Day 2 - Inspirational Medellin Tour
Today we went on a group tour to look at how Medellin has been transformed from the most dangerous one in the world in the 1980s to the safe touristic one of today.
As we left the hotel we saw that many of the roads were closed. Our tour guide explained that on Sundays all citizens are encouraged to work out so the streets are made safe for joggers, cyclists and people just walking. We also saw several fitness classes taking place at the roadside.
A bit of history to set the scene for what we saw on our tour. Pablo Escobar was and still is seen as a hero to some Colombians. He controlled 95% of the worlds cocaine trade from Medellin and made millions and millions from it. He used some of this money to help the very poorest in society. There were some living on rubbish dumps and he moved them into decent houses with modern amenities. In the 1980s it was every teenagers dream to be called up to work for him as it was a very glamourous role to have and there was no real opportunity for education at that time. Escobar then brought a lot of violence to the city as he tried to protect his empire. A total of 47,000 were killed by his bombs and assassinations, most of which were innocent people. On one occasion he put bombs in all the pharmacies in the city and detonated them when they were full of sick and elderly people and mothers with young children. He also blew up an aeroplane because he thought the president was going to be on it, but the president missed his flight so over 100 innocent people died then. Escobar was killed by the CIA in December 1993 and the main reaction of the people of Medellin was celebration. However other terrorist, paramilitary and guerrilla groups (FARC amongst them) tried to take control of the cocaine trade and violence continued for another 15 or so years. The core of this violence was a region of Medellin called Communa 13 which is high up in the mountains. The fugitives took refuge high in the mountains in Communa 13 where thousands of very poor civilians lived. The military eventually took control of this area and the government started working on transforming Medellin into a peaceful city. Our tour guide told us that 20 years ago, no-one in Colombia would have believed that it would have a future tourism industry but now tourism is the 3rd largest industry after copper and coal (which are exported to China) and 800,000 tourists visited last year.
Our first stop was to Inflexion Park. This is a small park of reflection containing memories of all the bad things that happened under Escobars rule. There is a double sided mirror effect wall. On one side it has details of all the bombings and killings that happened in date order. On the other side there are 47,000 holes, many filled with flowers, to represent each of the innocent people that lost their lives. There was also another memorial to all the police officers killed. The site is on one of Escobars former houses. This house had become a shrine to all that loved him which upset many of the local residents so the government demolished the house and created the park as a place for people to come and remember those that died.
We continued to Escobars grave. It is in a public cemetery and other close family members are also buried there.
We then went to Communa 13. This poor community of over 1m people is set on the mountainside to the west of the city centre and rises up to 2000m. Until recent years, residents had no prospects of finding work as it was impossible for them to get into the city centre. When the Metro system was created, a cable car was included running up the mountainside - not for tourists but for the people. This has made it quick and easy commute for them to get down to the town where they are able to find jobs. It costs just 60p to make the cable car journey. The government have also put in outdoor escalator systems to replace some of the steep steps. There are about 3 classes of people living there ranging from recent immigrants who are living in illegally built wood houses without any amenities to working class people who have decent brick built houses and all modern amenities. We took a return trip on the metro cable car and saw just how vast this community is and also some really good views of the area. There are 4 stations in total and it is very well used. This was a real eye opener for us. It has been an amazing project and become a very touristic place. After the Cable Car ride we went on a walking tour which involved climbing many steps and walking up some very steep hills until we reached the escalators. We were able to mix with the residents who were very friendly and welcoming. We tried a local "Mango and Passionfruit" Ice Cream which seemed to be 100% fruit, cut into small pieces and frozen and was delicious.
We also visited Botero Square (where we had been the previous day) and there were fewer people around so we got some more photos of Fernando Boteros sculptures. This park was created by the government for all Medellin residents to be able to enjoy and it is part of the transformation project. There are 26 bronze statues in all and all are of people or animals with their sizes completely out of proportion to reality. We then had a Colombian Coffee in a local café and I had quite a surprise when mine arrived - see photo.
After the tour we made our way to the Botanical Gardens. This is another park that is free to all. Being a Sunday there were families and couples enjoying the peace and quite here. We saw an iguana - which I didn't expect to do until we got to Galapagos. It has been another hot and sticky day so we went back to the hotel to freshen up before going out to eat.
As we left the hotel we saw that many of the roads were closed. Our tour guide explained that on Sundays all citizens are encouraged to work out so the streets are made safe for joggers, cyclists and people just walking. We also saw several fitness classes taking place at the roadside.
