June 22, 2018 – June 25, 2018

We drove, yet again, through the city of Medellin to a great hostel set high up in the mountains around Medellin, called Hostel al Bosque. They had a great indoor space for campers and backpackers to use, hot showers, laundry, and a TV room.

We enjoyed the cooler air and spent a few days doing laundry, relaxing, trip planning and visiting with other overlanders. The French couple we met a few days prior pulled in half way through our stay, giving us another chance to visit with them.

We had planned to go into Medellin for a visit. The city has a fabulous setting in a bowl surrounded by mountains, however before Pablo Escobar’s death, it was a place that few people would recommend visiting. It had a very high murder rate and was full of crime.

Today the city has been totally transformed. A new mayor had decided that the city needed to bring along its poorest citizens, many of whom lived high up on the hills surrounding the city. He had cable cars built, so that the people could get down into the city easier for work or to pursue education. He had escalators installed on the steep streets to facilitate movement, and then built playgrounds for the children. Old factories were turned into libraries. And the city responded. The crime rate dropped, restaurants sprang up, hotels got refurbished, jobs were created, and the tourists started to come. Quite a success story.

But, not enough of one to entice us out of our sweet little camper for the day.  The logistics to get there seemed daunting, and cities are enticing us less and less on this trip, even great ones. Here’s a little clip of what the country side looks like in much of Colombia.

We did however drive through the city one more time as we left Hostel Al Bosque towards our next destination, Salento.