Busy Weekend

Well, now that I've finished writing about last weekend, it's time to start in on this week's adventures. 

Went to work on Tuesday, kept dreaming about La Mojarra, but managed to make it through the day anyway.  On Weds we had a panel discussion featuring the heads of all the architecture schools in Medellin and a guest from Barcelona.  The topic of conversation was "who will build the cities of the future, and what challenges must they be prepared for?"  Beyond a general interest in the topic, the underlying purpose was to begin a discussion about how to educate architects since EAFIT is currently considering establishing a school of architecture.  The comments were all quite interesting, and I was forced to pay strict attention since I was the official note-taker for the occasion.  Still not sure what possessed them to assign the only non-native speaker to that post, but I did my best and walked out with several pages of notes written in rather horrible Spanglish.

Since that meeting went fairly late into the evening, I didn't get a chance to go to the climbing gym as I normally would on a Wednesday.  As a result, I got a phone call from J on Thursday to make sure I hadn't been scared off by the drive back from La Mojarra.  Ensuring him I wasn't too terrified to return, I promised to show up after work and struggled through writing up my notes from the meeting into somewhat comprehensible Spanish. 

When I got to the gym, J reminded me that they were having a bouldering competition this weekend, and asked whether I wanted to join.  I inquired as to how many women were competing and was told 5 or 6.  Knowing that they needed 5 just to hold the competition, I figured I'd join in and see how it went.  As I was about to leave the gym, several climbers informed me they were on their way to go salsa dancing, and invited me out.  Such an invite was rather irresistible, so I did my best to make myself presentable and we headed out into the rainstorm.  Arriving only slightly drenched, we turned into a small doorway and continued downstairs into the basement bar that apparently has the best salsa music this side of the river.  It was entirely empty.  There were precisely 3 other people besides our party, but since there were 5 of us, we took a table, ordered some beers and waiting for the place to fill up.  That didn't really happen, but we went ahead and danced on the empty floor anyway.  Apparently the rain, which continued to come down hard, was keeping people away for the night. 

Now, I've done my fair share of salsa dancing, and didn't think I would have any trouble holding my own, but I was rather shocked to discover how different dancing is here.  They don't really keep the 3 count beat I'm used to, but rather move with the music in whatever manner seems to suit their mood.  A little baffled, but up for the challenge, I struggled through a few songs before deciding it was too late to be out on a weekday and headed home. 

Friday was a rather slow day since I had been out til after midnight the night before, but I managed to make it through to the end of the work day.  Then the real fun began.  My co-worker had invited me to an art opening at Medellin's Museum of Modern Art, which I was thrilled to check out. Hailing a taxi, we rode over the the city center and got dropped off in front of an old factory building that has been converted into a museum.  The mix of old and new was quite well done and provided a very nice backdrop for the art being shown.  When we walked in, there were already quite a few people there and more arrived every minute.  Half of the main gallery was taken up by a zig-zaging metal frame with floating wood bars scattered throughout.  Since this looked like something that could have been set up specifically for the event, I had to ask whether it was part of the artwork being celebrated.  In response, my friend took me to one side of the room and showed me a video panel that had a large blinking red skull on it.  Upon closer examination, it turned out that the video was a live feed from above and the metal sculpture was set up in such a way as to form a skull when the upper portion was illuminated.  Don't know about the choice of a skull, but the effect was quite remarkable.

In addition to this large piece, there were several smaller sculptural objects around the main space and a fascinating exhibit of cartography in the two galleries to the sides.  As the night moved into full swing, a DJ stationed in the eye of the skull stuck up an impressive mix of beats that included drum and base, techno and classic Colombian rhythms.  Wasn't sure that would ever be a good combination, but he pulled it off rather spectacularly. 

An hour or so into the event, I spotted my housemate in the crowd with a couple friends.  We partook of the free vodka being served for a short while before heading out on the town for some salsa dancing!  This time we were on the other end of the city, so we headed for "The Found Link" (or something close to that, not exactly sure how it translates).  This was in the heart of the city central and I got my first real taste of night life.  Before going in we stood at a food stand outside and consumed some amazingly delicious empenadas while watching the crowd mill about in the park across the street. 

Once we got to the salsa place, I was rather surprised by how small it was, but the dancers there were amazing.  We watched a couple who moved in double time and made salsa look a lot more like swing than I've ever seen before.  As soon as the couple had finished, my housemate jumped up and commandeered the gentleman who had shown himself to be a brilliant leader and they commenced to dance what I can only describe as a combination of a jig, swing, salsa and Caribbean moves.   They're hips vibrated constantly as their feet completed a complicated pattern of hops, kicks and slides.  Definitely now what I would have called salsa, but apparently that's the way it goes down here.  I tried a few songs and got R to show me a few moves.  Was told I wasn't too bad for a gringa, but think I've still got some work to do.

Saturday morning I decided I needed to do a little shopping, so R and I headed first to a nearby mall and then to the down town market in search of comfortable, but classy shoes.  The mall wasn't all that exciting, but the market was quite entertaining.  It was situated on a walking street in the heart of the city and every few feet held an opening with stalls lining both sides and displaying their goods in any and every way possible.  Along the street itself were carts full of various trinkets and foods and on every corner someone would step forward to ask what we were looking for and ensure that they had the best possible price and knew just were to take us.  Ignoring most of these we meandered at our own pace and picked up a few things before heading home.

The climbing competition was scheduled to start at 4pm, so the boys (my other housemate and R's boyfriend) whipped us up a delicious feast as soon as we got home.  I cleared my plate, packed my bag and headed over to the gym.  This was to be the first of a two day event, and saturday's portion consisted of 2hrs of open climbing where you tried to climb as many routes as possible.  Everyone marked what they had completed and the top 5 in most categories, but the top 4 in women's, since there were only 5 of us competing, would move onto the finals on Sunday.  There was a distinctly festive air with many of the observers sipping beers as they shouted encouragement.  I wandered around the space and did my best to climb as many routes as possible.  Saw the other girls trying really hard routes, but didn't have the stamina for those, so stuck to the midrange.  After we all handed in our scorecards, I was quite surprised to discover that I had come in 2nd for the day, which meant I would be competing on Sunday in the finals.  Exhausted but happy, I joined a big group for a beer at the corner store before heading to my bed.

This morning I woke up and crawled out of bed with every muscle in my body screaming in protest.  Appalled that I would have to climb again today, I slowly stretched out my aching body and prepared a nice breakfast.  Then I tried to catch a bus over to the gym, but ended up in going the wrong direction.  Not wanting to waste more time trying to find the right bus, I got off and hailed a cab over to my destination.  When I arrived, they were just finishing up the pre-master's division and were about to commence the woman's competition.  Everyone else seemed just as sore and we spent quite a while warming up before the new routes were in place.  Unlike Saturday, today's competition was for onsight completion.  Which meant that we got 8mins to look at the 4 routes we would be trying to complete, and then 2 chances of 2 mins each to climb, but we couldn't watch the others in our division.  Sitting around the corner as the first lady worked on the first problem, we could only determine her success by the level of cheering going on.

When it came to my turn, I was rather annoyed to discover that the first problem required a rather strenuous, dynamic move over the lip of the wall.  I tried it a few times without success and returned to the waiting area with red forearms.  As the other ladies tried the same problem, we all ended up with matching bruises on our right arms and lamented the fact that men had set our routes!  Nonetheless, on my second session I managed to land the move only to put my foot on the wrong hold and have to come off the wall.  Oh well, there were 3 more to go.

