I wanna start this post off by saying Happy New Year!!! I hope everyone had a nice holiday break and was able to share with their families as I did. I apologize that I have been so absent from my blog, December was a crazy month and I spent 2 consecutive weeks in Atlanta and I am currently in Atlanta as I write this. I figured writing about Atlanta would be a bit boring to follow up my last post about Europe so I held off so I could write about my Christmas in Colombia. For those of you that don't know I was born and raised in Medellin, Colombia. Me and my family moved to the states when I was 7 years old to pursue better opportunities and have been here since. I try to visit Colombia at least once a year to see my family. I was able to spend christmas there with my girlfriend, my parents, my sister and about 25 other family members. There is nothing like being surrounded by people you love, it is an incomparable feeling. Medellin is my second home and I have a lot of pride in being Colombian so this post might be a bit overfilled with detail. Enjoy :)
Current USD-COP Conversion is $1USD = $3,199 pesos
THE FLIGHT
As you guys know I am a loyal member to American Airlines and the One World alliance, this trip I got a little naughty and decided to cheat on them and fly with Avianca Airlines which is the native airline to Colombia. My grandfather flew for the airline for two decades and the airline has grown immensely and now flies to over 20 countries world wide. I flew from Miami to Medellin in first class on their Airbus A320. Since I am so accustomed to American Airlines first class product I was exited to fly on Avianca and see the differences on what they have to offer. Avianca is part of Star Alliance, the same Alliance as United Airlines here in the states,
Avianca shares the new Terminal J of Miami International airport which is beautiful and modern. The new terminal seems to be only for international departures and the security lines where longer than usual, even being in first class there was no dedicated priority line which was odd so we had quite a wait going through security. Once we boarded the plane we where welcomed with Champagne immediately, this is something you don't ever see on American Airlines unless you fly in first to Europe.
Every seat in first class has a little amenity kit equipped with a blanket, pillow and headphones. Every seat has an onboard entertainment system with personal TV. The headphones where actually really good quality, when we where in the air it completely cancelled out the ambience of the turbines. This is also something I never see on American Airlines. I am lucky if I get a blanket on my trips with AA. The flight attendants also seemed like they actually enjoyed their jobs and where always happy to fulfill my requests.
Once in the air Juan the flight attendant came around offering lunch. The options where steak or pasta, I had the steak and Veronica had the pasta. Even though it wasn't a very filling meal it was good in flavor.
On the return flight the options for lunch where Curry Steak or Chicken accompanied with a delicious ceviche and Flan for dessert.
Avianca did something after lunch that I haven't seen any other airline do. They came around offering dessert liqueur's. The options where Cointreau, Courvoisier, and Bailey's either straight up or on the rocks. It was a nice bonus to the amazing lunch.
After a great 3 hour flight we finally made it to Medellin, Colombia.
We arrived on December 22nd and only spent one night in the city. We rented a "Finca" (Farmhouse) in the mountains to spend Christmas with all our family. The Finca was an amazing property with 10 rooms and slept up to 30 people, it was surrounded by mountains. The weather was around 95 degrees so it felt like summer. For 30 people we paid about $350 USD a night to rent the house out which is a crazy deal. It is in a region called Tarso, Colombia. It's only about a 3 hour car ride.
It was perfect pool weather and I spent at least %70 of my day in that pool relaxing and drinking beer lol. It was really special being with all my family, it is crazy how fast every one grows up. Visiting third world countries really makes you appreciate your life in the states. Along with renting the house we hired two maids to cook and clean, they constantly brought out different snacks throughout the day and cooked all of our meals along with catering to whatever we needed. They spent their christmas away from their families in order to work. When I asked my mom how much they charge a day she told me about the equivalent of $15 a day. Hearing that just breaks my heart, seeing such hard working people making that amount of money, it puts you in a very difficult position because there is nothing you can do to help. Colombia has a huge gray area, for example you see a homeless person and give them $2 you are showing them you have money and they might rob you so you have to keep to your self. My mom ended up tipping them about a days extra of work and they where extremely grateful. I share this just because of how eye opening this was to me. Now back to happy blogging! There was a place nearby that offered horse tours, 7 of us took an hour tour around the mountains. I have a lot of respect for horses and don't trust them at all so I took it easy, Veronica almost got knocked off a horse as well. After almost 40 minutes of riding we reached a mountain with breathtaking views and it made the ride worth it. We paid about $10 USD per person for this hour tour.
