Medellín!

Medellín. For most around the world, the name of this city would draw a blank. For many others it would bring forth images of cocaine, drug cartels, violence and Pablo Escobar. The latter is an inseparable part of Medellín's history. Spoken of as one of the most dangerous cities in the world until a decade ago, Medellín has since begun a process of breakneck development & reform. The paísas, as the local people of Antioqueña province are known seem to have decided that the only way to wash their incredibly beautiful land off the sins and violence of the cocaine trade is to look to the future and strive for prosperity. And it seems to be working. I looked forward to my visit to Medellín with mixed emotions. My primary reason for going was a combination of fascination to walk around in what was once the HQ of the world's cocaine trade, a city with a history of intense conflict and violence and also to visit C, who had very kindly invited me to stay at her house with her husband and son. By now I knew that Colombian hospitality was not something to be refused and so I booked my tickets to Medellín or the "City of Eternal Spring" as its known in Colombia.

I landed in the airport that services Medellín at 9 AM on Saturday. The airport is about 55 kms outside the city (whinging Bangaloreans please note) and C and her son were meant to pick me up at the airport. Sure enough, I was warmly greeted and as we got into C's car she said, "Well...we have an action packed day ahead of us so I hope you are ready". And boy was she right.

We started off by driving through the small pueblos or little towns that surround Medellín instead of taking the direct freeway into the city. Immediately, I was struck by the sheer natural beauty that envelops this part of the country. Antioquia is in the valleys of the Andes with hills and mountains all around. The scenery is unimaginably lush and reminiscent of Wayanad and Coorg in the monsoons when the green all around you is that much more greener, the air that much more crisp. After spending a few minutes in one of the picturesque towns, we stopped of at a nature park outside the city. I assumed it was only for sight seeing purposes but I didn't yet know C well enough! After the customary photos, I was taken to the bar and welcomed with a double shot of Aguardiente! As the refreshing and warm liquid went down I noticed that it was 9:50 A.M. A good way to start the weekend!

Following the 60 ml of pure aniseed liquor, we proceeded into the city and again the drive into Medellín is one of unparalleled beauty because you descend from the mountains into a steep valley and the views of the city as you descend are breathtaking. Much of the first half of the day was spent visiting popular sights like the Pueblito Paisa which is a restored Antioquian township set atop a hill with great views of the city, the city centre which is a bit seedy and full of noise and colour, the University area with breezy open squares, live music, happy families and couples everywhere. Lunch was at "Casa Grande" or the big house meaning C's family home where the entire family meets on Saturdays for Frijoles and paisa food. This comprises beans, fried pork, fried beef, fried sweet bananas, fried unripe bananas and arequipe sweets. Again, I met with an entire Colombian family of about 15 people who more or less adopted me by the end of the meal! This is the 3rd time this is happening and I cannot but feel that Colombians and especially the Paisas are among the warmest people in the world. After lunch, a bit of joking around and family chat, a quick "tinto" or black Colombian coffee later we were off again. This time we had left C's son back at the family home and I soon knew why. We were going to North Medellín. Zona Rosa or the Red Zone as it was/is known.

In Medellín, the city is highly stratified. The South is where Poblado is. Full of high rises, glitzy shopping malls, spic and span streets, orderly traffic and a very European feel. The centre is more representative of Colombia with noise, colour, shady areas, commerce everywhere and cheap, good eats. The hills to the south is the unofficial red zone. Until a decade ago, it would have been very foolish to do what we were about to do: i.e. visit this part of the city. The most unfortunate decades in Medellín's history, when Pablo Escobar almost singlehandedly brought La Violencia here, this part of the city was his HQ. The HQ of the world's cocaine trade.

In order to get to this area, we rode the metro up to the edge of the zone and then there were a series of cable cars that serviced the remaining portion of the city. This was done because the entire south comprises a series of steep hillocks where a metro rail would be impossible. The ingenuous engineers conceived a way to link cable cars to the metro to enable the populace living in this very rough part of the city to access the jobs that were available in the centre and north. The cable cars were built only in 2003. Before that this was a no go. We got off the final cable car stop and C went straight up to the security guy to have a chat. I admit I was a bit unsettled with the substance of the conversation: she basically asked him if it was safe to visit the library that now serves as a huge development centre for the neighbourhood. The security guy assured us that if we walked straight up to the library (about 500 metres) and straight back, we would be OK. Just don't go wandering around the bylanes. Note that this was at 4 PM. Hmmm. As we got out of the station and onto the road, I was immediately struck by that feeling when the hairs on the back of your neck are tickled gently. I don't know if you have ever felt this way but I have. You know you're in a place where there is trouble around and you keep your head down, act normal and hope trouble doesn't find you. Those who have walked around in Rotterdam at night will identify. But this was much more raw, I felt it was much more volatile.