The second problem included a real dyno (mom, you might want to skip to the next paragraph here...).  This route started off with a series of balancy moves up to a two handed jug.  From there you had to leap across to the adjoining wall and land both hands on a large hangboard before moving over to another wall and topping out.  Not a big fan of dynos, but not willing to skip it either, I got set up, check that I had a good spot and went for it.  I missed the first time but landed it the second round.  Man, that felt good!  Couldn't finish the rest of the route, but managed to get halfway, which gave me some points.  Unfortunately the girl after me didn't have as good of a spot, missed the board and landed on her elbow.  That put her out for the rest of the comp, and subdued the mood for a little while.

I couldn't make it past the 2nd move on the next route and thought for sure I'd place last (which was 3rd now that N was sitting on the sidelines with a ice pack).  However, having seen the last problem, I was hopeful that I could do well with that, since I was all crimps and balance, which happen to be my forte.  My prediction was correct, and on my third try I managed to make it all the way!  At that point I became the first girl to complete a route.  I was hoping E would finish as well, since she's become a friend and is certainly as strong as I am.  Unfortunately, she didn't make it past a hand match on a nasty little crimper. 

Once the scores were tallied, I came out first (of 3).  I stuck around to watch the men's division, which was quite impressive, and was given a gold metal at the end of the day. Not sure what that's gonna do for my friendships among the ladies, but felt good to give it my all nonetheless. 

Now my arms are aching and my fingers need a rest, so I'm done for the night.  Hopefully the coming week will bring as many exciting diversions!

Driving Home

Since it's already a new weekend, I figured I should probably finish up my story from last week.  Not much more to tell, but it was still an interesting day.

The drive back from La Mojarra was going to take us anywhere from 7-10hrs.  In addition, we had to leave early enough to hit about half way before noon.  At first I couldn't quite understand why, but after a little discussion, I came to understand that last winter had brought on some horrific landslides which managed to shift the entire road off the side of the mountain.  As a result, they currently open that stretch of road for the morning, then close it down entirely for the afternoon to work on repairs.  Even though I'd been informed about all this before we got to that stretch of road, I was still rather shocked by the reality.  For at least a mile the devastation was abundant.  Enormous portions of the hillside had apparently buckled and slid, leaving large depressions filled with broken trees and mud.  The road itself had clearly been moved dramatically with a good portion of it getting pushed off the cliff.  The construction crews and flattened out a portion of the mud to allow passage and we were working on building retaining walls along the upper side of the road.  The whole scene was quite an intense demonstration of the power of natural forces.

Aside from that one portion of the road, there were numerous small landslides that decorated the road we were traveling.  Pretty much anywhere that the road cut close into the hillside, there were muddy gashes.  I was incredibly happy that it didn't happen to be raining while we were driving.  Looking around it was clear that the soil here is nowhere near stable and that both road and building construction are constantly at risk.  Luckily it hasn't been raining enough lately to cause serious issues and much of what I observed had occurred last winter, but it was still a little shocking.

In addition to the mudslides, the road itself posed a good number of obstacles.  We never went very far without having to avoid potholes, slow down to drive over large bulges or drops in the pavement, or stop entirely to wait our turn through a one-way portion of the road.  However, our driver, J was outstanding and had apparently driven this way a few times before as he knew where most of the worst sections were and never failed to slow down in time for the next challenge.  I was incredibly happy to sit back and enjoy the scenery as a mere passenger.

Speaking of the scenery, WOW.  I'm pretty sure I can't do justice to how stunning the landscape is around here.  We spent the entire day meandering up and down mountain roads, alternatively gazing out over beautiful green valleys that rolled off into the distance and rising high enough for the entire scene to be eclipsed by the low hanging clouds.  Nearly every time we reached higher elevation we'd be greeted by wisps of mist gently filling in the nooks of the valleys bellow.  On the highest points, we wound up driving through the clouds as they obscured most of our surroundings.  At we descended the opposite side, we would once again find ourselves on a lush green mountainside with miles and miles of rolling countryside beyond.

On our way out of Bucaramanga, we passed through a small historic town and my traveling companions obliged to let me be a tourist for a minute while I snapped these pretty pictures.

 Other than that, we were pretty much on the road the whole time, rocking back, forth and side to side as J skillfully avoided all potential hazards, so I didn't get much of a chance to get other photos.  We did stop for lunch somewhere along the way that happened to specialize in buffalo meat, where I got eat a yummy slab of grilled meat. 

One more thing I wanted to mention.  All along the road, especially when we were in pure countryside, we would periodically see armed guards hanging out on either side of the road.  At first I thought they were part of the traffic control as they seemed to appear at the rougher parts of the road.  But then we hit a nice calm stretch where they were still present, and I noticed that my traveling companions would all give a friendly thumbs up to each guard as we drove past.  In response to my inquiring look, C informed me, "It's because of them that we can pass through here." 

Clearly there are still some major security issues in various parts of the country, but all my new friends were clearly elated to now have the ability to travel in their own country.  Apparently 4 years ago, the trip we were on would have been impossible due to the danger of gangs and drug cartel.  However, the government seems to have managed a major turn around in the recent past, and traveling has boomed.  Nearly everyone I talk to here has been on a fairly major trip across the country in the past week or two.  When I inquire about traveling as a foreigner, I'm told that all the bus routes are perfectly safe and that every travel terminal has it's own very strict security, so I shouldn't worry.  Don't think that's gonna keep me from being alert while traveling, but definitely makes the prospect of seeing more of this amazing country far more appealing.

Climbing at La Mojarra

As we sped along the winding road, swerving and breaking to avoid the larger potholes and heaved asphalt, I was happy to see the clouds begin to break.  The higher we climbed, the clearer it became until we had left the rain I rode through all night far behind us in the valley.  Up near the top of the rolling mountains the ground was dry and it appeared untouched by the steady drizzle that continued below.  Happy to see the sun shining, I was getting more and more excited about climbing and couldn't wait to arrive.  However, my host gently informed me that we wouldn't be on the rocks until after noon when the sun rose high enough not to roast you alive on the sheer cliff face.  Considering I had barely slept all night, I was not much bothered by the prospect of a slow day and continued to stare out the window, occasionally asking, "what's that?"

Just as we came down the far side of the hill we'd been steadily driving up, we turned off onto a dirt road and rolled slowly over the permanent water troughs that spider webbed across the lane.  Just after passing a large open air barn filled with Phillip Morris tobacco on it's way to become dry, we turned into the driveway of a lovely looking home.  I had been told we'd be staying at a hostel, but what that really meant was we'd be staying at a friend's home who happened to have built a few extra rooms to rent out to climbers.  We greeted a trio of European travelers lounging in hammocks strung up on the porch before taking short path to the back of the house.  There I was excited to see a couple outdoor showers with pretty little planters full of flowers and big tanks of rain water balanced above.  I was introduced to J's girlfriend, E and another young climber from Medellin, C, who had both driven up early Friday with J.  Then I was ushered into a small building in which I was mildly surprised to discover 3 tents set up.  J pointed one out, telling me that would by my spot for the weekend.  Peeking inside, I was pleased to discover a mattress all made up and looking incredibly inviting.  Asking to be woken up when everyone was ready to climb, I was more than happy to lay down and take a short nap at the end of a very long journey.

