I was back in Medellin in June, for a full week – in the past I would do a long weekend like Thursday – Sunday. I didn’t break any new ground in Medellin – just had a great time with my favs Carolina and Ledey along with a couple of new ones thrown in.

Sunday and Monday can be quiet in Medellin, but the Street Girls are still out in force on Calle 53, so if you find yourself in Medellin on those days, I would suggest checking out the street scene.

One thing I did on this trip that was a great deal of fun was rent a car and drive to Penol and Guatape. Last year I rented a car and drove to Santa Fe which is a good three hours in each direction – a little long for a day trip. Also, I was disappointed when I got to Santa Fe. Nothing really to do – although I’m told the hot springs are great, but I missed those. The drive up was the best part of the trip. The road is narrow and winding but the scenery is nothing short of spectacular as you make your way through the mountains.

Well I didn’t want to go back to Santa Fe, but I read about Penol and Guatape. They are two separate towns about 6 miles apart – and you can make it there easily in under two hours – that includes stopping for refreshments and getting pulled over by the police (more on that later).

So I had Ana Maria of the Torre Poblado Apartments call a rental car place. As it happens, she called Easy Rent a Car www.easy-rentacars.com who I used last year. On a side note, Hertz and Avis were in Colombia last year, but it looks like they pulled out all operations throughout Colombia, including Cartagena where they definitely had a presence last year.



They basically gave me three choices:

Twingo or Corsa for 125,000 a day
Symbol for 140,000 a day
Ford Explorer for 180,000 a day

These were the cash prices and included all fees and taxes. It also included free delivery and pick-up of the vehicle at the Torre Poblado – very convenient.

You can pay by credit card – they take all the majors – but the price is higher. I paid cash.

They showed up with the car promptly at 9am on a Sunday morning. It takes about 30 minutes to fill out all the paperwork. The two guys, Almado and Libardo were very friendly and very service-oriented. One of them even drew me a detailed map to get me on the road to Penol/Guatape.

As there are checkpoints throughout Colombia on the roadways, it’s important to let the agency know where you are going – you need a car with paperwork giving you permission to go outside of Medellin which may be inspected at these checkpoints.
They also told me if I had any trouble with the car – accident or otherwise – to call them immediately and to not involve the police. They also said that if I was pulled over by the police to tell them a friend lent me this car – not to say the car was rented. They said the police tended to impound rented cars for no go reason – maybe that’s why Hertz and Avis no longer do business in Colombia. They went over the registration/insurance forms just in case I was pulled over.

Then I had the choice to give them my passport as security or 1,000,000CP – which they would charge against my AMEX. To me a no brainer – I don’t give my passport to anyone – charge my card $450!

I then waited for Carolina who was running late. I had a nice conversation with Socrates69, who was checking in, having just arrived from Caratagena. I invited him to come with us as Carolina was bringing along her cousin (I had no idea what she looked like). Socrates said he was a little tired, but if the cousin was hot to give him a call.

Well, Carolina showed up a little while later with her 12-year old cousin, so I let Socrates get his rest. And thus the journey started.



I’m getting very familiar with Medellin after 5 trips and I sorta knew how to get to the road that would lead us to Penol/Guatape. As it happens, it’s the same road that leads to Santa Fe, but you turn off it way before you would if you were going to Santa Fe.

Everything was going great and we were finally on the outskirts of the city and at the foot of the road that would lead us through the mountains when two policemen signaled for me to pull over. He asked for my papers and I was happy to give him my driver’s license, passport and vehicle documents. He asked me when I got to Medellin and how long I was staying. Then he looked through my passport and saw an entry stamp for April but no exit stamp. So he asked me if I’d been here since April and handed me my passport. I flipped through the pages and was able to find the April exit as well as the June entry.

Then he said I was pulled over because I didn’t have my headlights on. Damn! The car rental guys told me to make sure my headlights were on at all times, but I forgot – something easy to forget when it’s bright sunshine at 11am.

I told him in my best Spanish that he was right, I was wrong and there’s no problem if he wanted to give me a ticket.

He was smiling throughout and he was just about to let me go when Carolina suddenly said, you know he’s from New York, he doesn’t know the laws here. And then the cop got pissed. Started yelling that’s no excuse, and that she should know the laws because she’s from Colombia and the fine is 300,000 ($125).

