My father and I were in Medellin, Colombia only for 4 days. The purpose of our trip was to look at apartments since my dad was thinking of retiring here. I really wanted to go sightseeing at least for one day. A quick search on the internet led me to Comuna 13 but I saw it was quite far from where we were staying so I shrugged it off. The same day we decided to check out an upscale neighborhood called Laureles. My dad and I took the subway and got off on a connecting stop. While we were waiting to board the next train there was a tour guide ushering his group forward.
Side note: the people of Colombia are so friendly, they are not afraid to speak up, they will offer you help if they think you need it and they will include you in any way they can. It’s a wonderful culture.
Immediately my dad and the tour guide started talking in spanish. The tour guide explained he was on his way to give a tour of Comuna 13 to which I perked up and said “that’s where I want to go!”
I knew that if we were in the U.S the tour guide would have waved us off, told us we had to book our tour online, or at a kiosk, or any other excuse that would send us away because in the U.S we follow the rules.
At first my dad and I thought like Americans, “where do we book a tour?” we asked. We didn’t even think about asking to join this one. After the tour guide gave us the information it slowly started to dawn on us that my dad and I wouldn’t have any time to go on a tour except for well…now. “Can we join this one?” and they both made a deal. My father would pay the tour guide at the end of the tour and we wouldn’t let anyone else on the tour be aware that we had just joined instead of buying a ticket online and paying taxes like everyone else.
I felt uneasy around the group, the tour was in English, there were people from the U.K, Germany and Florida. I didn’t want anyone to know that we had just joined because I thought they’d crucify us for it, so I kept my mouth shut. It wasn’t util an hour into the tour that I realized how friendly the group actually was!
People who travel really do keep an open mind :)
This neighborhood is built on top of a mountain away from the city. In order to get here we had to take a gondola! I am not afraid of heights but I am afraid of whether or not they do maintenance on these things! Below is a super short video clip of my ride on the gondola.
I am absolutely fascinated by lower class neighborhoods. I love seeing how the lower class lives. Actually, I hate calling it '“lower class” or “less fortunate” or “poor” because no one is better or worse than I am just because they have more or less money than I do. In so many ways these people are a lot more fortunate than I am whether they know it or not.
People who don’t have money find the most creative ways to survive. They become inventors because they have to be. I love that, it forces them to use their brain whereas those who have money will pay someone else to think for them.
The neighborhood was filled with Murals. I felt like I was in a Colombian version of Wynwood! Here is my favorite mural shot I took.
(you can click on it for a better view!)
I find this shot really interesting for one simple reason: I didn’t mean to take it. Let me explain. At the end of the tour our guide explained to my father and I that a group photo was going to be taken and that we couldn’t be in it. He didn’t want any of his superiors asking any questions. During the group shot I proceeded to look busy and distracted. I brought my camera up to my face from where I was standing and pressed the shutter. My mind was so busy on faking interest that I wasn't paying attention to the photo I was taking. It wasn’t until I looked at the picture that I realized how much I liked the shot!
It’s nice to know that even subconsciously I can take a photo!