I do have to say, the tents are quite an ingenious little set up...everyone get's their own privacy, you don't have to build any beds, and if you want to use the room for anything else, you just pack up camp!  Oh, and of course I have to mention the bottle windows. That green strip in the corner is layers of bottles stacked neck to neck in between parallel poles of bamboo. =)  The clear windows were pretty sweet too, they were all salvaged from vending machines and a couple still had the coke bottle handles welded on.  With all this, and good weather to boot, I knew I'd come to the right place!

Less than an hour after laying down, I woke up and was far to excited to stay in bed.  Just as I was emerging from my bed/tent/room, E walked up on her way to wake me.  It was time to go climbing!!  I splashed some cold water on my face, emptied all unnecessary items from my backpack and skipped up to the main house.  Setting out on foot we ambled down the road, stopped to buy some snacks at the tiny corner store (that I predict will become a booming restaurant/bar in coming years), and came to the edge of a stunningly beautiful valley.  Since it was a hazy day by this point, the pictures don't do it justice, but trust me, this place is amazing.

As we wound our way down the steep slope on a muddy track, I found myself stopping every few minutes so I could look up and enjoy the view.  On the right were blocky red cliffs crowned by green brush, to the left was a deep valley dotted by country homes, generally no bigger than a single room, and ahead was a sweeping vista where the mountains rose to the descending clouds. 

Pretty sure I was falling in love with this country, and I hadn't even started climbing yet!

We marched along heading for the far end of the rocks, passing line after line of bolts glittering on the wall.  We also passed 2 other groups of climbers, both of whom were just starting to up pack and gear up.  On our way to what I would only assume were greener pastures, we pushed through the heavy growth all along the path, occasionally bending to use both hands and feet on the the steeper sections.  Just as I was wishing someone had had the foresight to bring a machete with them to keep back the untamed brush, we rounded a bend and I stopped short.  In front of me was the last thing I had expected...a GIANT cactus!

Apparently, despite the lush green surroundings, we were actually in a very 'arid' portion of the country.  I think maybe they've got a a different definition for that word here....

Despite the rather unnerving combination of prickly pear cactus and banana trees, the real attraction were the rocks.  Smoothed out and shaped by the rain into formations reminiscent of Joshua Tree in some sections, but slick and blocky with the flat holds and 90 degree cracks of quarry stone, there was quite a variety to choose from.  Not having any notion of what was what, I let my partners make their choice and opted to belay first so I could get an idea of what I was up against. 

I didn't ask what grade J had picked for our warm up until after the fact, but greatly enjoyed the challenging 5.10 that he sent us up.  This particular route didn't require very much technique, but was quite muscle intensive.  Apparently that's fairly common on the blockier portions, as I found out later.  I had no problem making most of the moves, even on the 11s we tried later, but doing them without taking breaks in between was nearly impossible.  Definitely gonna have to work on my endurance if I want to keep up with the climbers here!

Much to my delight, all three of the folks I was with turned out to be incredibly strong climbers and we spent both our days climbing hard 10s and 11s.  I think the ratings might be just a little softer than I'm used to, but I'm still feeling pretty good that I was able to lead 11s and even followed a very tricky 12 on our second day out. Not that any of that was done particularly cleanly, but hey.  It still felt good. 

In any case, we all messed around on some good hard routes for a couple hours before hiking over to a steep overhang where C and I took a break with E belayed J on an amazing looking 5.13b.  That dude is strong!

5.13b (note the enormous cactus too!)

When J had had his fill of falling, we all worked on an 11, but running on very little sleep, I didn't have it in me to finish that and eventually gave up and took a short nap instead.  On our way out, having stocked up a little more energy, we stopped and I got to lead a fun, easy route on some of the sandstone-style bulbs that show up on the more windward portions of the cliff.

Back up at the road, we stopped for a beer at the little corner store, and sat around on the porch chatting before heading back to the hostel.  At the store, I had asked whether there was any food where we were staying, and had been assured I wouldn't go hungry, but I couldn't have dreamed up the reality that awaited us.  As soon as we had laid down our packs, our lovely hostess dished up heaping trays of deliciously spiced chicken, pasta with cream sauce, pipping hot potato soup, a salad complete with mango and apples, all washed down with freshly squeezed 'tree tomato' juice.  I was pretty sure I'd died and gone to heaven. 

As my three companions and our 3 new European friends filled our bellies around the heavy wooden table of our cozy little weekend home, the lively Spanish lady of the traveling trio kept up a fantastic stream of stories, anecdotes and political satire.  I was too tired to comprehend much of what was said, but I was more than happy to enjoy the atmosphere before stumbling off to bed.

The next day dawned cold and cloudy with a slight drizzle, but by the time we were ready to go, the skies had begun to clear, and we all enjoyed a fantastic day.  Being Sunday of a 3 day weekend, there were quite a few more people out, many of whom were foreigners.  However, the appearance of a traveling photographer for Rock and Ice magazine seemed to draw quite a few of the country's stronger climbers.  After tackling several hard routes myself, we were all treated to some amazing demonstrations of ability as at least 3 of the other people there hopped on the hardest routes around, posing heroically for the money shots. 

That night was filled with drinks on the porch with a lively mix of travelers and relative locals (no one actually lives at La Mojarra, but several were stationed in Bucaramanga, just a few hours away).  After another scrumptious meal of squash soup, chicken fried rice and local pineapples, we all settled down and watched a Colombian film, Los Viajes del Viento (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tli4nSO4hIA if you want a preview).  The storyline followed a traveling musician on his search for his master, but that wasn't really what the film was about.  Moving at the pace of village life, every scene was filled with breathtaking cinematography, capturing some of what must be the most incredibly beautiful parts of a phenomenally gorgeous country.  Although I didn't quite make it to the end before exhaustion sent me to my bed, the experience nonetheless quite riveting. 

The following morning, we woke up early, were fed an fantastic meal of egg drop soup, home made empeñadas, scrambled eggs and fresh fruit.  Tempted to stay longer, but needing to get on the road for our 10hr journey home, we paid our dues, said our goodbyes and all piled into J's tiny little car. 

I think I'll save the trip back for another entry as I wouldn't want to rush it.
Goodnight for now. 

La Mojarra!!

Wow, what an incredible weekend! So many things to write about, there's no way I'll get it all down in one sitting, but I'll certainly try to give you an idea of what I've been up to...

Being a saint's day of some kind today, this past weekend was 3 days long. Originally I had thought I would be accompanying my housemate down to her parent's home for the holiday.  However, having far too much work to enable a 3-day vacation, she reluctantly had to cancel that adventure.  Luckily, I found out about that on Tuesday, and spent Wednesday afternoon at the climbing gym where I surreptitiously asked a few people what their plans were for the weekend...

Lots of chatting and a round of amazing looking pictures later, I found myself invited to La Mojarra in La Mesa de Los Santos, for a weekend of sport climbing on a cliff that appeared to be at least half a mile long. The only catch? This stunningly beautiful canyon was a good 7-10hr ride from Medellin, and my crew would be leaving at 4am on Friday, a day I still had to work. However, if I wanted to take an overnight bus down on Friday, J could pick me up at the nearest town on Saturday morning and we'd spend all day Sat and Sun on the rocks.  Not sure what to make of this development on the spot, we exchanged contact info and agreed to confirm sometime on Thursday.

I had a full day of work to get through on Thurs since my revised drawings were due at the end of the day, but I did manage to run my tentative weekend plans past a few of my co-workers to suss out whether an overnight bus through the countryside on my own was necessarily a good idea. Without exception, every person I talked to said, 'Bien viaje!' told me it was a gorgeous part of the country, and made no further comment alluding to any safety concerns. Quite excited by the enthusiastic reception, I nearly jumped out of my seat when J called to confirm, said I was definitely interested, and asked for more details on how to get there and meet up with everyone. He told me his sister would give me a call in the morning with the bus schedule and that all I had to do was get a bus to Bucaramanga, disembark and find a local bus to Los Curos. Sweet!