I was ready to backhand Carolina, but I just turned to the cop and said, the law is the law, it’s my fault, no problem – I’m very stupid. And then he just looked at me, laughed and handed me my ID and papers and said have a nice day and walked away!

The last thing I’m going to do is challenge a Colombian policeman – especially when I can get out of the situation for $125. As Kenny Rogers said, you got to know when to hold ‘em, and know when to fold ‘em.

By the way, the entire conversation was in Spanish, except where I kept saying “Mea Culpa”, which I now realize is Latin, not Spanish – but I guess it worked since I was in “Latin America”.

Finally we were on our way. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the countryside is spectacular. And the road is dotted with small restaurants serving up great food at cheap prices, so once we were well underway, we stopped for a bite to eat



Penol has this huge rock formation that has an observatory at the top and the views are incredible. We drove up there and hung out for a while. There are stands with food and beverages and we just soaked up the atmosphere for a while.

Photos: Carolina - Medellin 01 02



We then made our way to Guatape, which has a nice lake and a bunch of restaurants, hotels, bars and cafes. These are definitely bring-a-date places – everyone is with someone here.

We parked the car and walked along the lake. There are party boats that go out on the lake for an hour or two, but we rented our own boat with a couple of guys for an hour. I can’t remember the price but it was really cheap, like 15,000CP ($6)

It was nice being out on the water – you could see the rock formation at Penol from the water. All in all a very nice day.

Photos: Carolina - Medellin 03 04 05



We stopped at a café in town and got something to drink. Carolina got very upset because the woman charged us 6,000CP ($2.50) for three fruit drinks. She said the price should have been half that. Out and out told them woman that she was robbing me. I guess it’s the natural reaction to see a Gringo and double the price. With Carolina it’s the principle – me, I don’t worry about $1.25.

We headed back to the car and started driving towards Medellin. I prefer not to drive at night in those mountains – the roads aren’t lit and I’m not all that familiar with them. Still, that didn’t stop me from having an incredible piece of Chorizo at a small roadside stand! This place didn’t even have lights – just whatever light was generated from the wood-burning grill. Incredible.

We made it back to Medellin without getting too lost. I put Carolina and her cousin in a cab, went upstairs to freshen up and gave Ledey a call to tell her to swing on by.

WS, thanks for planning out my next MDE trip itinerary, what a great city to have so much to explore and do.

Gotta tell you, your story about Carolina at the cafe and with the police reminds me of how fiercely protective my novia is with me as well. It's funny how my sweet demur gal can suddenly get in-your-face with the locals. She seems to take it much more personally than I do. But this protectiveness gets problematic sometimes as one time my novia erases all my female contacts on my cellphone while I'm taking a shower.

Thanks again for the great info.

Well, third times the charm. I had trouble posting the photos, but they are up in the other thread. I'll ask Hombre to delete my two errors.

Hey Merl,

I really had a great time driving around - I very well may rent a car for the duration of my next trip.

Carolina is very quiet and reserved so it really shocked me when she started mouthing off to the cop. Especially since he wasn't coming across heavy-handed or menacing.

And it was my stupidity. The rental car guys specifically told me to keep my headlights on - and I promptly forgot that as soon as I pulled out.

Wallstreet; I would almost recomend you change your handle to Explorer, but that handle is already taken.

It takes a lot of guts to rent a car and go off exploring the country side. Those are some nice tourist pics of Penol, and of course Carolina looks hot as usual.

It looks like there is a set of stairs in that crevis on the side of the mountain. Did you try to climb up that thing? I wonder what the view is like.

RG.

Wallstreet
- thanks for paving the way for the rest. I have been considering doing the same on my next trip but was not sure what to expect. What direction did you head off....my plan would take me toward the coast and the city Turbo, where there is a mud volcano. I have heard mixed things about this particular road. i.e no problem during the day to no way many of those town are pure paramilitary and there are guerillas in the mountains. either way daytime is the only time to drive.

Merlin
- I keep all of the girls phone numbers in a PDA with a password to display. This way your girlfriend/wife cannot see our erase.

