On To Medellin

When you hear "Medellin" what is the next word that pops in your head? Is it 'cartel'?

That would be true for me and for a lot of people of my generation who remember reading about the drug wars in Medellin and Colombia in the 1970s and 1980s. But it all pretty much ended about two decades ago with the death of Pablo Escobar, the head of the Medellin Cartel, who was gunned down in 1993 by the Colombian government at his hideout here in Medellin.

Today Medellin, Colombia's second largest city, is considered to be a wonderful tourist destination. We've heard people sing its praises throughout our trip.

We just got here late yesterday after a pleasant six hour bus ride from the south. The road follows the Cauca River most of the way.

Medellin is huge. About 2.7 people live in the city, and another million in the surrounding towns. What makes it not as overwhelming to tourists, however, is its wonderful Metro, which we tried out last night. The main line goes north and south with an additional line going from the center to the West. The fare is less than $1. There is a station just a few blocks from our hostal. We'll be using it a lot.