I barely slept on Thursday night after packing up my climbing gear, some clothing and a camera. All day Friday I was waltzing on air as I sped through my tasks and eagerly awaited my pending instructions. Just as I left work and was on my way over to the Department of Security to register myself, which apparently all foreigners have to do, I received a call informing me that my bus would be departing at 8:30pm from the northern terminal on a company called Brazilia.

Unable to register myself due to the office closing at 3:30pm, I basically took a very scenic route home through the Southwest portion of the city, and arrived in time for a yummy meal, a short nap and some last minute packing. At 7:30pm, I skipped out my door and headed for the bus stop. Well, I was trying to head to the bus stop at least. Before I'd gone half a block I spotted a bus that advertised going to the Northern Bus Terminal, flagged it down, double checked with the driver and hopped on board. Assuming that the terminal would be unmistakable, I sat jittering in my seat and staring out the window. As we got on the Regional (the hwy that runs though the middle of town), we stopped briefly at a turnout with a couple other buses and I thought maybe we had arrived. On closer examination, the spot we were at appeared to just be a gas station and there was none of the milling about that I typically associate with busy bus terminals, nor any signs of indicating anything beyond the sale of petrol, so I sat back and kept an eye out. A few minutes later we turned off the Regional and started winding our way up through the steep streets of the mountain side. Getting nervous and watching the clock tick by, I quietly asked my neighbor how much longer it was to the northern terminal. Looking rather shocked, he sadly informed me that we had passed it 10mins ago but that if I got off at the next corner, there would be a bus headed back that way. Saying my thanks, I hopped off, hailed the first taxi I came across and headed back downhill. It being 8pm at this point, I was dreadfully worried that I would miss my bus to Bucaramanga and hence loose an entire weekend of climbing in an exciting new place having never even left Medellin. Luckily, the taxi driver had no such qualms and assured me he'd get me to the station by 8:15 at the very latest. We pulled off at what I had thought was a gas station, took a long loop around to the other side of the river and I stepped out of the cab at precisely 8:14pm.

Following my friendly taxi driver's advice, I went through what vaguely resembled a strip mall and raced downstairs into what was obviously a busy bus terminal. Scanning the ticket windows I was relieved to see Brazilia directly in front of me with no line to speak of. Nearly out of breath, I impatiently waited for the saleswoman to look up before asking for a ticket on the bus to Bucaramanga. To my near terror, she simply shook her head. Was I too late?! It leaves at 8:30, right? Another negative shake. 'No hay.' (don't have). um...ok...is there some other company that DOES have a bus to Bucaramanga? My answer was a vague wave towards the corner and a curt 'mono.' Since I was clearly not going to get anywhere with this lady, I glanced at my clock, 8:20. S***! I ran around the corner, glanced up and saw a sign with the welcome word "Bucaramanga" on it. Awesome! Looking hopefully at the lady behind the counter, I asked for a ticket to Bucaramanga and she replied, 10pm. What?! Looking at the wall behind her I was devastated to see a large placard announcing departures at 5:30, 6:30, 8:00 and 10pm. If I had made it there 30mins earlier, I would have already been on my way. With a heavy sigh, I walked away, called my friends who had already made their way to La Mojarra and confirmed that the 10pm bus, which would get me to Bucaramanga at 8am, and hopefully to Los Curos around 9am, was acceptable. Getting an affirmative response, I turned back to the ticket counter, paid far more than I had expected for the trip, stopped by an ATM to restock and sat down to wait.

Two hours later I was seated in an amazingly comfortable bus with plush, reclining seats as we pulled out into the rain and headed through the streets towards the mysterious destination of Bucaramanga. As we got onto the highway, I was struck by the beauty of the city lights as they swept up the hillsides all around, looking like a blanket of twinkling yellow stars reaching out into the cloudy night. Once we left the city, there wasn't much to see beyond the shadow of grassy banks, so I shut my eyes and did my best to sleep. As the sun rose many hours later, I found myself staring at the rusted carcass of a half finished bridge as one by one vehicles were ushered across a massive brown river.  From there on we wound through high mountain passes dotted here and there by the occasional village.  I dozed in and out, greeted by flashes of white washed town centers, rolling hills and steep drop offs until we finally pulled into a pristine bus terminal on the edge of a large city and everyone started to disembark. Just to be extra sure, I asked a fellow passenger if this was in fact Bucaramanga and received a slightly incredulous stare and a very brief nod. Good enough for me!

Starting at one end of the station, I was sequentially directed further and further down the line until I reached the very last teller. Here, I inquired for a bus to Los Curos, was looked up and down, and told 8am. It being 7:30am, that suited my purposes just fine. The price, on the other hand, appeared a little steep for my understanding of the distance, but having no real recourse to argue, I paid the fair, got my ticket was directed downstairs to my awaiting bus. When I stepped on and showed my ticket, the driver named somewhere other than were I was trying to get to, so I corrected him and asked if he could please tell me to get off when we got to Los Curos. He looked again at my fair, shook himself slightly, confirming my suspicions that I had been over-charged, and pointed to an empty seat in the first row. Too tired and too happy to at least be on the right bus to really care that I'd overpaid (the grand total still only being about $5), I settled into my seat, called my friends and told them I was on my way.

Sitting in the front row, I had a the pleasure of watching the driver, the ticket taker, the gate keeper, the police man, the ticket agent and some other guy all hand money and receipts around to each other at varying intervals. Rather intrigued by these exchanges, but unable to decipher them, and having spent the entire night attempting to sleep on a bus, I soon dozed off once more. About an hour later I woke up to the driver telling me that we had reached Los Curos while he stared at me with a look that said, "Are you SURE you want to get off here?!" Not entirely sure that I did with that kind of reaction, but armed with my cell phone and J's assurance that he would come pick me up, I cheerfully waved goodbye and stepped off the bus.

As the bus pulled away, I looked around and a rather desolate stretch of road with some trucks pulled off to one side, a rolling green hillside and a small restaurant with a sheltered porch. Stepping onto the porch to escape the rain, I set my bag down, pulled out my phone and confronted the rather discouraging message "network search." Hmmm...well, this town can't be that big, and I'm starving, so I guess I'll buy some food and wait. Filling my belly with a chicken empeñada, I wistfully stared at my phone wondering which direction I should wander, when, to my surprise, the phone came alive! Yes! "Hallo?! Si, estoy aqui. Donde estas?" A short exchange later and I looked up to see J striding around the corner with a welcoming grin. Whew!

As I stepped into J's car and drove away through absolutely breathtaking scenery, chatting away like old friends, I felt light as a feather. I'd made it! 10hrs of traveling into the unknown had brought me back to a friendly face. I silently thanked my parents for our years of spontaneous adventures and the amazing gift they've given me of always taking things as they come.

And now, my dear readers, I must leave you with visions of rolling hillsides lightly sprinkled with mist, fields filled with spiky pineapple, and a long, winding ride into the the beauty that is Colombia. But don't worry, all the best is yet to come...

Culture of Caring...and Conversation

Looking back over my posts, I realized I haven't said much about the people and the culture here in Medellin. As I haven't even been here a full 2 weeks just yet, I'm not sure how valuable my opinion is, but first impressions count for a lot, so here goes...