Well-- over din din you sure built up my enthusiasm over Columbia (what's new?) and I thoroughly enjoyed your well balanced report (what's new?). I ain't about to drive around columbia just yet, but I will be there soon-- very soon.

Great c'in ya and you got some serious mojo working down south

WS thanks for the write up. as for the field trip, you should have woke me up! j/k. thanks for letting me rest, i was still nursing a flu (fever, chills, etc) i caught on the flight to co.

also, let me just say that carolina was breathtaking. In fact, i was surprised you didn't hang with her more often than you did (btw, if you're done with her..i'll take her off your hands... ;)).

merl...."as one time my novia erases all my female contacts on my cellphone while I'm taking a shower."

damn, that's harsh.

thanks for the warning as a few gals perused through my address book and got pissed/sad at all the numbers i had acquired. actually, i wouldn't be surprised if we were talking about the same chica as i've noticed that mongers tend to pick the same girls. in reading co TRs (some were quite old) on adult websites (ch and others), i couldn't believe the number of girls i either spent time with or recognized from my stay.

Wallstreet:

greeat info...thank you ...i now have to make medellin one of my upcomming trips. Carolina is beautiful (except giving the cops more info than needed...did you sense the feeling of "Midnight Express"...nice job.

btw...

in re to the sg scene that slow night, i concur that there were a handful of girls....very unexpected. unfortunately, only one sg stood out...the one i first noticed with the nice ass that was across the street. It was the girl that you and juan were suggesting that i pick. unfortunately, i noted that her body language and demeanor were all wrong, so i looked around for others.

btw, on another night while i was upstairs with yet another sg in one of those hotels on calle 53, juan asked the hottie (the one i had a bad feeling about) what her rate was. she quoted him 40k for 30'....yikes!

(Message edited by socrates69 on July 27, 2005)

Nice scenery and your GF is cute. All in all it looked like you had a lot of fun.

Yoosin, Soc. no worries about the erasing of #s, I had a blast recreating my blackbook :-) I now store all my #s on an internet contacts program with a password.

Wallstreet,

Colombia is looking better all the time, especially after seeing your photos. It looks like you had a great time with some beautiful women.

Just one quick question: If I ever get there do you think that I should rent a car like you did and risk it? I don't think I'm anywhere near as lucky as you.

Roadglide:

I’m told that as long as you drive during the day, there’s really no danger. Also, I figure the car rental guys aren’t going to rent me a car unless they figure they have a really good chance of getting it back.

Those are stairs on that mountain and there were people making the trek all the way up. I figured it was anywhere between 30-40 stories high. My office is on the 24th floor and I’ve had to use the stairs a few times over the years in both directions. Based on that, no way was I going up AND down 30-40 stories. Though they might be ramps and not stairs which would make it easier. The view must be spectacular. But it was good enough from where we were standing.

Yoosin:

I went in the same direction you would be going to Turbo



From what I see on the map, that would be quite a drive – I’m not sure if you could make it in one day. It’s not that it’s far, it just that the road goes through the mountains, so you’re going up and down and not very high rates of speed.

Last year it took me three hours to drive to Santa Fe, which on the map is not far at all. And it’s maybe 100km, so the average speed is really slow. Of course, if I didn’t stop at every other Chorizo stand, I might have made better time.

Either way I’ve always heard the same thing: NEVER drive at night outside of the city. There are PLENTY of small, quaint-looking hotels between Medellin and Santa Fe – I’m sure there are plenty more between Santa Fe and Turbo.

DonMarco:

Always a pleasure seeing you – thanks for dinner! Now study up on your Spanish!

Socrates:

Nice hanging out with you as always. Carolina is great, no two ways about it – I’m not quite through with her but if you want her number no problema. I was having a great time with Ledey, plus she had no problems with me bringing in another girl, Danita. Add to that I have some really weird sexual proclivities that Carolina tolerates but Ledey enjoys. And no I won’t expound on what they are.


Diversity:

At all times the officer was very respectful and not at all menacing – the only thing I was concerned about was how much it was going to cost. Once I realized it was “only” 300,000 I was relieved.

