October 28 – 29, 2013

Our first day in Medellin was a little anti-climactic, Chandler and I went to the dentist to get our teeth cleaned on a budget. Colombia is becoming a popular medical tourism spot. Lots of people come from the US and other places for expensive procedures at reduced rates.

We had a mellow night and watching the Red Sox beat the Cardinals to during the world series at our hostel. ESPN was all in Spanish, so we had WEEI Red Sox radio streaming on wifi while watching the picture on the TV with about a 3 second delay on the TV broadcast.

The next day, we caught a bus to El Peñol de Guatapé outside of Medellin. My dad had sent me a photo of a giant rock with stairs climbing up the side once he realized we were serious about going to Colombia and it looked like it was worth checking out.

El Peñol de Guatapé

It was pretty warm and humid when we arrived and were warned that the 740 stairs would take us about 45 minutes to climb. We doubted this number, timed ourselves and made it to the top in under 15 minutes including a break.

That’s a lot of stairs

The climb was worth it and we were rewarded with a stunning view.

Worth the climb

At the top

A vulture

At the top there were a few shops selling over priced beverages and cheap knick-knacks, so we only stayed long enough for pictures. The climb down was much easier but a little scarier, because now I could see how far I could fall. We took a auto rickshaw taxi to the town of Guatapé for dinner. Chandler ordered a very meaty dish.

Bendeja paisa is a traditional Colombian meal for farmers. This meal had enough calories to fill a farmer in a full day’s work. The pile of food was made up of rice and beans, fried plantains, avocado, a mound of ground beef, two sausages, a slice of pork belly, topped with a fried egg and a nice healthy tablespoon of salad on the side.

Bendaje paisa

Sheep detail

Flower

After a long walk through town, we took a bus back to Medellin to take in another Red Sox victory.