As we mentioned, our time in Capurganá was short. Less than 24 hours after landing, we would already be boarding another boat that would take us to Turbo where we would catch a van to head south to Medellín. We understood Capurganá to be well off the beaten tourist path and full of unique natural wonders, but the town had no ATMs, meaning we were at the mercy of the rates of unofficial money exchangers and limited to the cash we had on us. And there was no internet. A week without internet had its charm, but we were ready to reconnect to the world to make sure our families were well, the queen was still alive, and make an vague outline for our time in Colombia.

After a long ride hugging mountainsides and taking hairpin turns at maximum speeds in the night rain (on top of the unexplained stops and exchanges our driver made with several passing buses), we made it to Medellín. It was the day before Halloween which we hadn’t thought would be significant until we learned Medellín is Colombia’s Halloween-celebration capital. We and four fellow San Blas-ers managed to snag the last six beds across different dorm rooms of the hotel we rolled up to at about 10pm, though we were told we wouldn’t be able to confirm a stay for further nights. We were traveling with a Dutch couple who had mentioned they were renting their place back in the Netherlands on Airbnb, and so it was that Iris and I spent the entire next morning scouring Airbnb, messaging potential hosts. Our hard work paid off as we ended up staying with a Colombian and his French Bulldog on the 18^th floor of an apartment with amazing views over Medellín. These first two photos are from the balcony where we enjoyed breakfast, aperitifs, dinners, thunderstorms; sometimes we’d even just enjoy the view.

Mía

Face-stitches were a big theme as we got ready to head out to the Halloween celebrations

When a brah* sees his brah is lacking a mustache. *”brah” being Australian for “bro”. We’ve been in the company of many Aussies on our trip.

‘Stache success

Halloween in Medellín

I love the subtle cat-design on the façade

The Uribe Palace of Culture as seen from the Botero Museum

Artsy

Botero’s rendition of Marie Antoinette & Louis XVI

Artsy

Botero-ized

Botero’s painting of his son, Pedro on a Horse

I know, the resemblance is uncanny

An “Escopetarra,” a guitar made from a modified gun. This guitar was made from an AK-47 that belonged to fighters of the Colombian armed conflict and is a symbol of world reconciliation. It is a symbol of the possibility of transforming violence into creative artistic answers and creators of life. An “escopetarra” is a weapon that results in less victims and pain to the country. Created by the Colombian musician César López and constructed by Luthier Paredes.

Botero Plaza – Fernando Botero has donated all the sculptures to decorate the plaza

Click here for a short video recap of our visit at the Botero Museum

Parque de Bolívar

La Catedral Metropolitania de Medellín, the largest cathedral in the world made entirely of brick (1.2 million)

Medellín metro

As Medellín is so mountainous, the metro line extends to the far reaches of the city by cable car making for one of Medellín’s top activities for under $1.

Metro mosaic

Views of Medellín from the north

Bernt and Iris and their bag of hammocks