Medellin Day Two

For weeks before I arrived in Medellin, the long-term weather forecast was the same every day:  thundershowers and rain.  But when I arrived, Medellin lived up to its nickname of the City of Eternal Spring.  The weather is perfect here - for me - although maybe a little to humid for most people.  It is 70 to 80 all day, mostly overcast, and seems to rain only at night and not for very long.  Perfect.  So when I realized I would not have to ride in the rain, I quickly booked a bike tour.

The company suggested a taxi to the start of the tour since the Metro would have involved a transfer and a long walk.  Taxis are cheap here and they told me it was a fifteen minute ride.  Hah!  From what I have seen already, traffic is terrible here in general, but we got stuck behind an accident so the fifteen minute ride took over an hour.  Fortunately, it turned out that I was the only one in the tour that day, and my guide, Moe, waited for me.  So off we went on my favorite kind of tour - just me with a young man younger than most of my children who was willing to go at my pace.  Even after starting forty five minutes late, the four hour bike tour took five hours.

Our first stop was the stadium where I had watched the futbol game last night.  It turns out that this is the premier sports complex for national caliber athletes in all sports.  I had noticed some gymnastics and volleyball last night, but they also have swimming pools, baseball, and a track and field stadium.  All of Colombia's serious athletes end up in this complex.

After an easy ride through the valley, Moe took me up our first hill to have a beautiful view of the city.  I had all my excuses ready - I haven't ridden much since the winter, the elevation here is over 6,000 feet, I didn't eat a good breakfast - so it was no surprise that I had to walk my bike most of the way up the hill.  And I was huffing and puffing from the walk.  But the view was worth it as I took my official Claremonster Riding in Medellin picture.

Moe was just as interesting and informative as Juan was yesterday.  Moe's father is Colombian and his mother Bolivian so he was born and raised in ... Boston.  Of course.  Solidly in the gig-economy millenial world (although he insisted he is too old to be a millenial) he has figured out a way to earn a living as a bike guide, augmenting his income with various contract work.  He has guided in Boston and Bolivia and now lives in Medellin with his wife and toddler son.  Stretching the four hour tour to five was not just because I am slow, but I was enjoying talking to Moe.

After riding down the hill, we rode to the other side of the Medellin River to the new science and technology area that Paisas are very proud of.  Next to the Innovation Center, complete with a high tech incubator, is an interactive science museum modeled after San Francisco's Exploratorium, a planetarium, and an aquarium.  Paisas are serious about creating safe, open spaces for families.



Next to that complex is the Botanical Gardens which is really the pride of Medellin.  Colombia is a huge country, larger than Germany, France, and Spain combined.  I had read before I came that it has more interior water (rivers and lakes) than the United States which I found incredible.  It also has ten percent of all of the plant species in the world, many of them on display in the Botanical Gardens.  The centerpiece of the gardens is the Orchideorama - a massive wooden structure designed to divert rainwater to the orchid displays, leaving the people dry, even when it is raining.





Moe explained to me that the city was investing in itself through a unique method.  Neighborhoods, and I think individual buildings, are assigned to a strata based on their socioeconomic class.  A municipal agency provides utilities - gas, electric, water, and TV/internet - to each building with different rates for each strata.  Thus strata 5 and 6, the wealthiest, essentially subsidize strata 1 and 2, the poorest.  In addition, the agency invests thirty percent of its revenues in developing new urban areas.  And if you live in strata 1 or 2, you can go to the science museums and other public places for free by showing your utility bill.  Also, there is free wi-fi in most of the city.

From the botanical garden Moe and I rode to the downtown area where we both had a unique experience.  Crossing a busy highway was an old man with no legs, no teeth, and only seven and a half fingers, riding in his wheelchair, and he asked Moe to give him a "tow."  I thought this was an every day experience for Moe, but he told me later that it had never happened before.  He was a bit nervous, and was trying so hard to keep the man steady.  Although there was lots of traffic of course, we were riding alone in the bus lane, so I had a good view.  I was really worried that the wheelchair was not designed for the speed we were riding and would keep going into an intersection when we stopped.  Although I am a cautious two hands on the handlebars rider, I could not resist pulling out my phone and taking a few pictures.  Moe was thrilled that I even got a short video but since I don't wear reading glasses when I ride, I have no idea how I did that.  I also have no idea if the video will work in this blog.

After a mile or so, the man thanked Moe profusely and left us.  Fortunately, he was holding on to Moe's book rack with the hand that had all five fingers.

At the beginning of the tour, Moe told me that we were to ride up two hills.  After four hours of flat riding, I thought he had decided to bag the last hill because I was such a slow rider, but no, he saved the best for last.  I rode (most of the way) up Nutibara Hill where there is a kitschy Paisa village reproduction and a great 360 degree view of the city.

We never stopped for lunch, so I really earned my dinner today.  After turning in my bike, I walked through the Laureles neighborhood and the sports complex to the Metro.  Rush hour on the Metro was not fun but taking a taxi in the horrible traffic did not sound like a great idea.  Back in El Poblado, my neighborhood, I ate in a good restaurant, and went back to my apartment.  No nightlife for me tonight.