Drugs

We headed to the city of Medellin over the past few days to explore the world of Pablo Escobar and the impact it had on Columbia. 

Our journey to Medellín started on the truck that had arrived the previous night. We got our first taste of a truck day, where we basically have a travel day on the truck to our next destination. 

To say the truck is huge is an understatement. It’s a converted tipper truck with a whole seating compartment on top, with all the luggage going beneath. 

Being on the truck all day was a great opportunity to get to know some of the others I’d be spending the next few months with. 

Half way on the road to Medellin, we had our first night camping. I was pretty excited to test out my new tent, which went up in just a few minutes. Some of the group cooked for us that night, then we went off to bed to lie in our boiling tents and try to get some sleep. 

The next day was an early wake up as we started the second leg to Medellin. Today we were driving over a mountain pass, at a height of 2,300 metres, and the views were just stunning. 

We arrived in Medellin late that night so it was pretty much straight to bed after dinner and a few drinks. 

The next morning, we took part in a Pablo Escobar tour. I didn’t know a huge amount about him other than the basics, so it was great to hear the whole story in more detail, including key locations in the city that contributed to his rise and fall. These included his grave, the prison he built for himself, and a memorial to all those he arranged to be killed. 

After that, a group of us made a trip to the local Irish pub to watch some rugby, which then turned into an evening full of shenanigans. 

It’s clear that drugs are still a huge part of the culture here in Columbia. Our tour guide from earlier told us it’s one of the cheapest country in the world to buy cocaine. In the evening, we met lots of Americans who had flown over for the weekend to do just that. Naughty people. 

We’ve now got another long journey to the small town of Salento, where we will spend a couple of nights.