Medellin #6 (Apartment)

Where to stay in Medellin? There are lots of choices as Medellin is a large metropolitan city. My first choice is always to locate an apartment in the area of the city I will spend most of my time exploring and whenever possible access to public transportation. Luckily for me Medellin has many options along those lines and at affordable prices.



I have had great success locating homes or apartments using the website www.airbnb.com across multiple countries. The website again proved its worth with a 2 bedroom apt in a quiet part of Poblado for an average night stay of under $50US. The building to the right, furnishing and appliances were all modern and in good working order. The security was excellent and the view outstanding as I was on the 24th floor.





The apartment building was situated high up along one side of the valley so the location alone commanded a great view. Most of these units on airbnb will have a property manager type available locally for keys, orientation, advice or issues that may come up during your visit. I am pretty self-sufficient so after I get the keys I am off exploring. First order of business is locating eateries close by then branching further out from there.


This building had excellent access to public transportation. Taxis and shuttle buses were stationed just outside the main gate most of the day. Shuttle buses normally ran less than a US dollar per trip and routes would take you to one of the large shopping malls or metro stations. At night you could call for taxi service using the landline and they would send you a taxi without giving directions as they use a caller ID system for addresses. After the call I would lockup then take the elevator down 24 floors and walk to the gate. Almost every time the taxi would already be there waiting or maybe it was someone else’s taxi. I always took it. Hehe


Taxi service would run me less than 5 dollars per trip. Medellin is one of the more affordable cities for taxi use and I found myself using them more and more during my stay. As with all Latin American countries, buses are the main mode of public transportation. I only used them for short hops as taxis and the metro served my needs most of the time.

If you remember from my earlier post the barrio Poblado (where I spent most of my time) is an upper-scale kinda place. I believe my apt building must have been along the limits of its boundary. There was a more low income neighborhood just outside the building’s security fence. The buildings were simple but far from slum-like. I was told not to walk there alone. I never tempted fate as I would have when I was younger and invincible. I’m kinda slow-footed now.



The pool was nice and very clean. Maintenance of the building was always ongoing. It had a small gym, aerobic class room and a small bodega (convenience store) on the premises. This was nice due to the fact they had servicio domicilio (home delivery).

Behind the apartment building was the top of the mountainside. I explored it one day and found private homes and a meandering walkway. I am told these walkways are found throughout the valley and connect neighborhoods to larger streets giving public access to the poorer areas of the city. I have not yet seen but I am also told some of these poorer neighborhoods even have escalators for stairs due to the severity of the incline. When my friend’s network gets going I hope to have them take me to these areas to see how the leaders of Medellin accommodate the poor with these public works. I think it’s fascinating.

Some of the following pictures are my attempt to zoom in on the valley for a closer view of other parts of the city. Some pictures came out better than others but I have included them as I have promised to include more pictures on my blog entries. A few of the pictures show the local airport which is only 10 mintues by taxi from this apartment. I will use it in the future to explore other parts of Colombia.

Medellin 2013 #5 (Salsa Class)

I have struggled on whether to share this topic with everyone. You see I decided to purchase private salsa lessons during my time in Medellin. Cali style salsa is popular here and is a form of salsa I have little exposure to. It looks wonderful when performed by those who know it and “feel” it. Others like myself, look like chickens prancing around the barn yard. Hence, my dilemma on sharing video of my early attempts at the local variety of the dance.

I found a dance studio recommended by several sources in my neighborhood of Poblado. It’s called “Santo Baile” and the owner/instructor is Mayra Cutiva. She is a professional dancer and is from Cali. In the beginning I thought it would be difficult to concentrate around her (I wonder why?) but she has developed the right skills for dance instruction. She is a sweetheart to be around and allows you to develop at your own pace. Private instruction I think helps a lot and as in most things in Colombia is very affordable in comparison to the states. I used my time during class to both learn salsa and get some aerobic exercise. Most of the meals I have described earlier in this blog have come after dance class.

Several people, who will go nameless, have reminded me of my promise to place the incriminating evidence on my blog. I finally summoned the courage to do so after editing some of the video. It was quite boring in my opinion but some of you may find value in it.


















Please, no comments, my confidence is already delicate on this subject.

Not wanting to tarnish the honor of Cali style Salsa I have included what the dance should look like when performed by a couple who have a well rounded knowledge of the moves. Click the link below and if you look closely the female in the video is my instructor.

Enjoy.

Real Cali Salsa

Medellin 2013 #4 (Fincas)

After a week or so of city life I decided to explore an area on the other side of the mountains. The countryside of Antioquia is where many families in Medellin have a vacation house or “finca”.

The ones I saw from the highway came in all economic strata. Some are very humble and others like fine homes. The area around Rio Negro is where I made my first foray outside the city limits. The route my private car and driver took did not go past many farms. I saw mostly fincas and some ranches with horses and cows. The cows seemed more the dairy type than the beef type.

The countryside was stunning with green hills and mountainsides shaded by trees I did not recognize. I hope to learn more about the plant life found here in my future trips.