I wonder if things would have gone the same if I didn’t have my passport. I know a lot of guys carry copies of their passport, but this guy was interested in seeing the entry and departure stamps. I don’t think most guys carry copies of those pages. Something to think about.

Tight Fit:

Thanks – this trip was a lot of fun.

Jaguar:

About renting a car, I’m seriously thinking about renting a car for the duration of my next trip. These guys will even meet you at the airport with the car and it’s a really nice drive in. Plus, the Torre Poblado where I stay has an underground parking garage.

As for you, I don’t know. I didn’t rent a car until my second trip and even then I wound up getting lost as I really didn’t have my bearings. I was supposed to go to Santa Fe with my then favorita but we drove in circles for 4 hours and I finally gave up. I rented another car two days later and the rental agent had me follow his car to the foot of the mountain where the road to Santa Fe was. It was a good 8-10 miles from where I rented the car, I would have never found it myself.

But now I have a few trips under my belt. I don’t know all the short-cuts, but I can get around pretty good. Medellin is very spread out –takes a little while to get your bearings.

Wallstreet,

Thanks for these wonderful photos of Penol/Guatape. Really nice scenery and thanks for the write-up. Carolina is as breath taking as the scenery around Medellin. What a combination. I am really impressed how you handled the situation with the cop. My Spanish is so limited I wonder if I would have been able to get out of a situation like that. Seems like Colombian girls are very protective of their friends, novio, etc. I remember a situation in Cali where my novia became really angry at a waiter in a bar when he asked us to either buy a full bottle of liquor or sit in a different section and she was so mad that he insulted her American novio. I had never seen that side of her and was completely surprised by her demeanor. I thought she was the nicest person on the planet before that. Anyway, great report and I still plan to visit Medellin one day when it is not such a popular place on this board.

Phd

Thanks Wallstreet, Juan the taxista told me it would take about 6 1/2 hours to get to my untimate destination 'Apartado' which is within about an hour of Turbo.

My wifes family tells me not worry because the barrio is all paramilitary and I would be protected - I am think, Oh GREAT just what I need protection from the paramilitary of Colombia. Based on my conversation with Juan none of that is necessary any longer anyway.

Maybe something to consider next summer.

Wallstreet,

Carolina is a very good subject.

Some cosmetic surgery here and there and she would be ready for Playboy.

Photo: Carolina Before

Photo: Carolina After

But again, she looks fine as is.


Cubanut

PhD - The scenery is even better in person (obviously). Carolina is fun and she photographs well - looks like Colombianas all have that protective streak in them. She doesn't talk too much and she's soft-spoken so I couldn't believe it when she talked back to the cop.

But again I have to say he never acted unprofessionally and didn't come across like he was shaking me down. Don't know if they're all like that.

It just sounds like Medellin has a lot of guys going to it. It's not AC or the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok. It's REALLY spread out with a lot of neighborhoods - and there are 1.5 million people.

I've NEVER run into a SINGLE gringo at any strip club, bar or even restaurant. But then again, I don't eat at McDonald's .

Yoosin:

Well, Juan would know - 6.5 hours isn't too bad. And I bet the journey would be spectacular.

Cubanut:

Obviously I don't have as discerning an eye as you, but I don't see any difference between the two photos. Of course I'm just switching them back and forth on my screen.

BTW, funny you mentioned Playboy. I sent them a set of photos last week - at Carolina's request. We'll see if there's any response.

WS

cubanut...i do not see any difference between the before and after pics....guess i can be considered one of the old guys and need to get my eyes checked.....

in either pic...carolina is beautiful. where is she from...agency...independent....friend???

Cubanut....i think you posted the same pic buddy..

Rio_Rockstar

Diversity:

Carolina is a university student (really) who who I got through an agency. That agency is no longer around, so I deal with her directly at a much lower cost.

Come on guys. There is a difference what Cubanut posted. I saw the difference very first time. For a start, just look at her hair. In the before photo she has a few hair on her face and in the 2nd they disappear. I let you find the rest.

Cubanut, how did you do that? Adobe Photoshop?

One thing I didn't mention is once again how great the food is in Medellin. There are many types of restaurants from small stands that dot the roadways on the outskirts of the cities to the traditional semi-open restaurants (one or more walls totally exposed) serving great grilled meats.

