How did I find myself stuck in Medellin, Colombia?

As a group of four solo travelers we walked along the main drag of nightlife in Medellin, near Parque Lleras. There was Mark the Israeli, Oliver the Brit, and Dave the American expat living in another Colombian city. Four guys out alone is the perfect combination for a miserable night, usually. In Colombia most people out on the weekend do so as a large group of friends. For how friendly Colombians appear mingling is not a part of the nightlife culture.  It’s the innocent but ignorant concept of foreigners that allow us to actually meet new people at night by talking to new strangers.

We soon spotted a quiet bar for quick drink and found a table near of group of four women out celebrating a birthday. Since Dave and I have spent too much time in Colombia becoming aware of the norms we weren’t keen to speak with them. But as soon as we finished our drinks and left the bar Mark walked right back in and started talking to them. This is why I love traveling with Mark.

The four of us were soon sitting down at the girls’ table with new beers in one hand. I spotted a really cute girl and made sure to take a seat next to her, Yenifer. On a side note I absolutely love the spelling of some of these names in Latin America. Yenifer instead of Jennifer. We talked a bit about the usual and soon enough we were dancing salsa. Nobody else in the room was even standing. We left a few minutes later but not before Yenifer and I exchanged phone numbers. I also got the phone number of a girl, Vanessa, whichl Mark was talking to since he does not have a cell phone while traveling.

The four of us met a few days later on Saturday night at what has become the usual meeting spot in front of Juan Valdez, a famous coffee chain from Colombia. I hate double dates! Vanessa arrived first so the three of us talked outside the cafe and thats when I found out Mark and I are really similar. Too similar. We have the same sense of humor more or less so since Mark’s date arrived first he joked around with her a lot. By the time my date Yenifer arrived, Mark had already gone through the exact same kind of humor I am used to. I was left mostly speechless not knowing what to say.

It was an awful start and our conversation felt forced. We sat around a quiet restaurant drinking sangria while I clenched my fists with anxiety with a desire to call it a night. The three of them joked as I mostly stood mostly silent trying to somehow fit into the conversation.  When we did talk we disagreed for the most part. She started acting very cold and I don’t really blame her since I also would have found myself boring that night, if I were her. As we finished our drinks and started thinking of the next place to go to both Yenifer and I tried to excuse ourselves and go our separate ways. But Mark and Vanessa were having a great time together so being good friends we stayed along so we did not end their night too.

That’s when things changed for the better. As three of us watched Mark detour us so he could eat a quick burger things changed for the better. As I type this I am laughing hard, almost too much that Mark would invite three people to watch him eat a burger the first night he went out with Vanessa! Despite the burger Yenifer and I realized we were stuck with each other the rest of the night and so I tried to make the most of it. I think she did too.

We took a cab to Barrio Colombia, an even trendier area of Medellin with more traditional themed discos ranging from an Indiana Jones themed disco to one with an Egyptian theme. We found one with a live band and got a table and bottle service. Bottle service not to be fancy but because its surprisingly more economical when out with a group.

And there we found ourselves, the four of us, talking, dancing, and even meeting a few groups of strangers! When you’re having a genuinely  great time I think others around you can sense it. It’s contagious and people want to be a part of it. Yenifer and I continued dancing and laughing which is a near miracle considering how the night started.

In response to my original statement of how I found myself stuck in Medellin for the next three weeks its because of that night. I met someone I wanted to get to know better and so I stayed in Medellin and we continued to see each for the next month. We visited the botanical gardens, dancing, a birthday dinner with her cousins, and really enjoyed our relatively short time together.

But with a great thing, traveling, there are always some drawbacks. I left Colombia on the day my visa expired to return home to the U.S. for my sister’s wedding. While traveling makes it easier to meet new people than if I stayed home, it becomes more difficult to maintain any long-term relationships. Such is the Locationless Living lifestyle.

Yenifer

Mark, Vanessa, and I

Related posts:

1. The “Car Parade” in Medellin
2. Daddy Yankee in Medellin, Colombia
3. UPDATE

Travelers from certain countries usually carry some stereotypes. Some deserved and others not. For instance, any backpacker will say Israeli travelers are notorious for being arrogant, cheap, and traveling in packs. Of course there are many possible reasons for this such as English being a non-native language or most of them just finished military service.

Well I have some observations of my own to add to the list of stereotypes. This time about American backpackers. To start off I have met very few fat American backpackers in South America if it makes any difference. Australia is now most obese country anyways! But what I do encounter often are what I like to call “experts“.

Within minutes of meeting or just observing an American backpacker I already know  the most important fact about him or her without even having to ask. In comparison its pretty rare that I know much about any other foreigner. In just one night at a hostel in Bogota, Colombia, I encountered three different Americans. For reference, I did not talk to either of these three for more than one minute at the most.

The first was an American-Asian from California obsessed with his military tours to Iraq who explained the ins and outs of each gun he has used. I also know how many people he killed. Three.

The second was a Jewish guy from New York who was passionate for bashing every aspect the United States and mentioning his religion at every opportunity. He encouraged others to make jokes about him being Jewish at every opportunity.

The third American was a middle aged guy obsessed with traveling to dangerous countries. He took pride in explaining how Colombia is such a dangerous place or the time he visited Pakistan. He was also the obnoxious type who liked to brag about visiting certain countries before they were touristy. He did not stop talking.

What these three American travelers have in common is that the minute a stranger was to offer any of their own insight about the topic they would be quick to correct them. While I only provided three examples this type of attitude is all to common. There are many more!