We also quickly passed a new hospital. Did not get the best picture of it but from the outside looked modern and most likely a 200 bed facility.

Many stretches of highway had family restaurants with various themes. Similar to rest stops with gift shops, eateries and kids play areas. Parilla (grilled meats) and Antioquian food (local cuisine) predominated what I saw. Exploring on a Saturday many of them were doing brisk business. One of these I was able to find recommendations on due to the fact it was featured on “No Reservations”, a food show with Anthony Bourdain. I watch the show so needless to say if Anthony stopped by to partake I certainly was going to give it a go. I was not disappointed in “Queareparaenamorarte”.

The name Queareparaenamorarte roughly translates into, "what do I have to do to make you love me?". It has an open kitchen setup with rural themed furnishing, very rancho feeling to the place.

As I walked in, the food being prepared emitted an wonderous aroma and like a Greek siren of old, the smell was inescapable. My mouth was watering before I even sat down. This does happen more than I would care to admit. I may have a problem.

Anyway, after seeing the grill I ordered the mega parilla plate and it was incredible.

Beef, chicken, chorizo, chicharrons and a type of blood sausage was accompanied by potatoes and of course arepas.

The empanadas plate was the appetizer and was delicious with four different salsas. I hope to return one day but with so many interesting places to fill up my belly it could take awhile.

To add to this entry I decided to describe a plate that would I believe be mildly equivalent to our hungry-man breakfast. That loaded plate a farmer might devour before the start of his long day in the fields. The plate is called "bandeja paisa". Its origins come from the mountain regions of Antioquia and is consumed by the locals day and night. I've been told it was once considered to become the official Colombian dish but politics got in the way. I have had it several times now and it is a meal. I am seldom hungry for the rest of the day after consuming one. This thing is a Lipitor buster but ohhh so delicious. Incredibly, I found that some locations have a variety of this plate that comes with additional meats. Don't even want to try that one.

Medellin 2013 #3 (Comida)

Food can be as much of an adventure as diving, hiking or whitewater rafting. Quality food at affordable prices are prevalent in the more local type restaurants. I have always enjoyed a mix of the “refine” and local grub. Luckily for me Poblado has international cuisine so I was not too far from personal favorites. Pizza, steak, swarmas and such can be had with little effort. I even found "good enough" Cajun grub in the adjacent barrio, Enviago.

Breakfast, I tried to keep within the local variety, usually consisting of beans and rice, a good portion of round steak or pork, eggs, juice and the all-important Colombian accompaniment to a meal, the arepa. Prices are very reasonable by our standards. This breakfast was around $6US.

Now arepas are the local equivalent of tortilla or bread rolls consumed with a meal. They are made from corn meal and can be prepared in every way imaginable. I’ve seen it stuffed and as a postre (dessert) but with my breakfast usually came with a slice of cheese. It is made from corn meal and can be quite filling by itself. Mexicans have something similar and call it the gordita, which is filled with everything you can think of much like a pita pocket sandwich.

During my afternoon walks in Poblado, I would stroll along any street I found interesting that day. Whenever that growling sound erupted, I would stop and survey my location and select whatever eatery caught my eye. Some were mundane quick food types but some deserve a more descriptive utterance. I love using funny words. My first “uttering”, must be Milagros, a colorful place that serves Mexican cuisine.

I would normally say "food" but each time I ordered something with a name I recognized the dish itself was unrecognizable. Even so, the food was delicious and healthy portions kept me fueled for most of the day.

 Another would be Naan, an Indian restaurant with no Indians. After living near Mumbai for 12 months, I can be a bit tough on these types of eateries and this one would be no exception.

Naan bread is one of my absolute favorite ethnic foods. A warm fresh naan right out of the tandoori oven is now comfort food for me. The chosen name for this eatery was too much for my common sense to penetrate. Expectations were high but alas, with no tandoori oven, equates to very little of the food is authentic. The food was still flavorful but in a “fusion” kind of way.

As I promised I have added new material to every post but this one is special to me, continue reading:

After having success with one Mexican restaurant I decided to try another that caught my eye. The name really is what did it, La Flauteria. These bring warm memories of my four brothers and I fighting for position to receive the latest batch of flautas fresh out of the fryer. It must have resembled a nest of fledglings with gaping mouths waiting for mother to drop the food in. Our poor mother stood in front of that fryer for a very long time......

I selected a sample tray of hard shell tacos, flautas and quesidillas. Being a sample plate the meat was of course pork, beef and chicken. All done right, juicy and tender with the right combo of spices to make the place a guarantee for repeat. I won't metion the tequila part......burb.

This blog entry's last utterance, will be “comida de Arabe”, Ala Sazon Arabe restaurant was down a dead end street off of Avenida 10A.

I almost did not enter this block as there was little activity and it had a dead end. I'm glad I braved on because the kabobs were tender and delicious. There was a large party of 20 or so Paisas in the cafe next door. All dressed in the fashionista style of Medellin. My hands were twitching to retrieve my camera as many attractive Colombianas were in the group. Not sure about the sensibilities of the locals I decided to just take in the view. After all, I was on a “dead” end street.