I say farewell to the small town of Tayrona and the Colombian coast as I travel back into the mainland of the country to the well-known city of Medellin. Many people, including myself, know of the city through the show “Narcos.” I am curious to learn more about its history and how much of the show’s portrayal was accurate or over-exaggerated.
For the first leg of the journey, I flagged down a regular commuter bus, loaded my bags, and got dropped off near the center of Santa Marta. From there, I took a taxi to the airport. I am pretty sure I got really ripped off for this ride, but it is what it is. I was thoroughly confused when the taxi driver took a turn and was heading straight for the coast, but then realized that the airport is stationed literally on the shore. You can walk out of the main entrance and straight into the sea, and there were people actually playing in the water.
At the airport, I found a Subway. It was delightful, especially their cookies which I really missed. I ate my food and researched activities on my computer all while looking over the ocean.
I am planning to do a lot of touristy things in Medellin. I think I have had a good fill of experiencing nature and working on myself in more of an isolated setting. Also, in Cartagena, I opted for more of a residential area to experience how more local people live day-to-day. Now, I am ready to try more of the tourist city life and meet more travelers. At the airport, I found 6 super cool tours that really caught my eye and were also affordable, but I won’t say what they are yet. Will write about them in the coming days.
Walking out of the Medellin airport, I was instantly relieved by the cool weather and my energy levels spiked. I don’t think I can do hot and humid long-term. Riding in the Uber to my Airbnb, I got good vibes from the city overall, especially entering the El Poblado neighborhood where I am staying. This area is known for tourists and it has the largest selection of restaurants, cafes, bars, etc. There were so many lights and lots of music playing on the streets when I arrived which got me excited. This is going to be a fun week.
The place itself is cute and cozy. It reminds me a lot of a college dorm floor (throwback to freshman year). The apartment overall has 7-8 bedrooms that are rented out individually with a few shared baths and shared kitchen space. The other guests here are chill and mainly keep to themselves. It seems really safe too as it took 3 separate keys to get from the street into my room.
After settling in, I only had to walk about 10 meters to find myself in a taco restaurant. The food was delish and so was the tres leches cake for dessert:) Everything in this area seems to be written/available in both English and Spanish, which I suppose must be attributed to the vast amount of tourists that come here. Regardless, admittedly, it is nice to sometimes give my brain and break and just read the English versions.