The True Colors of Medellín
The first image that comes to mind when you think of Medellín may be quite different to what is about to be described. There is no denying that Medellín has had a rocky past and international media has often portrayed the city in a way that has lead to various not so pleasant presumptions among foreigners. However, in recent years the city has changed drastically for the better, shifting its title from ‘the most dangerous city in the world’ to ‘the most innovative city in the world’. In this blog, we will bring to light the true colors of Medellín.
Medellín has a population of roughly 2.5 million and is geographically separated into 16 comunas. The municipalities of Envigado, Sabaneta, Bello, La Estrella, Girardota, Copacabana, Itagüí and Caldas that are also located within the Aburrá valley along the Medellín river are often considered to be part of Medellín due to their close proximity and shared culture. Medellín is often referred to as ‘The city of eternal spring’ as it generally boasts an average temperature of 22 degrees Celsius year-round with the ‘seasons’ marked by the rainy and dry months.
Paisas are the people from the Medellín, Pereira, Manizales and Armenia regions in Antioquia and are commonly known to be some of the nicest people in the world. The Paisa culture is very touchy, caring, loving and family oriented. Paisas tend to be very interested in the personal lives of others, so do not feel weirded out if you are bombarded with personal questions even when meeting someone for the first time! They are very proud of who they are, their city and country and absolutely love it when foreign people come and visit their city.
Things To Do In Medellín
Medellín has progressively changed during the last 20 years and improvements to the cities infrastructure and amenities can be seen everyday in some of the amazing parks, services, tours and sites to see. A few are;
- Plaza Botero, here the sculptures made by Fernando Botero can be seen.
- Parque Arví, 120 hectares of stunning forestry, walks and bike routes and entertainment.
- Guatapé, A small colourful town famous for its big rock landmark and water activities only 1.5 hours away by car.
- Plenty of great walking tours to see the city and botanic gardens.
- Comuna 13’s graffiti tour.
- Parque Lleras, supplies an unparalleled nightlife and numerous amount of delicious gastronomic options
- The many stunning malls, like Sante Fé, Tesoro, Oviedo
- And not to forget the metrocables.
Medellín Transportation
Medellín has the best transport system in South America, which makes getting wherever you need to go in the city not only easy but also very economical. There are a variety of metro lines, metrocables (gondolas), buses, taxis and Ubers (note that Uber is still somewhat illegal so remember to sit in the front!). Medellín was the first city that used cable cars for mass transit and this method of transport has brought many social and economic benefits to the city. Free bikes are also available in the city from Monday through Saturday that can be used by residents and visitors once you are registered to the ENCICLA System in Medellín. To encourage fitness and health, the local council closes certain major roads to traffic on Sundays for residents to go jogging, running, skating, cycling from the south in Envigado until El Centro in the north. When taking a taxi or uber, remember that car doors in Medellín are like clouds! Colombians work very hard and cars are expensive so they heavily dislike it when people slam the door!
Medellín Food
The Colombian food is delicious and very economical. There is a large variety of regional food all over the country but the most typical dish from Medellín is the Bandeja paisa. This is a dish made up of beans, rice, carne molida (ground meat), chicharrón, fried egg, plantains, chorizo, arepa, and avocado. Empanadas can be found throughout the city of Medellín in the streets as well as restaurants. These delicious little morsels are made of fried corn dough stuffed with fillings such as meat, rice, vegetables and more! Arepas are eaten with every meal, including breakfast! The form and ingredients accompanying the arepa changes regionally and by personal preference. The Ajiaco is a traditional soup with chicken, three varieties of potato, and the galinsoga spice. The idea is to add in extra ingredients to your liking to keep building up the flavours and texture. Last but not least, enjoy a cup of delicious Colombian coffee in combination with a pastry for a bargain at most cafes. Our favourites are Juan Valdez and Tostao!
Music And Dance In Medellín
Pack your dancing shoes, because Paisas love to dance. Music and dancing make up a big part of the Colombian Culture. It is normal that at every party dance styles like porro, cumbia, salsa, reggaeton and bambuco can be experienced. Plus, some famous singers who are Paisas are J Balvin, Maluma and Karol G.
Medellín is the city of eternal spring, its people are called paisas and are some of the nicest people in the world. The city supplies amazing parks, services, tours and sites to see, which can be easily accessed with the amazing transport system. On top of this, the food is delicious and the whole city has clean drinking water. But before coming to Medellin, it might be good to know the meaning of some paisa words;
- parcero/parce = bro/friend
- everything is said in diminutives eg. cafecito, panecito, .
- party =“rumbear”.
- te caigo = will meet you there
- Chévere = cool
- pues = said with everything.
- chao pues = bye
- claro pues = of course
