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  #1  
Old Posted Nov 12, 2018, 5:08 PM
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hkskyline's 2018 in Medellin, Colombia

Nestled in the mountain valley, Medellin's once had a notorious reputation of drugs and violence, being home to Pablo Escobar's empire. The violence is gone, and they now welcome tourists with open arms, hoping word of mouth will spread on the city's renaissance. Despite its location near the tropical regions, its altitude at 1495m keeps the city fairly cool throughout the year.

































































More on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/medellin.htm

Stay tuned for the next part.
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  #2  
Old Posted Nov 12, 2018, 5:15 PM
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Thanks. Columbia really intrigues me in how it has gone from one of the least safe places to travel, to a very popular tourist destination.
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Old Posted Nov 12, 2018, 11:27 PM
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Wow. Did you go by yourself? Would you recommend it?
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  #4  
Old Posted Nov 13, 2018, 11:50 AM
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Wow. Did you go by yourself? Would you recommend it?
Yes, I joined a walking tour locally to get my bearings, but it was safe to roam around the city centre during daylight.
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Old Posted Nov 13, 2018, 5:23 PM
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Looks way more appealing than Bogota. I wonder if Colombia appears/feels more or less developed than Mexico (latin country I am most familiar with).
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Old Posted Nov 13, 2018, 10:09 PM
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Nice pictures! It reminds me of San Jose, Costa Rica, which is the only Latin American city I've been to.
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  #7  
Old Posted Nov 15, 2018, 6:55 AM
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You got guts dude.
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  #8  
Old Posted Nov 15, 2018, 1:05 PM
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In many cities, hillside locations with city views are prestigious districts where the wealthy call home. This isn't the case for Santo Domingo, which was once a crime-ridden barrio. As part of its rejuvenation, a cable car was built to connect the area with the metro line downhill, hoping better transport will allow residents to find jobs in the city. Having jobs meant less reliance on the drug trade. A library funded by Spain was opened in 2007 near the cable car terminus, although it was closed when I visited.











The neighbourhood is safe to explore during the day. A short walk from the cable car terminus is an observation point overlooking the valley and the entire city. It's hard to believe why this is not a multi-million dollar view. Life seems otherwise normal here, with kids playing, locals going about doing their business.



































More on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/medellin.htm

Stay tuned for the next part.
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  #9  
Old Posted Nov 15, 2018, 1:33 PM
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Thank you very much hkskyline! I have a good colombian friend who lives here in Québec City. He wants to convince me to visit Colombia but I'm too afraid for many reasons.
I have never travelled of my life outside of the western world. I know Colombia is beautiful and interesting but as a Canadian I am not confident to get there. It's easy to spot me as a tourist...and as someone that is coming from a ''Rich'' country, I believe I should take special cares to not show that I'm wearing ''expensive'' things, such as clothes or a watch etc... Is it that dangerous?

Just tell me what you think. Am I wrong? What special cares/measures should I take if I'm ever visiting ?

Thanks.
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  #10  
Old Posted Nov 15, 2018, 5:22 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FrAnKs View Post
Thank you very much hkskyline! I have a good colombian friend who lives here in Québec City. He wants to convince me to visit Colombia but I'm too afraid for many reasons.
I have never travelled of my life outside of the western world. I know Colombia is beautiful and interesting but as a Canadian I am not confident to get there. It's easy to spot me as a tourist...and as someone that is coming from a ''Rich'' country, I believe I should take special cares to not show that I'm wearing ''expensive'' things, such as clothes or a watch etc... Is it that dangerous?

Just tell me what you think. Am I wrong? What special cares/measures should I take if I'm ever visiting ?

Thanks.
Well, all the news reports over the years had my skepticism alarm ringing when Colombia was brought up as a vacation destination. But with safety in numbers and extra vigilance, things were OK even though I carried my SLR around quite prominently. We avoided venturing out after dark, but it was fine in certain areas of the city where there were bustling restaurants and good food.

Medellin had a crazy history but things have been cleaned up tremendously. Locals are very friendly to tourists, who see them as a sign of the city's revitalization. They go out of their way to help you see what they have got.
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  #11  
Old Posted Nov 16, 2018, 12:40 AM
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I think I'm going too!
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Old Posted Nov 16, 2018, 9:17 PM
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Awesome!
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  #13  
Old Posted Nov 16, 2018, 11:04 PM
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What time of year did you go?
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  #14  
Old Posted Nov 17, 2018, 1:53 AM
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What time of year did you go?
March, but the altitude keeps the city relatively cool despite being near the Equator.
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Old Posted Nov 18, 2018, 12:28 AM
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Awesome tour!
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  #16  
Old Posted Nov 20, 2018, 10:43 PM
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I can't decide whether to go to Argentina (Buenos Aires) or Colombia (Medellin, Bogota, etc) for travelling...! It will be around New Year's Eve. Any suggestions about which is better?
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  #17  
Old Posted Nov 22, 2018, 8:19 AM
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I've seen a good part of South America and always bypassed Colombia. Just to see the Botero sculptures would be worth it alone. And I love cities with steep hills with the housing crawling up the hillsides. And sometimes it's damn hard to remove a stain from a city, i.e, drugs, drug lords, etc. I would probably prefer Medellin and Cali to Bogota, as I now have COPD and question whether or not I could handle the 8600 feet in altitude.
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  #18  
Old Posted Nov 22, 2018, 8:28 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jens View Post
I can't decide whether to go to Argentina (Buenos Aires) or Colombia (Medellin, Bogota, etc) for travelling...! It will be around New Year's Eve. Any suggestions about which is better?
You do realize the seasons are reversed when you get that far south in Buenos Aires, so you'll be experiencing July type weather, could be very hot and humid, as there's no altitude in BA.

Cali/Medellin sits at roughly 4000 feet, and from what I've heard, nice weather year round.

I always look at the altitude factor to where I'm traveling. 9450 feet in Quito, 12,000 feet in La Paz, Bolivia.
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Old Posted Nov 22, 2018, 11:22 AM
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You do realize the seasons are reversed when you get that far south in Buenos Aires, so you'll be experiencing July type weather, could be very hot and humid, as there's no altitude in BA.
I'm in Sydney.
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  #20  
Old Posted Nov 22, 2018, 12:22 PM
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On the other side of the city, another former slum was also in need of revitalization. Line J opened in 2008 and reaches up the western slopes towards La Aurora across several hills with 2 stops along the way.







This line traverses up and down several hills, offering a more varied journey with changing landscapes. Medellin's skyline is closer here than from the Santo Domingo side.





















Unlike the Santo Domingo side, visitors are not recommended to get off at the terminus and explore around. This area is still being slowly gentrified and is not ready to receive tourists safely yet.





So we turned back with the same fare!

























More on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/medellin5.htm
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