Let me guess: you saw this title, and immediately thought about Narcos and Pablo Escobar.

Unfortunately, Colombia and especially Medellin suffer a bad rep thanks to Pablo, and even today still scare off many tourists who believe that they might be kidnapped or murdered by a drug cartel.

Sometimes I think that’s a good thing, as it will keep the country from becoming too touristy too fast, and inevitably more expensive. Right now, it is ridiculously cheap to travel to Colombia, compared to many other Central American countries including Panama, where I currently live.

Colombia is the new Central American hot spot, and since it happens to be my neighboring country, I thought I’d go check it out for myself and not buy into all the stereotypes. I didn't regret it!

First stop Medellin:

From Panama City in Panama, Medellin is only a short 1 hour flight away. When we arrived, it was already 9pm, so unfortunately I can’t tell you much about my first impression of the city, as it was already dark.

The airport in Medellin however was extremely well organized, more so than in Panama, and we could easily find a collective bus that would take us to a stop near the city. From there, a young couple was waiting for all the passengers, and made us form a line to place us in taxis. What impressed me the most was the fact that these kids didn’t seem to be working for anyone, but were extremely polite and professional. I believe the taxi drivers gave them a cut of the fare, but regardless of who they worked for, it was efficient.

We stayed in a nice quiet neighborhood called El Poblado, which has many little restaurants and bars close by if you want to get some nightlife action. I would definitely recommend staying there, as it’s just a short walk to the subway station (Poblado).

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Everything in the center is easily accessed that way. Don’t even bother taking taxis, the Metro is extremely practical. Did I mention cheap????

Worth seeing in Medellin: I only spent 3 days there, but I really enjoyed the following sites:

The Botanical Garden

I’m a bit obsessed with my fruit and veggie garden, so it was the logical first visit for me. We found some cool “local residents” along the way =).

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The garden is located right next to the Universidad subway station, and is definitely worth a visit. They even sell plenty of seeds if you want to try and grow your own exotic fruits at home!

Plaza Botero

Plaza Botero was fun to stroll through, and pretty cool if you’re into Fernando Botero’s art. You’ll find 23 of his bronze statues in the park, and his museum is completely free of charge, so you’ll have no excuse to take in some local culture.

Shopping at El Hueco

If you’re into shopping for some clothes and shoes, you cannot miss El Hueco which means the hole in English. You’ll have to have patience and time, as you won’t believe the quantity of shops you will see one next to the other, all selling similar items. It’s cheap to shop in Colombia, so get ready to go on a shopping spree. I highly recommend paying with your credit card in order to avoid getting ripped off by exchange offices, who always charge a hefty fee. With your credit card, you’ll be charged the actual exchange rate, so it makes much more sense (or go to an ATM and take out cash there with your debit card).

Parque Arvi

This was probably my favorite part of our Medellin trip. You will need to take the metro to Santo Domingo station first, and from there you transfer to the Metro Cable which will take you over the mountains, into the largest Eco-reserve of the region. If you don’t like heights, maybe reconsider this one =). But it allows you to enjoy the view of Medellin from up above, and is truly impressive.

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Once you arrive at the top you can hire a guide and go on a hike, but Carlos and I decided to go eat something first since it was lunch time. We found this little place which was not inundated by tourists, and ordered some local food.

While we were waiting, we were approached by a friendly Colombian who wanted to present us his coca products. Coca is the raw ingredient used to make cocaine, and has become the new super-food in Colombia. The Indigenous have been chewing the plant for centuries, as it allowed them to work hard for many hours at a time without getting tired. Coca leaves will give you energy, and have many other health benefits. Products are sold in the form of coffee, ointments, tea, powders that you can add to your smoothies, and even flour.

The guy was funny and not pushy at all, which is why we humored him and kept listening. His Coca and Marijuana products are locally produced by the Colombian indigenous community (they are the only ones allowed to grow and harvest coca leaves). He even brought us some dried coca leaves to chew on. My mouth went immediately numb (coca leaves have analgesic properties).

So we bought everything you see on this photo.

We had fun in Medellin, but 3 days aren’t enough to see it all. Soon, we will plan another trip to discover the other sites, and of course I will blog about it. Stay tuned for the next blog about Cartagena and San Andres.

Cheers =)