Colombia is one of the most heartwarming places I have ever visited. So far, everyone I've met has been incredibly open and caring. From the moment I arrived, without exception, every person I've been introduced to has ended our first conversation by telling me that if I need anything at all, to please let them know. This may just be a courtesy, but it doesn't feel that way. In fact, I've been amazed by how genuine and warm my interactions have been. Having traveled a lot, I'm used to being received with mild curiosity, but this is different. Even when interacting with each other, people here seem to be genuinely interested in the actions, health and happiness of those around them. On top of that, most people seem to be intensely honest and straightforward (if a bit wordy). This has been true in not only my personal interactions, but it's something I've noticed in my professional world as well. In all the meetings I've been to everyone has been treated as an equal and no addition to the conversation has ever been brushed aside. On the contrary, all suggestions and commentary are taken quite seriously and are always given equally careful thought.

A lot of these impressions may have to do with the fact the I've been moving in some of the best educated and wealthiest circles in the city, but I get the feeling there's an overall culture of courtesy here. Whether talking to a taxi driver or a merchant or a coworker, everyone speaks politely and listens intently. In fact, I'm beginning to understand that talking is a big part of the social scene here. On Sunday I accompanied my housemate to a friend of hers and we ended up sitting around just chatting for the better part of 5 hours. In meetings there is always a period of courteous chit chatting before any real business begins and the comments in our conference this week were not exactly curt by any stretch of the imagination.

In addition to providing me with ample opportunity to improve my Spanish, I have been thoroughly enjoying learning about what makes life here both different and similar to other parts of the world.

That's all for now folks. Off on an adventure this weekend, but will be sure to write again at the next available opportunity!

City of Eternal Spring

For those of you who have never read a tourist brochure for Medellin, I'll go ahead and tell you, they like to boast about this place being the "City of Eternal Spring."  At first I thought this was a bid ridiculous, but I'm beginning to see what the mean.  The temperature is always between 60 and 80 degrees, the mountains provide a constant, lush green backdrop, and every day there seem to be new flowers blooming.  I'm not exaggerating.  Every single day I've been here I've walked past the same places, but each and every day there are new flowers blooming.  The trees bloom, the grass blooms, the vines bloom, and the enormous tropical plants shoot off crazy, Jurrasic appendages in a multitude of vibrant colors.  I couldn't possibly stop to take pictures of all of them, or I'd never get where I'm going, but I do take some time to enjoy and have brought along a few to share.

Work First

First of all, sorry I haven't written for awhile.  There have been so many things I've wanted to share along the way, and so little time to write about them.  However, I know I can't give a minute by minute account if I want any sleep tonight (which I most definitely do!), so I'm gonna go ahead and hit the highlights by topic.  We're gonna begin with work since that's been keeping me rather ridiculously busy over the past week.

I think I mentioned the online network that I was assigned to work on when I first got here.  That's still rolling along, but on top of that I've been given a new task, one which I've been very happy to work on.  Last Friday, when our intern went to get his wisdom teeth taken out, I was asked to take over drawing plans for a new collection of houses in a place named Bolombolo.  It's a government sponsored project out in the countryside and the program is for 150 small homes.  In addition to the homes, we're planning on also providing ample public space and new access corridors.  However, the site that has been purchased for the project happens to be an incredibly steep hill with only a small portion at a slightly less inclined slope.  Just the kind of puzzle I love!  Add to the difficult site the fact that the government has only supplied money for the houses, and not for any of the related infrastructure, and you've got yourself into a nice little pickle. 

To make a long story short, I spent all day Friday, some of Sunday and most of Monday rearranging rectangles and playing around with my 3D terrain in SketchUp until I came up with something that seemed to work.  Wrapping up the drawings about 20mins before the project managers arrived, I presented my design (after a fairly extend discussion about what it's like to go to school at Taliesin).  I received an incredibly warm response to my design, was asked to make a few small changes, and have been invited to travel out to the site next Wednesday.  Woohoo!!

On Tuesday, I had to postpone work on my revisions to go participate in an international convention focusing on the Masterplan for Medellin up through 2030.  Aw, shucks! =P  I quite happily sat through 7hrs of presentations both yesterday and today while experts from Colombia, Mexico, France and Spain laid out all the various factors that affect the development of a city and basically told me everything I could ever want to know about the economic, demographic, physical and social make up of the city.  What an introduction!  At the end of each presentation, there was also a portion dedicated to explaining what the current proposal for the Masterplan is according to the researchers in each group.  Questions and discussion would follow.  Tomorrow and Friday are dedicated to workshops in which the attending parties will hash out the specifics and weave together the diverse elements that have heretofore been presented seperately.  Unfortunately, I'm going to have to miss much of tomorrow's session and some of Friday's in order to keep my other projects rolling, but I'm incredibly happy to have had the opportunity to participate up to this point.

One other thing I just have to talk about because I am so enormously impressed...since half the audience was French speaking, and half Spanish, they had a simultaneous translator for the entire convention.  Wow.  I don't know how those guys do it, but I have a lot of admiration for anyone who can manage to listen in one language and speak in a different one AT THE SAME TIME!  I can't even repeat what someone is saying to me in my own language while they're talking.

In any case, I've been having a great time and am so amazed at the opportunities I've managed to plunk myself down in the middle of!  Oh, and the icing on the cake?  I met a woman today who built her house out of rammed earth, right here in Medellin!  She offered to show me sometime soon and also mentioned she knows the head of one of the universities here who specializes in earthen construction...

Feeling like a very lucky lady at the moment!

Touristica

After a surprisingly long week of work, I finally got some time to play.  And by 'play,'  I mean, 'see some more of the city.'

When I finished work on Friday, I mentioned to my coworkers that I wanted to see a little more of the Poblado neighborhood, where the university is located, and where supposedly much of the nightlife takes place.  I had intended to walk over on my own, but was invited to attend a panel discussion about Colombian Rock and Roll in exchange for some company on my outing.  The lecture turned out to be fairly interesting, as I had no idea that Colombia had an apparently thriving Rock movement in its recent history.  Unfortunately, I wasn't all that taken by any of the video clips they showed, as most of them seemed to involve a whole lot of screaming and very little singing, but then, I've never really been a fan of hard rock to begin with.  Nonetheless, the history was quite interesting and the role that the music played in the counter culture of Colombia was made abundantly clear.

Once the lecture was over, my friend and I took a taxi over to El Poblado and began our evening strolling down a fairly quite street crammed with boutique clothing, shoe and accessory stores.  Apparently once a year they shut traffic down and have all the sellers bring their goods outside for a street fair, but tonight it was quite subdued as we walked along.  Passing a few fairly empty bars, we turned down towards the park and entered quite a different atmosphere.  For the next two blocks, every building was a pub or disco or some combination there of.  Each and every one of them had their own music blasting at full volume so that as you walked along, you would be bombarded by the deep bass and pounding rhythms of regatón, take two steps and suddenly find yourself surrounded by the lilting notes and swinging beats of a salsa tune.  Being quite early, most of the places were fairly deserted, but the scale and decor of each building clearly implied that it would later be chock full of hot bodies.

Since neither of us were in the mood to party, and it was a little early for that anyway, we ended up at a cute little "Cocina Verde" or "Green Cuisine" cafe for a bite to eat.  The menu implied that everything on it was good for you in one way or another, and the decor of bamboo screens and design-within-reach lamps all shouted "sustainable food movement."  That was all a little surprising, but the food was delicious and the company wonderfully pleasant.  We cleared our plates and went for another walk, this time ending up in Poblado Park, where nearly every available seat was already taken by people sipping beers and chatting.  After taking in the scene, we caught a taxi and went our separate ways.

