After leaving the beautiful countryside of Salento I headed for the sprawling city of Medellin. What was once Colombia´s drug capital and home of the infamous Pablo Escobar, is now a reconstructed, modern city, surrounded by lush green hills (as much of Colombia´s sourther territory is), and temperate weather. I didn´t spend much time in Medellin, but what did catch my eye was the contrast between the city center, with it´s many extravagent churches and large commercial centers, and the outlying low income neighborhoods. Medellin has an efficient subway system connecting these two very different areas and the government recently completed an extension to reach the furthest areas of the surrounding neighborhoods by way of cable car (think gondola in Vail or Beaver Creek). The cable car serves two purposes: it connects people in the outer regions to the center, and offers fabulous views from high atop the hills that guard Medellin. From this unique vantage point the rider has a birds eye view of everything. Beyond the obvious differences of rich and poor (size of houses, worksmanship, materials, the proximity of each house to it´s neighbors, distance to the city center, etc.), if you look closely, there exists many subtle differences. In the ¨poor¨ areas I observed a rich culture full of music, camaraderie amoung inhabitants, children playing futbol in the street, friends passing the day together, and a slower pace of life. In the ¨rich¨areas I witnessed a much faster pace; sellers hawking thier goods in the streets, business men rushing to appointments, tourists strolling the streets, and a general sense of a pressing need to get somewhere or do something. I am not implying one form of life is better than the other, only describing my observations.
From Medellin, I flew to Cartagena, the famous city on the northern Caribbean coast protected by walls, century towers, and cannons. It is a beautiful, romantic city, fortified against attacks from thieves and pirates in search of treasure. I wandered through the streets in amazement trying to invision being under siege. I was content being safe and instead sipped fresh mango juice and watched local women sell fruit from large metal bins they carried on their head.
Most recently, I have spent many days relaxing on beaches, sipping fresh juice, eating great food, and learning many new things about culture, people, life, the world, and most importantly my self. I have a feeling it will be hard to leave Colombia, but until then I will enjoy it to the fullest!
Life in paradise (La vida en paraiso)...
No comments:
Post a Comment