The land of Eternal Spring

Booking an overnight bus of thirteen hours, from Cartagena to Medellin, we were not overly excited for the long journey ahead. However, overall it was a pretty smooth ride. After many hours of dozing in and out of sleep, and a couple of stops to stretch our legs and grab some snacks, we finally defended into Medellin. Although it can actually be cheaper to fly, it’s only so if you’re travelling with carry-on only. Also, once the sun began to rise, the views of the Colombian countryside made the trip totally worth it!

Arriving at the bus station in Medellin, we rubbed our tired eyes and hopped on the metro. Medellin is the only city in Colombia with a metro system, and it is amazing. It’s wildly convenient and can get you pretty much anywhere in the city in a short amount of time for about a dollar. However, for first time users there’s one little issue you should be told ahead of time.

Once the warning beeps sound, indicating the doors are about to close, you need to be out of the way fast. We didn’t know this of course, and I had gotten on with my bags and Mark was right behind me with his. As it was in the middle of morning rush-hour, the train was packed tight. The doors closed ON MARK! It’s also worth noting that these doors aren’t like most where you can just force them back open - the motor just keeps pushing! Everyone in the immediate vicinity was helping, arms grabbing at both the doors and Mark. Thankfully, they eventually pulled him in just as the train pulled away. He was a little scraped up, but fine overall. It was quite a wake up call!

After navigating where we needed to get off, we dropped our bags in the grass and stopped. We were too early to check into our new place and too tired to do anything after the long bus ride. We found a little cafe nearby and had a coffee and a bite to eat, staying there until we could check into our place.

A couple blocks down the road, we had found our apartment for the coming month. We walked in and were stunned. It was nicer than any of the other places we have stayed on this entire trip. A beautiful kitchen, balcony with fantastic view, and an amazing bed. We each had a long, hot shower, did our laundry and had a relaxing rest of the day, excited to be in our new home.