Oh my gosh. I have just had the best weekend of my life. Medellin Colombia is the nicest city I have ever visited. Without a doubt I would live there. This weekend, Tori, Sarah, Kevin, Romain, Travis, and Vahig flew to Medellin. We missed projects Friday and Monday, so it was a much needed break. Medellin is located in the mountains in a valley, so it's less humid and automatically felt cooler. As soon as we arrived, we noticed the change of temperature and became so much happier and giddy. Our cab driver probably thought we were high because we could not stop laughing and smiling. We went straight to our hostel which was closed to El Pobaldo and el parqe lleras. This area is where there are tons of restaurants and bars, and at night, dance clubs. That day we did some shopping and got some coffee. That night, we drank a little in our hostel and began our nighttime adventures. Being able to drink legally is a blessing. We drank a bottle of amazing wine that Tori picked out at an Italian restaurant, and then we went to a Microbrewery. While there, we met a man who grows medical marijuana in Hawaii. His friend spoke no English but was such a gentlemen. Sarah started feeling sick from the food we ate, so his friend ran to get her some alkaseltzer. Unfortunately she did not start to feel any better, so we took her back to the hostel. Tori and I decided to go out again, and we met up with some guys she met in Cartagena who live in Medellin. They paid for our drinks the entire night, and always made sure we had water nearby. They took care of us and showed us the city and would not let us pay for a thing. Then, one friend drove us around the city because he was not drinking that night. They took us up to the mountain where we could see all of the city lights. It was the most beautiful thing I ever seen. Then after, they drove us to where one of them was building a huge house overlooking the city as well. It was in a gated community, so we concluded they were definitely wealthy guys. They were our age though, so it must be family money.
Saturday, we took the metro system around Medellin. Oh and by metro system, I mean gandalas. It took us to a national park where we hiked and did a little shopping. I bought Tia a handmade scarf that was made using yarn from the area. After our little hike, we went out to eat, returned to the hostel, and then proceeded to nap. We woke up and enjoyed our night by drinking in the park, going to a dance club, where I was informed I'm good, and just enjoying the area we were in.
Sunday was also a beautiful day. We went to Guatape, a small city two hours away from Medallin by bus. We climbed a rock that had 675 steps; it was so exhausting. The view was incredible though, so it was worth it. You could see lakes and islands and it was so green. On our way back, we missed the bus at 5 so we had to wait until 7. Some people walked around the town, but Sarah, Romain, and I rented a paddle boat and paddled around the lake for an hour. We had so much fun, just relaxing on a lake talking about silly things. The ride home was exhausting, so when we got back we took a nap. Then we got up to go out, but not a lot was going on for a Sunday. We found one club and there was a dance floor, but there was definitely some drug usage going on, so I just stayed in the bar area.
Monday was depressing because we had to fly out. We grabbed some coffee and all met up. We had to say goodbye to Kevin, so that also was ending things sadly. We arrived in Cartagena around 5, and we then went to the corner store for some drinks because four people left today. It's so sad seeing people you spend every moment with leave. I've learned so much from everyone, and I have no idea what i'm going to do when I have to say goodbye to head home. There's something about living in a house with people who have similar ideas and interests, and respect one another's work and volunteering. I am excited to come home in 11 days, but I am also sad to leave my kids and my new friends.
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