Everyone in Colombia is OBSESSED with this bloke called Felix Navidad. His name is spoken next to all the Christmas trees and written all over shop windows next to the Christmas decorations. They’ve even written a song about him – “Felix Navidad, wishing you a Merry Christmas…” It’s like he has some connection with Chrissy coming up.
They also can’t get enough of salad; next to every exit is the word ‘salida’. Clearly there are daddy issues too; ‘Universidad’ this, ‘seguridad’ that.
Besides these small nuances, Medellin is absolutely hands down the best city the Longitudinal Larrikin has ever been to and one of the most incredible places he’s visited. Regardless of the fact there is a tonne to do there, way more than 2 days would allow, the city is in a valley. What makes this impressive is that it doesn’t matter where in the city you are, you can see almost every other part of the city. When the sun goes to bed, Medellin turns into stars, each building glowing into the night’s sky.
You might be familiar with Medellin from all the publicity and attention is has received from the infamous drug trafficker and murderer, Pablo Escobar. In Colombia, he is the man of who’s name is unspoken. It is offensive to many locals to mention his name, and even more offensive to be as eager as the Larrikin was to check out the jail that he built and imprisoned himself to somewhat satisfy the Colombia government. The Longitudinal Larrikin did not speak of this to anyone to be as less offensive as possible but from his perspective, and whether the locals like it or not, it’s a part of their history. Big or small, it has helped shape their country to what it is today. Since Escobar died, we were informed that the addiction of cocaine by locals has increased significantly because now it’s readily available as opposed to trafficked internationally. (***SPOILER: Escobar was shot twice by the FBI and Colombian police however the third shot that killed him, Pablo pulled the trigger on himself).
The view from Pablo Escobar’s ‘prison’ so he could keep watch over the city from his enemies
Pablo Escobar donated this field – it is an example of how he used the community as a shield to gain popularity
La Comuna 13. The transformation of a still poor community into a safe place for tourists to learn the history of the Colombian government bombing their own citizens and the gang crime that once occurred. The place is filled with street art in an attempt to mould the next generation to paint with a brush and not with bullets.
‘Prohibiodo Olvidar’ – Forbidden to Forget | the memorials of those killed by the government
The nightlife was mental and whilst the Larrikin is sure you’d love to read all about it here, a beer and a BBQ is a much more appropriate location for these stories.
There will no doubt forever be stereotypes of Colombia but the Larrikin’s experience of this incredible country has him yearning to return. He has been fortunate enough to visit many countries and this one holds a special place. His one regret is that he did not spend longer in this amazing city, remarkable country.
