We had a great time at an Intercambio on Thursday night in the Poblado neighborhood of Medellin. The group was organized through 'Couch Surfing' and was made up of mostly young people from Colombia and beyond. I purposely sat apart from Keith and the other men from the Art House we came with so that I would be forced to interact and I did! I spoke in Spanish with a Paisa (the name for people from area of Antioquia where Medellin is located), a young male Paisa, a swiss man, a French Canadian man, and a handsome man from Paris, quite a night! It was actually our first night out on the town on this adventure, we tend to stay in after dark, but we really had a nice time.
We were invited by Michael & his father, Randy, to take a day trip to Santa Fe today. It was a long day which started with a bus ride to the Metro (an aboveground train) to another bus through the mountains. As we descended into the valley about 30 miles from Medellin the temperature began to rise. I'm sure it was at least 90 degrees, very hot & a bit humid. The colonial town was certainly worth the journey, we walked for hours taking pictures of the various doorways along the cobblestoned streets. It is a smaller town with many resorts outside the old center.
We had a nice lunch, menu of the day for $3.00 US and then we practically forced by a street vendor to sample an unusual fruit, it was yucky, much like slimy stinky feet cheese inside a rind. I barely tasted it, Keith wouldn't even try after smelling & looking at it.
By 'tuk-tuk' we rode out to a 115 year old suspension bridge which spans a large muddy river. We walked one way across and then rode back on the little two seater converted motorcycle.
The ride to & from the bridge took us through cooler, green forested woods, which helped revive us for the bus ride home. Keith & I both fell asleep, traveling latino style, on the bus until we came to a very lengthy tunnel through the mountain which was filled with exhaust fumes. We arrived back in Medellin after the sun had retreated and the springtime temperature felt great. Back on the Metro to a taxi which brought us home again and hungry for carne asada grilled on our terrace and a big green salad. A great day with a perfect ending!
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