As I attempted to direct my taxi driver towards my apartment in the maze that is the neighborhood of Carlos E Restrepo, I managed to navigate us into a dead end.  Since I knew I was close, and that it would be quicker to walk across the park than make him drive all the way around, I went ahead and got out there.  Boy, as I glad that I did!  As I stepped into what is normally a quite walkway between apartment buildings, I was greeted with an impressive street scene.  All up and down the pathway were young adults hanging out, selling trinkets, playing cards or other games and generally having a good time.  There was also an overwhelming aroma of Ms Mary Jane in the air.   Apparently there are 2 parks in the city that are considered 'free zones' where the police willingly turn a blind eye to illicit smoke.  Apparently I live less than half a block from one of them.  Quite intrigued, but also fairly exhausted, I stepped through the crowd and made a mental note to return and enjoy the scene more thoroughly on another night.

This morning, I managed to sleep until 9am thanks to a lull in the usual early morning traffic. Apparently people don't have quite as many places to be on a Saturday morning.  Thankful for the extra hours, I woke to find my own house all a bustle with the preparations for a pancake breakfast.  Happy to step in just as the feast was ready, I was served two pancakes with a slice of cheese melted between them.  Mmmm! Gotta remember that one, it was delicious.

Now, I had planned to head out early and hit a few of the major tourist spots, but since my housemate was sending her boyfriend off to the market, and I had been itching to get some real fruits and veggies, I elected to go with him instead.  See, I had tried to buy some greens at the supermarket, only to find out that most fresh food was actually MORE expensive than in the US.  Concluding that there had to be another option, I had asked my housemate, and she confirmed that yes, no one buys fruits and veggies at the supermarket, they go to the Market, market.  So, off we went!

Since R's boyfriend has a motorbike, I got my first two-wheeled ride through the city.  A little scary, since apparently those little white lines between the car lanes are actually there for motorcycles to ride down, but nothing compared to moped rides in Saigon.  Don't think I'll ever forget that.  Compared to Asia, our short ride was a breeze.  On a side note, I am seriously considering investing in one of those ridiculous looking face masks, or maybe even a full on gas mask to wear anytime I'm in or near the major boulevards here.  There are evidently no enforced regulations for emissions here and breathing can be incredibly smelly and difficult when in close proximity to moving vehicles.

Health issues aside, the Market was more than worth the ride.  Housed in what looked somewhat like an old train station, the Market consists of at least 2 floors worth of stall upon stall of just about anything you might want to buy.  The upper floor appeared to have grains, clothes, electronics and veggies while the lower floor was dominated by fruits of every shape and size.  It was like looking at an enormous, brightly covered run being overrun by busy little ants.  As we headed through the fruit section for our first purchase, we passed up multitudes of vendors before finally coming to a stop at a stand that looked remarkably like every other one we had walked past, but where my chaperone greeted the seller with a friendly hug and warm regards.  As I wandered about pointing at things and asking what they were, I generally received a Spanish word in response that rarely had any real translation into English, as I've never seen most of these delectable juicy delights in my life.  Picking out several of just about everything I didn't recognize, we rounded out our selection with some good old apples and oranges, packed everything into a massive plastic bag and made our way back up to the veggie stands.  There, we repeated a similar parade down the aisle until we stopped somewhere that looked identical to all its neighbors and began to make our selections.  Most of the veggies were familiar, and the only thing I wouldn't have readily bought at home were some large plantains which I've been promised a lesson in how to prepare.

Laden with all our goodies, there are no easy way for us to fit everything onto the motorbike, so I caught a taxi while C rode himself home. We both pulled up to the apt at the same time and happily lugged our stash up the 4 floors to our kitchen.  With some very creative maneuvering, we managed to find a place for everything with the exception of some delicious "Tree Tomatoes" that we juiced into a very tasty beverage.

Eager to get out into what had proven to be a bright, sunny day with relatively clear blue skies, I began gathering my things and planning out my touristing route for the day.  Except, by that time, everyone was hungry and we'd just brought home lots of fresh veggies, so lunch was penciled into the agenda.  Now, unlike the U.S., lunch is the big meal here. In fact, people barely eat dinner, they kinda just snack on a few things here and there instead.  So, with the help of my 3rd housemate, who has been absent up until now due to his night job as a hostel chef, we managed to put together a rather tasty meal, even if it did take a few hours.  The menu consisted of Potato Celery Soup and Pasta with a meat sauce that included cubes of fried plantains.  Quite delicious and incredibly filling.

Being almost 2pm by this point, I rolled myself away from the table, grabbed my camera and headed over to the metro.  Riding out towards the north side of town, I transferred to the "Metro Cable" or cable car extension and soon found myself swinging lightly through the air with a beautiful view of the city stretched out below me.  At the top of the hill, just visible in the picture to the left, was the iconic and unmistakable Biblioteca España.  This library has become an icon of the transformation of Medellin, along with the Metro Cable.  Designed as both a library and a community center, the building is composed of 3 large black blocks, each housing different functions.  One is dedicated to children and the arts, the central block houses the library and the opposite end is home to a large theater.

From the outside, the building appears rather oppressive, with impossibly dark stone cladding and minimal fenestration.  Surprisingly, the interior is wonderfully bright and open.  Behind the austere exterior there are numerous skylights that extend all the way through the 4 floors of each tower, bringing light into every space.  And, the oddly slanted windows allow for peak-a-boo views of the surrounding city.  All in all, I was quite impressed.


Other than the library, there aren't many other destinations up in this area of the city, as the library was strategically placed in one of the poorest neighborhoods to provide maximum benefit.  Nonetheless, I was intrigued to walk along the high, winding streets that crisscross the impossibly steep hill on which the library was built.  As I wandered along the streets, I would occasionally come across a very new looking park, or public space, often with some sort of amusement for children.  In one such area, there a was even a life size game of shoots and ladders painted onto the plaza.  Apparently the government took their vow to improve the city quite seriously, with evident success.

Another interesting feature of this area were the numerous murals and intricate graffiti that was plastered across nearly every available surface.  As a result, the neighborhood had a bright, color feel to it, despite the monotonous red brick houses that appeared to be piled will-nilly upon each other.

On my way up in the cable car, I had noticed a beautiful bamboo bridge just below the library, so I directed my meanderings towards that general area and was rewarded by a private viewing of what looks like a yet un-opened addition to the landscape.  Build with multitudes of large bamboo shafts, the entire structure is held together with a series of metal tension lines and large bands tying the bamboo together.


After wandering my way down to the cable station, I rode back into town and visited the Botanical Gardens.  I only really saw the orchid display, as it was getting late and I had done a lot of walking, but I thoroughly enjoyed that part.  You'll have to suffice with some pictures for now, and a fuller description later, as it is once again quite late, and I must head to my bed.  Enjoy.

 

Cross Town Adventures

There are so many things I thought about sharing throughout my day today, but since it's now 10:30pm and I have to be at work again early tomorrow, I will have to keep this brief. In compensation, I have brought pictures!

Remember those orchids I mentioned before?  Well, I don't know about any of you, but personally, I've never seen orchids grow outside of someone's perfectly tended home, or a man-made ecosystem.  So, to have the pleasure of enjoying these gorgeous gifts of nature while simply strolling across campus is truly amazing to me.  Now, I know they don't look that stunning here, but that's because it was raining.  Which, it apparently does on a fairly regular basis.  This morning was absolutely gorgeous, but by 3pm, the thunder was rolling and the lighting was flashing.  Luckily, the downpour doesn't ever seem to last long, and the drizzle that follows for a bit is not particularly bothersome since the temperature stays in the high 60s.