Related posts:

1. The Young Backpacker
2. Notes From Bogota
3. The Young Backpacker

I used to write down basic daily thoughts before I started having such a nice time in Colombia. At some point life got in the way so instead I will leave you with a collection of notes I wrote down during my first few weeks here.

Bogota is my favorite Colombian city partially because of La Candelaria, a sort of bohemian downtown neighborhood with some restored and non restored colonial buildings. The streets are sprinkled with tiny cafes, restaurants, and a few universities.  For extra character some talented graffiti artists tag most of the buildings. But throughout you can see some ugly graffiti including themes like Go Home Yankees! During one of my first night walking around I smelled a toxic scent which prompted me to turn my head and find some guy tagging one of the buildings. My first instinct was to think of this guy as an asshole destroying the look of the buildings until I realized that’s what makes this place so great in the first place!

Next up from my random string of notes is meeting up with a friend I met during a Colombian festival in January 2009. Cesar met me at my hostel in Bogota where we sat down with a group of Texans I had previously met in Ecuador for some drinks before a night out. I realize how special I have it when I can meet up with so many friends from around the world more than once. All to often as a traveler we will meet people expecting to never see them again.

On a similar note as I was eating an empanada on the street around 2AM I look a few feet away spotting a familiar looking Gringo face. I stared at him for a few more moments until I saw him walk over to order some food. That’s when we both said, Hey, you look familiar. It was Mike, an American from Kentucky who I had hung out with for a few weeks in Bogota and Medellin back in August 2008. That’s almost 2 years ago.

When I first traveled here in August 2007 I stayed in a Bogota hostel because of a recommendation from another traveler. Since then I have stayed ever since and when I walked into the hostel this time it felt so nice to be genuinely greeted by everyone from the owner to maid.  And later that night I went over to another friend’s apartment to see him for the first time in half a year. I spent the next week hanging out with him, his brother and brother’s girlfriend, as well as a few friends visiting from Manizales who I also met the year before.

One of the highlights of the week was finding absolutely amazing tasting coffee. Sure there are good chains like Juan Valdez or Oma but when walking around downtown Bogota I spotted a cafe with a huge coffee roaster in the window. Sure enough it was the best tasting coffee I have tasted here.

While this is not as random as my last paragraph it was quite a random encounter as I was heading out to a bar with some folk from the hostel when another group of gringos walked next to us. One of the girl’s saw my Phillies hat and told me she is from the same areas as me. But then once we all got to the bar I met a separate random guy who literally lives in the city where I grew up.

Related posts:

1. Notes From Bogota
2. Everybody’s An Expert on Colombia
3. Day – 1 Bogota Routine

The travelers in Colombia can make anyone who has been to Colombia for more than a few days lose their mind. I say this only because Colombia’s situation is brought up non-stop whether I am unfortunately involved in the conversation or can hear others talking about FARC, Paramilitaries, Pablo Escobar, how much the country has changed, how its still actually dangerous, etc. The only thing I don’t mind being talked about repeatedly is the beautiful women but that’s actually a subject that cannot be ignored.

Nevertheless, a good 3 weeks ago while in Medellin I took a “Pablo Escobar Tour”. You guys reading might actually find this interesting because you may not have been to Colombia where you would hear people talk about Colombia hourly. For reference he was arguably the most powerful, wealthiest, and dangerous men to ever live. Read for yourself.

Me next to some kind of Catholic shrine hitmen would pray at before going to kill a target

Pablo Escobar graffiti found at one of his old headquarters that was bombed many years ago. What is most hilarious is the graffiti which pair him in a prepago body. A prepago is a uniquly Colombian slang referring to prepaid girls as the terminology for fine whores, but in reality they are prostitutes.

The house Escobar hid at the last few weeks of this life.

Confiscated planes used to transport drugs

Pablo Escobar’s view of Medellin from the grave

His grave

Related posts:

1. Notes From Colombia
2. Going to Colombia?
3. Daddy Yankee in Medellin, Colombia

Now safely in Colombia for the 5th time since 2007 immediately did the first thing most exciting to me at that moment. I slept.

As I woke up later still in time to catch some daylight I continued my day-1 Bogota routine. This routine consists of first walking to Crepes y Waffles which while just a chain restaurant, is absolutely delicious.

It’s probably best known for the presentation of its deserts.

But I typically order a waffle with either hot chocolate sauce, white chocolate, or arrequipe (Colombian version of dulce de leche) along with a cup of strong coffee.  Plus the complementary chocolate covered coffee bean completely sweetens the deal. This time  I suffered because of my poor accent. My Spanish accent is so bad that when I asked for a waffle with white chocolate I recieved a cup of hot chocolate with marshmellows.

First part of the routine interrupted

Next part is a stop at Juan Valdez around 10 blocks away past the colonial buildings of downtown Bogota. No matter how many times I do this walk I never bore.

So once at Juan Valdez i’ll buy a large tinto (word for plain coffee) in this exact location where I sit outside and just stare dumbfounded that I am back in probably my favorite city in the world.

I then continue walking the streets until I reach Plaza Bolivar where I take a seat on the large steps amazed that each new time I visit the plaza has been decorated different. This time with ants wtf?

I finally end my stroll around downtown as it becomes dark and make my way back to hostel sue where I am greeted by the staff calling out my name.

Related posts:

1. Notes From Bogota
2. Notes From Colombia
3. Nestor the Bogota Taxi Driver