Medellin, city of eternal spring

After the bone shattering bus trip to Tolu we thought we were getting good at dealing with the bus journeys. But the forecasted 10hrs that turned into a 13hr drive from Tolu to Medellin, high in the Colombian hills, that was something else entirely. Firstly, all Colombian bus drivers are bonkers, over taking a semi trailer, on a blind corner doing 90kms an hour, halfway up a steep mountain with cliffs below, in the pouring rain, thats normal. This was all of the above, with added mudslides on every other bend, torrential rain, and thick fog. Lucky it eventually got dark. We ascended a pass so fast we both got dizzy. And for some unknown reason all buses keep the air con on so high that the locals all climb aboard with thick blankets and woolly hats.

The landscape we drove through was lush enough to take our minds off it all though. We followed the Rio Magdelena and its rushing flood waters for miles. It was delightful to finally arrive in Medellin, named the city of eternal spring, with is mild weather and districts laid out in the center of a huge valley. So far it has been one of our favourite places. Some of the hills are so steep they use cable cars, a great way to see the city.

Colombian artist Fernando Botero's huge art works