Travel Without Fear
The mass media paints the world as a very dangerous place. No one thinks a vacation in Syria is a good idea, but Syria has never been a serious alternative to Hawaii’s beaches.
It goes without saying that travellers and vacationers have to be alert. There are sharks off the coast of Hawaii and there are ‘sharks’ prowling the streets of Paris and New York.
All major cities, even your own, has neighbourhoods you should avoid, especially at 3am.
I enjoy Medellin, Colombia. The people are friendly. The climate is perfect. The WIFI is fast. The food is delicious. It is easy to get around safely. The countryside is beautiful.
But twenty-five years ago, Time magazine names Medellin: ‘The most dangerous city in the world’ and it was. It is a difficult rep to get rid of.
Today the city is much different.
I love to walk. So when I heard there was a free walking tour of the downtown area of Medellin, I jumped at the chance to go. Our guide, Juan from real City Tours, was funny, authentic, knowledgeable and not afraid to share his opinions of his city.
Juan, our guide, was 15 years old at the height of the violence in Medellin.
Standing at a street corner near his home in his teens, he and his four best friends watched a motorcycle drive by. The driver pulled out a gun and sprayed the crowd with bullets aiming for a rival drug gang member.
His four friends died that day. Juan had two bullets in his leg.
As we walked, it was obvious Juan knew the locals on the route. We were delighted at the sugar cane drink and coconut desserts they sold on the streets. Juan had a lot of respect for them and they often stopped to greet us and make us feel welcome.
One of the highlights of Medellin is Botero Square where you can see many, many statues created by Fernando Botero, the famous Colombian sculptor.
But the most moving Botero statues are found at San Antonio Park at the end of our tour. We walked up to two huge bird statues: The Bird of Peace.
One bird was in perfect shape, but the other had a huge gash across its belly and many other smaller holes.
San Antonio Park is a large square surrounded by wall art on the side of buildings, trees and outdoor restaurants.
Many evenings it is crowded as bands play live music and the people enjoy Medellin’s perfect weather.
On June 10th, 1995, the park was crowded. The people swayed to the music, laughing and talking. No one knew there were 22 pounds of dynamite at the base of the Botero bird statue.
When it blew, 23 people died. Hundreds were injured.
After the clean up, the mayor ordered the ruined bird carted off to the dump. His phone rang and Botero, the artist, convinced the mayor to leave the bird alone. If it was removed, no one would remember the tragedy of the park. Botero then donated a new bird to stand beside the damaged statue.
In the 1990’s, over 4,000 people a year died from the violence and countless others were injured or maimed.
Today, the citizens of Medellin live in peace. They know the price of irrational violence.
While, Colombia still trails many countries in Tourism, it is experiencing healthy growth as people begin appreciating its natural beauty, low cost of living and wide variety of climates. Medellin is becoming a popular hub for Digital Nomads and remote workers, thanks to clean, efficient cowering offices around the city, reliable electricity and Wifi.
About Scott Paton
Scott has been totally irresponsible ever since the last of his two sons left home and he realized he was an empty nester, having no responsibilities for the first time since his early twenties when he took off for Australia. Scott flew to Morocco, wandering thru Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Three years later, he shows no inclination to return to a respectable, responsible life. He prefers Star Trek over Star Wars, Superman over Ironman, reading over video games and traveling over a rocking chair.
Scott produces online video courses on too many topics to list. His latest course: “Unstoppable Self Confidence – Your Key to Success!” taught by Rachel Smets in now available on Udemy for a limited time over 90% off for Free-EBook subscribers.
