 2017

I was simply stunned when i first arrived in Medellin. Everywhere I looked were massive amounts of cartoonish level greenery that seemed to go on and on and on. There's no wonder that the official nickname for the city is "City of Eternal Spring". I even heard that a study was conducted where they asked people to describe various cities by using just one color to encapsulate the overall visual scheme of a city and people always easily chose "green" for Medellin. Now, I don't know the details of this study but Medellin is so majestically lush that green is the only way to describe the overwhelming beauty that you you feel blessed to witness. And luckily, locals realize how beautiful their city is so every bar, restaurant and even the malls, go out of their way, to incorporate an open aire design to their structures to allow for the plant life to seep into every nook and cranny as though you were in the forest itself. The beautiful cannot be understated.

Now, I know that Medellín is infamous for nefarious reasons but those days are burned deep in history and what has risen from though ashes is a country that has learned from it's past mistakes and managed to create a utopian like bohemian micro-society that craves innovation, compassion and new beginnings. During my stay, I met so many young entrepreneurs who were not blind to their countries dark history but decided to use the strength that allowed them to survive those dark days and funnel that energy towards new businesses and community renewal. Medellín feels much like a society that is quickly going through a renaissance and that energy is infectious, even to travelers.

One if my most memorable moments was when I took a "side trip" to the small aquatic town called Guatapé. The quaint town is just as green as Medellín but also has what seems like hundreds of mini interconnected waterways scattered all across the landscape. This was a relaxing weekend spent with friends where we got a chance to experience a slower pace of life that outskirts of Medellín had to offer.

Overall, Medellín quickly became and remains one my favorite cities and I could easily see making a possible future home there. I will return.

Highlights:

Playing paintball at one Pablo Escobar's old estates (i'm in no way condoning or celebrating the actions of this lunatic but he remains an interesting character nonetheless)
Checking out the Parque Llares area
Visiting the beautiful town of Guatapé
Having a relaxing weekend on a resort in Guatapé with friends
Partying in a finca on the outskirts of town
Climbing to the top the El Peñón rock in Guatapé
Relaxing & drinking with an amazing local in Parque del Periodista (Park of Journalists)
Watching every amazing sunset from my balcony
Meeting Eve