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| Fitness Sunday in Medellin |
A bit of history to set the scene for what we saw on our tour. Pablo Escobar was and still is seen as a hero to some Colombians. He controlled 95% of the worlds cocaine trade from Medellin and made millions and millions from it. He used some of this money to help the very poorest in society. There were some living on rubbish dumps and he moved them into decent houses with modern amenities. In the 1980s it was every teenagers dream to be called up to work for him as it was a very glamourous role to have and there was no real opportunity for education at that time. Escobar then brought a lot of violence to the city as he tried to protect his empire. A total of 47,000 were killed by his bombs and assassinations, most of which were innocent people. On one occasion he put bombs in all the pharmacies in the city and detonated them when they were full of sick and elderly people and mothers with young children. He also blew up an aeroplane because he thought the president was going to be on it, but the president missed his flight so over 100 innocent people died then. Escobar was killed by the CIA in December 1993 and the main reaction of the people of Medellin was celebration. However other terrorist, paramilitary and guerrilla groups (FARC amongst them) tried to take control of the cocaine trade and violence continued for another 15 or so years. The core of this violence was a region of Medellin called Communa 13 which is high up in the mountains. The fugitives took refuge high in the mountains in Communa 13 where thousands of very poor civilians lived. The military eventually took control of this area and the government started working on transforming Medellin into a peaceful city. Our tour guide told us that 20 years ago, no-one in Colombia would have believed that it would have a future tourism industry but now tourism is the 3rd largest industry after copper and coal (which are exported to China) and 800,000 tourists visited last year.
Our first stop was to Inflexion Park. This is a small park of reflection containing memories of all the bad things that happened under Escobars rule. There is a double sided mirror effect wall. On one side it has details of all the bombings and killings that happened in date order. On the other side there are 47,000 holes, many filled with flowers, to represent each of the innocent people that lost their lives. There was also another memorial to all the police officers killed. The site is on one of Escobars former houses. This house had become a shrine to all that loved him which upset many of the local residents so the government demolished the house and created the park as a place for people to come and remember those that died.
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| Memorial Wall and gardens |
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| Side with 47000 holes, one for each victim of Pablo Escobar. |
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Side of wall with records of all fatal attacks, bombings
and murders ordered by Pablo Escobar
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Memorial Wall and gardens in grounds of
Pablo Escobars former home
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We continued to Escobars grave. It is in a public cemetery and other close family members are also buried there.
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| Pablo Escobars grave alongside close relatives |
We then went to Communa 13. This poor community of over 1m people is set on the mountainside to the west of the city centre and rises up to 2000m. Until recent years, residents had no prospects of finding work as it was impossible for them to get into the city centre. When the Metro system was created, a cable car was included running up the mountainside - not for tourists but for the people. This has made it quick and easy commute for them to get down to the town where they are able to find jobs. It costs just 60p to make the cable car journey. The government have also put in outdoor escalator systems to replace some of the steep steps. There are about 3 classes of people living there ranging from recent immigrants who are living in illegally built wood houses without any amenities to working class people who have decent brick built houses and all modern amenities. We took a return trip on the metro cable car and saw just how vast this community is and also some really good views of the area. There are 4 stations in total and it is very well used. This was a real eye opener for us. It has been an amazing project and become a very touristic place. After the Cable Car ride we went on a walking tour which involved climbing many steps and walking up some very steep hills until we reached the escalators. We were able to mix with the residents who were very friendly and welcoming. We tried a local "Mango and Passionfruit" Ice Cream which seemed to be 100% fruit, cut into small pieces and frozen and was delicious.
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| Communa 13 West side of the hill |
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| Communa 13 - Cable Car up to first station |
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| Communa 13 - Cable Car looking down |
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| Communa 13 - brick built legal houses |
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| Communa 13 - Illegally built houses |
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| Communa 13 - looking down from cable car |
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| Communa 13 - Cable Car with green areas |
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| Communa 13 - illegally built houses on hillside |
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| Communa 13 - some of the nicer houses |
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Staircase in Communa 13 - painted in the
colours of the Colombian Flag
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| Communa 13 - Artwork that exist all around the community |
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| Communa 13 - Colourful buildings |
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Communa 13 - one of the set of escalators to make
getting up the hills easier for the residents
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We also visited Botero Square (where we had been the previous day) and there were fewer people around so we got some more photos of Fernando Boteros sculptures. This park was created by the government for all Medellin residents to be able to enjoy and it is part of the transformation project. There are 26 bronze statues in all and all are of people or animals with their sizes completely out of proportion to reality. We then had a Colombian Coffee in a local café and I had quite a surprise when mine arrived - see photo.
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| My coffee at Botero Square |
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| Palace of Culture from front of building |
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| Lady with fruit - Bronze Statue by Botero |
After the tour we made our way to the Botanical Gardens. This is another park that is free to all. Being a Sunday there were families and couples enjoying the peace and quite here. We saw an iguana - which I didn't expect to do until we got to Galapagos. It has been another hot and sticky day so we went back to the hotel to freshen up before going out to eat.
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| Iguana at Botanical Gardens |
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| Unidentified bird at Botanical Gardens |
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| Tortoise at Botanical Gardens |
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| Unidentified Butterfly at Botanical Gardens |
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| Entrance to Botanical Gardens |
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| Tortoises/terrapins on stone |
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| Terrapin in lake |
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| Iguana at Botanical Gardens |
Painted stairs, Jean - looks more like Gay Pride colours than Colombian flag, no? Enjoying your holiday ere is rainy South Wales!! :-) xx
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Paul. This is our 3rd night and we have seen so much already. It really is a fascinating country. Tonight has been a real eye opener as we have arrived in the Coffee Zone (so will be of interest to yourself). See the next episode for details
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