There are also tons of places that serve great chicken at dirt cheap prices. I ate at one in Centro - had 1/2 roasted chicken and "jugo con leche" fresh fruit shake made with milk, served in a plastic quart-sized pitcher for 3,400CP ($1.30)

There is NO reason to eat at the one McDonald's in town. None.

If you find yourself in front of the McDonald's, do yourself a favor. Walk 50 feet to the entrance of the Oviedo Mall, go down the walkway and head to the food court. Plenty of good places to eat, including a brach of Leno's y Carbon a great steak chain. And plenty of great chica-watching as you're enjoying your meal.

I can almost understand how some guys would travel to Bangkok and not be inclined to try their culinary treats - a lot of the food is very different than American food, it can be VERY spicy and that insect cart outside Nana Plaza can send the faint of heart running towards Tony Roma's. (That being said, Bangkok is probably my favorite eating city, right behind New York and Paris).

But there should not be any such concerns in Medellin. This is all food you can relate to - no fried grasshopper here.

This is a list of restaurants I ate at on this past trip - actually I've eaten at each one at least three times in the past year, and they all get my seal of approval.

1. La Doctora - great typical Colombian cuisine. The place is semi-enclosed (like many restaurants) and the food is great - meats, poultry (no fish I think). Located near the Oviedo Mall right in back of the Hotel Poblado Plaza. If the taxi doesn't know the restaurant, they know the hotel. (Lunch and Dinner)

2. Las Palmitas - that's the place with the great view and the semi-private wooden "cubicles" if you will. Again, typical Colombian cuisine and a good place to go for coffee and dessert.

Incredible view of the city. Open for dinner and I'm pretty sure lunch as I passed by there at lunchtime and there were a lot of cars in the parking lot. Las Palmitas Disco is adjacent and a good place for drinking and dancing.

3. San Carbon - great steaks and a great view of the city as well. It's not far from Las Palmitas, but not as well known. I've been there for lunch and dinner. They make a nice margarita and have a good wine list. Exact address is:
Via Las Palmas x Transversal Inferior Calle 14 # 30-10 Tel. 312-7521 or 311-7602

One thing - I gave the taxi driver the restaurant's business card and he drove me to Las Palmitas. He didn't even know the address. But just down the road from Las Palmitas is a billboard with San Carbon on it saying it's the next right.

4. La Fragata - great seafood restaurant. Food and service are exemplery. Live piano player. The only thing is it's a very formal setting (no dress code - saw other people in very casual attire) so if you take someone who's not very sophisticated, they may be intimidated.

It's attached to a Hotel, the Park 10 I beleive. Also, as point of reference, with La Fragata on your left, if you continue up the hill, you'll find San Carbon on the left-hand side about a mile up.

All of these places are good and not expensive. They all take credit cards including AMEX.

Wallstreet I absolutely concure, enjoy the typical foods of the area while you are there.

except I also skipped the roasted beetle while in BKK. I was told by a local that the street cooked Satay chicken is pretty good. But he also told me not to eat the dark meat Satay because it could be anything (dog, rat, whatever). You wlll probably not see this in Colombia
Juices - I enjoyed
all made with or without milk
maracuya con leche (passion Fruit)
mora con leche (rasberry)
lulo con leche (Some tropical fruit)

If you like meats the Colombian kitchen can't be beat. I frequented the restaurants around parque lleras during my short stay and they where all pretty good. I tried salads, Thai & and a steak that looked more like half of a roast.

Al roja - Italian
unknown - grill & Sushi across from Al Roja
Thaico - Thai food, always packed.

La Fragata also has a restaurant in CTG just outside of the old city near Plaza San Diego. It is also bery good. The last time I ate there I tried thier lobster. Out came a plate with three large lobster tails each prepared a different way.

Great Report, Planning a trip to Medellin myself. any info of how to contact Carolina?

I got in on this a bit late, since I was in Medellin when this report was filed:

WS says: " I kept saying “Mea Culpa”, which I now realize is Latin, not Spanish – but I guess it worked since I was in “Latin America”. "

I think you meant to say "Disculpa Me." At least that is what my novia says to me when she wants me to forgive her for doing something stupid. Of course I always do.