So, despite the rain, I was determined to leave work a little early today in order to facilitate my search for a climbing gym, which the internet had informed should be somewhere equally far from work as home.  Even though it was a slightly hefty walk, I thoroughly enjoyed myself as my meandering took me through parts of town I had yet to see.

The first leg of my journey took me across the highway that runs through the middle of town (which I must correct since last blog, it in fact has 6 lanes on each side of the river, which are further divided by a median splitting each section into 3 lanes. But you can't really blame me for the mistake, as the lines are a bit more of a suggestion than a rule, and with the number of motorcycles on the road, it's nearly impossible to tell who's supposed to be where.  But more about traffic later.  I think that topic deserves it's own entry!).  Once again, walking across the bridge afforded gorgeous views of the city and surrounding mountains, most of which were swathed in clouds.  Only this time, there was also a roiling, swollen mass of water running beneath me as I idled along my merry way.

As I walked along, I couldn't help but think about the reputation of Colombia as a dangerous place, and what a contrast that is to my experience so far.  It may just be the neighborhoods I'm in, but so far, I haven't felt in the least bit threatened.  That's not say there aren't still signs that people take their security seriously.  The most noticeable of these being the armed security/police men on every other corner, and the massive iron gates that cover almost every single storefront, even when they're open.  If you want to buy something, you have to stand outside and ask for it.  There are a few exceptions, but they tend to be the newer, fancier stores, which often have their own security guards.  The less noticeable, but still evident aspect of this residue of fear can be seen in the way that everyone keeps a hand on their bag at all times.  That said, so far the only thing I've found any reason to fear is the traffic!! Too late to elaborate on that right now, but don't worry, I'll get there.

To make a long story short, I walked nearly clear across the city, inhaling far more exhaust that could possibly be healthy, and, with my fingers crossed, turned down the street that the illustrious internet had informed me should hold a climbing gym of some description.  As I passed the first intersection, I began to get worried, but resolved not to give up until all possible options were exhausted.  Just as I was rehearsing how to ask "where's the climbing gym" in Spanish, I glimpsed someone stepping out of a house to my left.  As I looked up, a beautiful view of multicolor holds suspended from an angled ceiling shone down on me through the window. YES! I did not lug my climbing gear all the way down here for nothing!

Once inside, I was given a tour of what turned out to be a surprisingly large series of bouldering caves pierced through by two chimney's with ropes dangling down.  Upstairs, there was a narrow hallway with lockers on one side and a bedroom on the other.  The front room held a kitchen and a cabinet full of climbing shoes and gear for sale.  Apparently, the owner has simply gutted the first floor of his house, punched through to the second floor where he could afford to do so, and covered everything in sight with 1/2 inch plywood.  The result was quite entertaining.  Rather than the usual wide open spaces with very little in between, the routes here wander back and forth across what was the hallway, over the ceiling of what was once intended to be a living room, and through a left over doorway.  All in all, quite a little jungle gym.

Although every hole in the wall had a hold in it, there were also a decent number of routes marked out. Except, there weren't quite like any I have seen before.  Here, each hold is marked with a colored number, with the start holds telling you which hand to use.  Then the routes themselves wander up and down, back and forth and all over the place.  After about 20 mins, I could no longer complete full routes, simply because of their length and my lack of endurance.  Not to worry, I'll just have to come back and work on that.

Anyway, since I'm probably boring everyone in the audience who is not a climber, we'll move on the non-specific experience.  Which is to say, I met some really nice people in the 2 hours that I stayed, including a lady who happens to be an English teacher at EAFIT!  Sounds like I might have found a new climbing buddy (one who has also offered to give me a ride over when she comes, saving me the nearly 40min hike).  In addition, I may have also got myself an invite to go climbing outdoors next weekend, which is apparently a holiday, and hence I shouldn't have to work that Monday!  Yay!  So excited.

Well, there were lots of other exciting things today, but it's well past my bedtime, so that's all for now.  Since I promised pictures, here's one more.  This one's showing my truly nerdish architectural side, but I'm sure some of you will like it.

Gabion wall bench with wood seat! so cool.

And the Gates are Open

So, after arriving on Sunday to a warm welcome, jetlag caught up and I was sound asleep by 7:30pm.  Despite my best efforts to sleep through to sunrise, I was fully alert by 3am and chock full of excitement.  Not wanting to wake my housemate, I lay in bed listening to the quite sounds of the night slowly turn into the rush of the day.  First it was a the faint chirp of a bird here an there scattered throughout the lush landscape of my neighborhood, but that quickly turned into an insistent, high pitch call that seemed to come from just outside my window.  I must not have been the only one who heard because by 5am I could hear cars start up and the traffic begin to build.  Since I didn't have to be at work until 1:30pm I decided to snatch a few restless moments more before crawling out of bed to investigate my new surroundings.

Slipping into the dining room I was greeted warmly by my roommate while she oversaw a handyman who was working on fixing the washer.  A few minutes later her boyfriend came in, introduced himself held a lively conversation while R (that's what I'm gonna call my roomie from now on), fixed us both some delicious arepas smothered with cheese.  They both had to get to class, so as they rushed out the door I steeled myself for what I had just learned would be a cold shower.  Apparently the hotwater heater broke not long ago, requiring a new gasline, which is not the quickest fix.  So, for now, I'm stuck with icy rinses.

As soon as I had washed of the grim of my 18 hour trip, I took a good look at google maps and set off to explore.  Ostensibly I was attempting to find the climbing gym and do some grocery shopping, but really I just wanted an excuse to check out the neighborhood.  Stepping outside to a beautiful 70 degree day, I wandered off down the main road, which, despite being full of taxis, buses and zooming motorcycles, as quite pleasant.  This was due to the fact that not only does this particular street have a sidewalk, but it is also home to a nicely paved bicycle path.  Walking along the wide, shaded path, I was immediately struck by how clean everything is here.  I remember walking around in Nicaragua and being disgusted by how much garbage, especially plastic bags, lined all the streets, but not here.  I didn't see a speck of litter on my whole journey, not even when I passed by 3 blocks worth of mechanics shops.  In fact, I saw several racks of garbage and recycling bins placed strategically along the way.  Oh, and a few neatly piled bags of garbage, but those were being systematically picked up by couples pulling wooden carts piled high with sacks of rubbage.  Or rather, the guy was pulling the cart, while his woman invariably rode on top of it.

About 3km from home, I still hadn't found the climbing wall that I had thought was in the neighborhood, so I turned around and zig zagged my way through smaller streets heading back in the direction I had come. Although these streets didn't have bike paths, they did generally have nice, shaded sidewalks, which was  relief since the temperature was beginning to rise.  Strolling along at a leisurely pace, I didn't have time to stop for groceries, but instead went straight home where my house mate was waiting to accompany me to lunch. 

Changing into nicer clothes and gathering all my papers for my first day of work, R and I walked around the corner to a little restaurant tucked away across the street from the National University.  Ordering a plate of rice with meat, corn and salad, we sat down and chatted while enjoying our meal. Everything was delicious, despite costing less than $4. Once we were done, R very generously offered to take me to work so I wouldn't get lost, and we headed towards the bus station. 

