All roads lead to Medellin

by Stuart Goodwin, posted in Colombia, Colombia revisited, 2023, Cycle touring, Nomad, South America, Uncategorized

The picture above is from my time in Medellin in 2018. The sheer joy of the music and dance in a public square in the Centro area made it one of my favourite memories. I revisited the square this time, and wasn’t surprised to find the same musician creating the same incredible atmosphere (see below). Comparing the pictures, I’m left with the conclusion that music keeps people young!

It was great to be back in this most incredible of cities. With around 3 million residents, it’s made up of numerous districts. These are nearly all connected with a system of public transport made up of overground metro, tram, bus and (most fun of all) cable cars!

It’s also a city that celebrates bicycles, with numerous publicly-funded initiatives to promote cycling (along with other forms of sport to encourage health). As you can see in the picture above, major roads are shut on a Sunday to allow people to get out and about (as in Bogota).

I was happy to take part in Medellin’s Critical Mass rides again, held every Wednesday evening. I have to love a city where several hundred cyclists of all shapes, sizes, ages, fitness and lifestyles gather to take a different route every week, just to celebrate two wheels.

Catching up with old friends, I took some more Spanish lessons with my old teacher from my first time in Colombia. She was as patient as always. I was also lucky to spend time with Omar, another friend from language school in 2018. He hasn’t changed a bit either!

2018
2023

Medellin continues to fascinate me, with its extraordinary vibrance and diversity. I can spend hours just walking round and enjoying the modernity/antiquity/streetart/madness/fun/pride/weather/people/streetlife (delete as appropriate).

  • 1970’s hearse seen in Centro
  • He was 75. Check out the engine
  • All roads lead to Medellin
  • One of Botero’s statues. Sadly, he passed away in 2023
  • Should a devotee be betting on a guinea pig?
  • ‘Revolution, nothing less’
  • ‘It’s not possible to reform this sytem’
  • Market stall
  • Another market stall. Try to find your charger!
  • Proud to be Colombian
  • No, I didn’t try this
  • Civilised breakfast

I was lucky to have a special visitor over Christmas and New Year, so we enjoyed Christmas in Medellin and New Year in the coffee region.

Medellin has a well-deserved reputation for celebrating Christmas. The city is plastered with illuminations, and there’s a wonderful atmosphere in places where the decorations are concentrated, such as Parque del Rio. This year’s theme was Disney, with flying Dumbo definitely my favourite!

The coffee region was also as spectacular as remembered. One highlight was a tour of a coffee farm by the 70+ year old owner who prides himself on organic farming and nature conservation. After an enthusiastic tour of his estate it was off to lunch at a neighbouring finca. The dog happily perched on the bonnet of the jeep as we drove through the winding (and bumpy) roads. How he stayed on, I’ll never know.

And with that it was goodbye 2023, hello 2024. I headed out of Medellin to explore the region of Boyaca. Will report in next update.

If you’ve got this far, thanks for reading and traveling with me!

32 thoughts on “All roads lead to Medellin”

  7. Hi Stuart. Wow, lots to take in there! Sounds like the trip is going very well? Some great pictures there ( as well as the commentary). Enjoy 👍 Mike

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    1. Thanks Mike. Yes, it’s going really well. I have changed my original plans a bit, on advice from others and experience thus far. Having a brilliant time; all I could have hoped for! Hope all good your end, S

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  8. Klasse Bilder mit tollen Eindrücken, lieber Stuart! Du machst es richtig. Man muss das Leben in vollen Zügen genießen, solange es geht.
    Viel Spaß weiter! Ich werde immer wieder mal in deine Posts schauen. Melde dich bitte, wenn du wieder mal in Berlin bist!
    LG, Christoph mit Zsuzsa

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  9. Wow wow wow, was für tolle Bilder.wünsche dir weiter viel spass, bleib gesund. Paul
    Warum saß der Hund vorne auf der haube? 😁😁

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  10. Another fantastic post Stu. Amazing photo’s where you really capture the personality of people, love the happy musician! Take care and enjoy the ride. Di xx

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    1. Thanks Di, good to know you’re on the journey with me. Yep, he was incredible. It’s a lovely sight in the centre of Medellin, people just dancing and having fun. I may have even had a little dance myself 🙂 Lots of love to you both, X

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  14. Just watched a series on the astonishing griselda blanco on Netflicks . I bet she left a legacy in Medellin😳😳😳

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