Thankfully the day prior we where also offered a personal masseuse that would travel to our Finca. She charged about $15 USD for a one hour massage. I booked a massage for my self and my mom and sister did a massage along with a facial. These are the little things that you can enjoy in Colombia without thinking twice.
At night we would come together as a family and laugh, drink, eat and enjoy each others company. Everyone is happy and at peace, this is what makes visiting Colombia worth the trip. It is a feeling that I cant find anywhere else in the world.
THE CITY
It was Veronica's first time in Colombia and I wanted to show her things that regular tourists don't see. Medellin has a lot to do and it is a huge city but it also has some dark areas. There are parts of the cities called "Comunas", i'm not sure how I can translate Comunas but they are basically areas of extreme poverty. These Comunas are usually made up gangs, these gangs are territorial and are known to get violent within each other. The people in these areas usually commute to the city to make money whatever way they can. A few years back they would have to take up to 5-10 busses or more and travel for over 3 hours just to reach the city because of the lack of roads and transportation in these areas. The city recently built what is called the "Metro Cable", it is a big lift that allows the people in the mountains to take a 15 minute trip directly to the city and connect to the Metro. It has changed lives for thousands of citizens in Medellin and has also become a tourist attraction in a way. It is a very impactful experience, when you ride the lift you are hovering over these Comunas and seeing houses made of wood, cardboard, aluminum, steel and basically anything else you can think of. You see people bathing in rivers filled with sewage and people living in drains.
We were in the cart with some ladies that lived up in the Comunas and I didn't want to be rude and take direct pictures of the living situations so I tried taking as many general pictures as I could. When you see the living conditions of these people it sends you into a mental shock. I always disagree with people in the states that complain about being broke. The reality is that this country gives us the chance, the possibility, the option to succeed, the option to educate ourselves, the option to work. These people in these Comunas have no choice, they are born into that life and very few of them make it out of the violence and drug scene. Seeing this makes me appreciate my life to the max, that I have a roof over my head every night, that I have a bed to sleep on, that I have a meal to eat 3 times a day and that my family and the people close to me have these blessings. These parts of the world are the places that are ignored by society, these people are humans just like us that have to do un human things just to survive. I apologize for going on a rant but it hurts to think about the lives of these people in Colombia and then thinking about the excuses people make in this country about getting out of bed and finding a job.
There is a place in downtown Medellin called "El Hueco" (The Hole). It is the biggest shopping disaster I have seen in my life and I love it. It is one of my favorite places to visit when I come to Medellin. Everything there is dirt cheap, Veronica went with about $100 and bought 2 pairs of shoes, 4 rompers, a hammock, souvenirs, a converse outfit and still had $20 left over. I also bought a ridiculous amount of unnecessary stuff just because it was so cheap. I don't have any pictures to share because this is the kind of place that if you take your phone your not going back home with it. Around Christmas time there are a lot of thieves trying to provide for their families or their drug habit and it they see that you have a cellphone they will do what they have to do to make sure its theirs. We did a lot in Medellin and honestly I was having so much fun that I didn't take much pictures. One night we went to a night club that was unlike any other I have seen. It consisted of toy decorations all over the place. The things that caught my eye the most where the sinks in the men and women's bathroom. Lol you'll see what I mean below.
(Dulce Jesus Mio "Mil Jugetes" Entrance)
(Mens Bathroom Sink) (My dad thinking he' funny)
(Woman's bathroom sinks)
One thing I love about Colombia is that ANY bar you go too and order a beer or a drink they bring you a little snack along with it to pick at.
