Meeting Mariano, a local Colombian, and moving into his hostel/home in the mountains was one of the best things that could have happened to us in Medellin. Upon our first meeting, Mariano declared that he was going to adopt us – and adopt us he did! One of our favourite things was being taken to visit the most delicious restaurants in the city. One eatery was high in the hills, looking over the twinkling lights of Medellin, and the other was a delicious seafood joint in the hood – at both, the food was divine. We also visited the botanical gardens and ate from street vendors; we went to the biggest supermarket we had ever laid eyes on, and we visited Mariano’s friends and favourite places. Thanks to Pablo Escobar and his cartel, Medellin was once the world’s most dangerous city – but now, things are very different. It’s a polished, safe metropolis where the people are friendly, curious and helpful. With Mariano, we experienced Medellin, local style – and it was pretty bloody cool!

Fancy gin and the view from the restaurant

Back at the house at night, we would sit outside drinking fancy Hendrick’s gin with cucumber and lime and listening to salsa music. The two pommy guys staying there and another backpacking couple meant we had plenty of people to socialise with, and we enjoyed a couple of late nights shooting the breeze and comparing travel stories.

Mariano had an awesome kitchen, so I got in there one day and baked brownies. Things I once took for granted at home have become a real treat while travelling, baking being one of them. Yum!

Baking brownies for the first time in 6 months!

One of the highlights of our time in Medellin was the day we spent in Guatape, a few hours outside the city. This is the playground of the rich and famous – drug lords included. We took a boat on the lake, driving past for a nosey at one of Pablo Escobar’s old estates. This place was huge. Complete with a pool house, a party house right on the water, two secret tunnels and an enormous fence and gate – as well as plenty of other buildings – we couldn’t help but wonder what life was life in his heyday of the 1970’s and 80’s. There must have been some downright epic parties when you’re as filthy rich (and connected) as this guy was!

Imagine the epic parties that went on in Escobar’s estate…

After our boat ride, we went to visit a rock. But this wasn’t just any ordinary rock – this was the second-biggest rock in the world, and it lay on the edge of a network of lakes and sunken valleys. But the coolest thing about this enormous rock was that there was a stairway running up the side of it, complete with 750 stairs that we could climb.

My fitness definitely isn’t what it used to be, but the view from the top was spectacular.

That view!

A few days after our time in Guatape, we went to visit the coffee region of Colombia, a few hours from Medellin. This country is one of the biggest coffee producers in the country, and, chances are, I’ve had a cup or two of coffee in NZ that originated in Colombia – so we made the trip to see what all the fuss was about. About an hour into the 4-hour journey, we were wishing that we hadn’t bothered leaving the city. Like we mentioned before, Colombian drivers are INSANE – and that’s probably an understatement. Passing on blind corners, accelerating into huge Mac trucks as they approached in the wrong lane, and speeding pretty much non-stop had Joel and I white-knuckled and crossing our fingers that we would get through this journey safely. We did, thank god, but it was purely down to luck and not good management. What’s more, the coffee farm that we visited wasn’t even worth the risk – it was pretty, yes, but there was not much else to it and the coffee tour was extortionate so we didn’t bother. On the up-side, though, I did taste some of the best coffee that I’ve had in my whole life!

We’ve made the choice to fly from Medellin to Panama tomorrow. Both of us are pretty keen to get into some surfing, and Panama and Costa Rica have some great beginner’s breaks that are calling our name. Colombia has been fun, yes, but the roads are so downright dangerous that we were actually petrified to venture too far outside the city. We’ve seen a heap of South America, and, for us, it’s the right time to say goodbye to this continent. One month in Central America, then we’re flying to Colorado (!) at the end of October to start the North American leg of our journey.

Adios, Colombia – it’s been fun!