Free walking tours!

Something that was mentioned to us many times before arriving in Medellin were the free walking tours, and how great they are. So one of the first things we did was book three different tours and were super happy with them all. It was a great way to see certain communities of the city and be shown what areas were safe and which areas to be a little more cautious in - or to outright avoid. The very informed guides also went into great detail about the history of the area and stories of the people.

The first tour we did was a tour of the notorious Comuna 13. A community in the hills of Medellin that has had, and continues to have some hardships. The government has recently been putting money into the area and progress is being made. The walls are painted in the most vibrant street art, there are break-dancers in the streets, music, shops and food stalls dotting the whole community.

As a part of the forward movement, the government installed escalators in the alleyways to help the people of the community get to and from the centre of the city for work, as well to help the kids have easier access to the school on the top of the hill. A big part of this movement was aimed to help keep children in schools and away from selling drugs on the street, which many of us know this is a big part of Colombia’s past.

The tour guide was a local of the area herself which was a great attribute to the authenticity of the tour. She grew up and survived some of the harshest times the community experienced, and was proud to bring foreign visitors to what was once one of the most dangerous neighbourhoods in the world. Her story really put into perspective how well so many of us have it growing up in other parts of the world.

One of her favourite places to go was this little locally owned, homemade popsicle shop. They made juice out of the local fruits, mixed it with cane sugar and poured it into little plastic cups with a popsicle stick in it. The cups are simply placed in a freezer until ready! Some of the flavours were passionfruit, mango, guava banana, and my favourite - queso! A cheese popsicle! It tasted like cheesecake with feta chunks in it. It was absolutely delicious. For less than a dollar we had no issue revisiting for more on several occasions.

We stayed after the Comuna 13 tour to have a beer at one of the hip little cafes. The combination of beautiful weather and laid back vibe of the community made it hard to leave.

Check out the pictures of the amazing street art in this community.