THE FOOD
Colombia is filled with fruits, snacks and platters that you wont find anywhere else in the world. Every time I visit I eat at least 5x the amount I would eat on a regular day. The typical dish in Medellin is called "Bandeja Paisa", this dish will cost you around $3-6 USD at a regular restaurant. It consist of rice, beans, steak, chorizo, chicharron, egg, plantains and avocado. It is a huge platter that will fill you to the top and it is delicious. This one also included fries and a small salad along with it.
Another Typical Colombian snack is an "Arepa", its basically a flatbread that consists or either corn maize or flour. They are prepared in various ways but the best ones are the ones you find from street carts filled with cheese. These will cost you around $1 USD.
Colombia has its own way of making hot dogs, they put so much stuff on top that you cant see the sausage. Usually the toppings are bacon, coleslaw, mini string potatoes, pink sauce, pineapple sauce, mayo, mustard. On the street they will cost you $2-3 USD.
Colombia has a lot of native fruits like "Tomate de Arbol", Guayaba Feijoa, Granadilla and so much more but my favorite fruits to eat are Granadilla and unripe mango. For some reason green mango has always been popular in Colombia. You will find stands all around the city selling it and even on street lights. Most commonly they serve it with salt and lime but some people like to add pepper and chili powder as well. I just love my green mango with salt and lime, granadilla is also delicious and sold at stands. Veronica ended up falling in love with Granadilla.
(Green Mango)
(Granadilla is a fruit similar to the pomegranate, it is also completely different. It is filled with seeds covered by a gooey sweet shell. You scoop out the seeds with the spoon and either chew on them or just swallow them.)
Something else popular in Colombia is a "Michelada", it is beer with a shot of lime juice and a glass with a salted rim. It's very refreshing especially on a hot day.
I had a lot of meals on my vacation but one of them stood out to me the most. Driving up the hills one day we passed a restaurant called "Al Patio", from the street you could see it had a balcony with tables with an amazing view of the city. That night I made it a goal to return the next day before returning to the states. The restaurant itself was elegant, all the meals on the menu where high end and for Colombia considered "Expensive". I ordered a Churrasco steak that was probably 32oz. and it was amazing. The steak in Colombia is pure and fresh, the meat there isn't processed like it is here and you can taste a notable difference. 4 of us had steak, appetizers and drinks and the bill didn't translate to more than $50 USD total. The currency conversion definitely allows you to treat your self.
(City View in the background)
I got a nice email from Trip Advisor a couple of days ago just informing me with how many readers I currently have and it made me really happy. It fuels me to continue to share my adventures so I can help the future travels of other people. I am currently up to 109,326 readers worldwide.
It was nice visiting my home town and most importantly sharing where i'm from with my girlfriend. Everyone seems to have this idea that Colombia is a big cocaine plant. I tell some people Im from Colombia and they'll bring up Pablo Escobar or something stupid and i just laugh at their ignorance because they have no idea of the beauty, the culture and the pride of the people of Colombia. Everyone that lives here loves their country and they constantly celebrate life regardless of their situation. The mountains, the scenery and agriculture, the wildlife is something so beautiful that it can't be compared to anywhere in the world. While people here complain about making $8 an hour there is some one in another country happy that they are making $10 a day. Sometimes we have to analyze our position in life and realize how truly blessed we are. Traveling is so important because it lets you see life from different points of view. It allows me to analyze different cultures, the way that people live, the way that people act and the way that people treat each other. With those different points of view i've been able to slowly piece together my own puzzle and find true happiness within myself. 2015 was an amazing year thanks to God and the support of my family, my girlfriend and my friends. I visited 8 countries and 45 cities and I strive to make 2016 better. To be able to inspire other people and to help other people with whatever they may need. I hope that your goals for 2016 are not only for your self but to also impact the lives of other people. If you are traveling to Colombia or have questions about travel in general feel free to message me through Google Circles.
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