The bus station is located on the Regional, which is the largest road in town, with at least 4 lanes in either direction, and a river dividing the two sides. After watching several buses go by, R flagged one down that looked exactly like all the rest, other than a small white sign that said Caldera (I think).  Hopping on, we squeezed into the only 2 seats left and I did my best to peer out the window past the 2 people on either side of me. Driving past most of the city on our way, I got a good view of the taller structures, but couldn't see much else. We a metro station that had a raised walkway over the highway and river.  Marching across, I was rewarded with a gorgeous 360 deg view of the valley that houses the city of Medellin.

By this point, I was very grateful to have a companion, as I never would have found the entrance otherwise, but as soon as we made it past security, we found ourselves on a beautiful college campus.  The buildings all have courtyards between them, and as we walked past the library, which is itself a very impressive building, we passed through a small grove of trees, each dripping with orchid blossoms growing on their branches.  I will have to take some photos to pass along, just as soon as I'm comfortable enough not to feel like a complete tourist doing so.

Reaching the other end of campus, we located the building with Urbam's offices, but had to do several passes before we found the correct room.  Not too surprising since there the door was closed with no lights on.  Apparently my new employers hadn't expected me to be on time!  Not to worry, R and I enjoyed the view from the terrace while she pointed out the libraries she's working on documenting.  Half an hour later, all three of my new colleagues showed up fresh from their lunch break and began introductions.  Once everyone had become acquainted, my lovely chaperone issued directions for my return journey and headed back to her own work (which I'll have to tell you more about soon!).

The next hour or so was spent talking about what Urbam does, my background, and how they'd like to me to help out.  Without going into too much detail, the basic gist is that Urbam is in the process of becoming a hub for discussions and actions related to Urban and related environmental initiatives.  What they'd like me to do is figure out the best way to create an organized, but open, forum in which to connect projects and people in different areas.  aka, develop the framework for a website that will bring together all the divergent disciplines that relate to urban living in some sort of coherent manner.

The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering from one office to the next trying to sort out keys, ID cards, and foreigner registration.  By the time we finished up it was already 5pm and I was exhausted. Not only had I walked more that day than I had for a very long time, but I had also spent the last 6 hours speaking entirely in Spanish, which, as those of you who speak other languages know, and be both a satisfying and incredibly draining exercise.  So, I jammed myself into the metro with the 50,000 other people on their way home and took a very close ride back to my neighborhood.

A quick dinner at home with R and I was done, only to be woken by the traffic at 6am.  Leaving the house by 8, I found my own way to the bus stop and proudly managed to get off at the right place! I spent this morning reading up on Urbam and Medellin, had lunch with my co workers and then took a taxi ride to look at an option for living closer to the University.  Well, closer, but not quite as convenient as it turned out.  We spent the ride there stuck in traffic, but eventually arrived at what I was surprised to see was an incredibly spacious home.  With 3 half levels cut into a shallow slope, this house had 3 massive bedrooms, 3 large studies, 3 bathrooms, 2 living rooms, a kitchen that could comfortably hold 30 people and beautiful outdoor patio.  Although lovely all around, it turned out to be a little out of my price range, and is lacking a bus route anywhere nearby.  Where my current commute takes about 15 mins there and 20mins back by bus/metro (can't take the bus back because of the highway/river), the house I looked at today would have been at least a 25min walk, and uphill the whole way home.  Besides, I've become rather attached to my current roommate in our 48hrs together, so unless something truly amazing and cheap comes along, I think I might have to stay.  Of course, I might keep looking at places just to get to see more of the University neighborhood and the obviously nicer homes that occupy it.

Anyway, since we had a very long lunch break as a result of apt shopping, I ended up staying at work til 7pm, which made the metro much roomier, but my belly much grumblier.  Having satisfied my hunger, and described my recent adventures in way too much detail to all you lovely people, I am off to bed.  Have to be at work before 8:30am tomorrow (which I'm hoping means I can leave a little early and search for a different climbing gym on my way home =)



After the luxury of mozzying across the country and hanging out at home, I had gotten used to a laid back schedule.  Not anymore! 

Arrival

After an uneventful but very long, 18hr trip, I arrived in Medellín this afternoon. After being ushered through customs I was greeted at the airport by a lovely friend-of-a-friend who has very generously taken me under her wing and determined to make my introduction to Colombia as wonderful as possible. Apparently the Colombian's reputation for generosity and hospitality are not unfounded, as even our taxi driver wished to make my trip as pleasant as possible, to the point of purchasing a large crispy cookie-like crepe for me from a roadside-seller and insisting that I consume all of it while he pointed out the sites on our way into the city.

Getting dropped off in a neighborhood of lush gardens and well kept brick apartments of 4-6 stories, my host took me to her home and made sure I was comfortable while she called around to make arrangements for a late lunch. Shortly thereafter I was hustled out the door and across the shaded pedestrian walkways that crisscross the neighborhood. We arrived a friend's house who immediately placed piles of food on the table and kept up a constant stream of chatter as we consumed a delicious meal of cous cous chicken stew (or something like that).

As I glanced across the apartment, I was stunned by the panoramic view of the mountains that opened up from her balcony. Below was an open courtyard with apartments on all 4 sides, but none taller than those we were in, which faced the best views up the surrounding mountains. In case you can't tell by the description, I was impressed!

A much-needed cup of coffee later, my new friend took me back across the a few short blocks to collect my luggage before chaperoning me to a different friend's house where I will be staying for at least the near future (possibly longer depending on the commute). Here, I met a lovely young lady who is studying anthropology and whose current work coinsides quite beautifully with some of the the work i believe I'll be doing during my stay here. I will elaborate on all of that later, but for now, my new bed is looking far too inviting. Incredibly exhausted but happy and excited, I can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring!

Gearing Up

Having only recently become aware of Medellín, Colombia, I have since become fascinated by the city. Over the past decade, the city has managed to shed it's previous title as "the most dangerous city in the world" and transform into a safe and inviting place for locals and tourists alike. Much of this positive change can be attributed to the former mayor, Sergio Fajardo and his former Director of Urban Projects, Alejandro Echeverri. Working with the belief that “Our most beautiful buildings must be in our poorest areas” (Sergio Fajardo), this dynamic duo set about initiating major public works across the city. I was first introduced to these urban revolutionaries through the CurryStone Design prize, whose website does a much better job of describing their work, so for further reading, please check out
http://currystonedesignprize.com/2009/finalists/fajardo_and_echeverri

You're probably wondering by now, ok, so Medellín is a cool city with lots of exciting new architecture, but what exactly does that have to do with me? Well, through some awesome connections and a giant dose of good luck, I have been offered the opportunity to play a small part in these transformative works.

Having completed his post as Director of Urban Projects, Alejandro Echeverri recently became the director of Urb.am, the center for Urban and Environmental Studies at EAFIT University. There, he has compiled an interdisciplinary team of experts to study trends in urban society and their effect upon the environment (and vice versa). For those of you who understand Spanish, you can read up on Urb.am here (http://www.eafit.edu.co/centros/urb-am/Paginas/quienes-somos.aspx).

One of the center's current projects is documenting and analyzing the major architectural and urban works completed in Medellín over the past 8 years. Since these projects have evidently played an important role in the revitalization of the city, the obvious questions would be how and why. Apparently, I will get a chance to try and help answer those very important questions while working as a 'foreign consultant' at Urb.am for the next 6 months. Wish me luck! =)


The city of Medellín...as photographed by someone awesome, but whose website I cannot re-locate. If it's you, please let me know and I'd be happy to give credit.