BACKPACKING
Medellín was set to be different. It started with an 8 hour night ride on the bus and freezing temperatures as the air conditioning was working extra hours. People were often covering in 2 blankets keep them from freezing to death in this rolling icebox. Luckily I read this somewhere before but even in a jumper an a jacket I was feeling cold.
Also, I went to sleep in a hostel because even though I put something up on Couchsurfing, no real options came up this time. The last time I slept in an hostel was ages ago, and ever since I was working full time I was rather looking for something more private and with a bathroom for yourself – what else do you go to work for?
However, as I am not working full time any more and thus don’t have an income at the moment I have to save money and stick to the guidelines that I made up for this journey. Therefor, hostels seem an adequate option while I’m visiting somewhere without being on a project or or surfing a couch. And of course you have the chance to meet other people there that might know the place better and point you in a few directions.
Despite knowing all this, I was a bit wary of staying in hostels because
a) you mostly have to speak English, a thing that I don’t really want to do on this trip as I am focusing on my Spanish and
b) let’s be honest, I’m not really interested in a 22-year-old in hand-dyed hemp pants telling me about his life experience he gained from his 2-month stint in Thailand that totally changed his life and made him want to become a guru now.
On the second day I met 3 really nice characters on a tour through Comuna 13, a quarter of the city with a violent history and maybe a bright future as parts of the area bacame a hotspot fur urban culture over the last years.
Barbara, Natalia and Mario had a great vibe on them and were a great laugh so we hung out the entire next day which became a masterpiece of idleness and relaxation. Morning coffee, lunch, afternoon coffee, rest and diner, combined by strolls through the neighbourhood of Bolivariana in the right company can easily fill a day and show you the amount of freedom and time you have on your hands if you decide to go travelling.
Unfortunately all three took off the next day and continued their journey in different directions, but as they all coincidentially live in Spain (2 of them are from Argentina originally) I hope to visit them in the future there.
Concerning the hostels everything was fine except for the first two nights, but after a change to a nicer place I got to know even more people to spend time and go out with for the remainder of the week. My photo game earned his first award here as well - the hostel I stayed in liked one of my pictures and asked me if they could publish it on their Instagram. It also earned me free beer!
Also, I found an outdoor gym I went to a couple of times – absolute quality to train outside among locals of all ages. The only thing that distracted me was a group of youngsters in remarkable physical shape. They got my attention as they started producing a distinct smell as they used the pauses between their sets to light a torch and share it amongst them!
As for the next steps of my journey, I’ll be heading to Barranquilla to start on my first project very soon. I’m looking forward to actually do something apart from discovering the city and taking photos (which I really started to enjoy!).
The original idea for Ecuador changed as the project I was looking at didn’t work out, but I found a new option in Salinas that looks promosing – I’ll know in the next few days if I can come and build a little website for a new hostel they are building there before going to Peru in March.
Thanks everybody in Medellín, it has been great!