As we made our way to the library, 3 kids aged 12 - 16 latched on to us. C had worked on a huge development project here and she was recognized. Immediately, I was being given a history of the neighbourhood, the violence, what was being done to change things. The oldest of the kids around 16 asked me if I was a Gringo in pretty decent English. C then gave them a few pesos to get a snack and they wandered off, letting me know that if I had any more questions they were available for a chat. This was an extremely moving and educational experience. These were the kids, without programs to keep them busy and active, who would be drawn by the remaining gangs who still existed in Medellín. This way they spray painted walls but with messages to end the drug trade, end oppression of women and promote education. The library itself was another manifestation. In C's words, "this is what can happen when there is cooperation between the people and government and there is no corruption". The library has been the subject of many TV programs as much for what it has done for this community as for its stunning architecture. The library serves as the heart of community development here: computer labs, children's play areas, adult education programs and a vast array of books to boot. The project was conceptualised by local civil society like C to bring about a sense of dignity to the people in this neighbourhood, as much to remove the stigma of being seen as gangsters as to bring about a change in their life styles. As we walked back to the cable car, C pointed out the different banks, women's cooperative movements and entrepreneurship development centres that have set up shop here. All this she said was unthinkable even a few years ago. The visit to this part of the city was one of the most intense and educative experiences I've ever had. There was no way I could have set foot here on my own. Even now, there has been an increase in gang violence. C says that there are new fears among people in the city that old ways are creeping back but civil society hopes to turn the tide.

After that fantastic city tour, we drove back to C's house pretty exhausted. We just sat in the backyard of their wonderful house and C's husband opened the customary bottle of Aguardiente to be drank with Uchuva fruit. We then proceeded to finish the better part of a bottle of Aguardiente with Uchuva. As it turned out C's husband too was a big fan of Juanes and we put on some of his best, listening to Juanes, sipping Aguardiente and C's husband explaining the lyrics and their local significance to me...Juanes being from Medellín. A deliciously heady combination! While we relaxed plans were being hatched for the night. Around 9 PM, we left for what C promised was a very good Salsa & Tango bar. Again, I was about to find out just how good. Not much can be said about this Salsa bar other than that Salsa bars are something to experience and not read about. Let's get some facts straight: Colombians are born salseros. In this bar, the moment the band struck up the music, the dance floor was flooded with a crush of bodies. Every single person and I mean every single person, young old, thin fat, tall short, hot not hot, they all could salsa like Gods. It was one of the most incredible sights I have seen. I was asked immediately to dance but I declined as I usually do when asked to dance. I was at a table with 4 other Colombians who were all C's family. I figured they understood and would leave me alone. In any case I was too overwhelmed, my ego too lacerated by the scenes in front of me to attempt to dance here. Are you crazy? no way! A bottle of chilled Aguardiente appeared on the table and C's husband and I ensured we steadily made progress on that. It took about 3 drinks. On filling my little shot glass for the 4th time C's husband said to me "OK this is your last drink. Now you dance". That's it. Before I knew it C's husband's daughter had grabbed my hand and I was learning to Salsa. She is a trained ballerina and tours the world performing. Horror! I did my best to plod and follow the steps. But after a few more glasses of aguardiente I don't think I did too badly! The bonhomie, cheer, fun, enjoyment and general sense of happiness was overwhelming in that salsa bar. When we left at 2 AM, people were still getting in. I think of Bangalore with this prism and I can only think that we are a backward people or as Tharoor says we are a people in an advanced state of decay. Anyway, the highlight of the day was yet to come!

All 3 of us had had our share of Aguardiente and the taxista or driver was singing softly to tango tunes as we drove home. C remarked that he sang pretty well (which he did). Immediately the taxista said that he loved Tango and Salsa and folk and more than anything he loved karaoke! And before we knew it, he had inserted a Karaoke CD of salsa hits into the music player and proceeded to sing 4 successive songs Karaoke style all the way home. If ever there was a way to capture the essence of this city, it's people and who they are this was it! What a day. What a city. What people. 17 hours in Medellín but easily one of the most memorable in recent memory. Medellín te quiero!

Pictures on Facebook and Flickr.

PS - Yes, both the taxi driver on my ride back to my hotel in Bogotá and C's husband asked me what I thought of women in Colombia and why I did not yet have one as a girlfriend.

No traffic day!

My hotel room is on the 1st floor overlooking a small but extremely rowdy thoroughfare and crossroads here in Bogotá. By now I am used to the sounds of the odd traffic snarl, wailing ambulance siren or 3 AM motorbike whine. I usually wake up by about 6:30 AM here but even if I wanted to, I couldn't sleep beyond 7. Come 7 AM Monday to Friday and my room is swept away in a cacophony of honking, rumbling of buses and ambulance or police sirens. This morning however, as I rushed to get dressed for an 8 AM meeting, things were surprisingly tranquil downstairs. CNN's inane yammering in my room meant I didn't appreciate how quite things really were. When I walked out of the hotel to cross the street I noticed there were no traffic pile ups. It usually takes me about 5 minutes to cross the road because of the volume of traffic. Cars here, like in Bangalore don't stop for pedestrians.

As I entered the office I overheard some conversation about how "Thank God there are no traffic jams today". I brushed that off as a statement made in most big cities in the world. But it's only when I went into my meeting with the big boss did he mention that today was no traffic day! I find this pretty incredible and another testimony to how far ahead Colombians are in many ways to us in India. Civic sense and an appreciation of an active life has somehow really filtered down into the populace here.

Today February 4th, all private vehicles are off the roads. As I look out my office window onto the street, there are only taxis, buses and a few bicycles going about. The silence is a bit eerie really! Everyone who drives a car uses public transport today and I guess the city is much the better for it. Just as I typed this a courier guy on a motorbike had a bad fall right outside. But he seems to be OK. This evening, I definitely intend to walk around camera in hand and see what the city does on this day. Bogotá has a really uncanny way of sneaking up on you and surprising you ever so pleasantly with all sorts of strange and fun loving things. My words really don't do justice to the sense of enjoyment that grips this city during the day when people are out. Photos will follow on Flickr and Facebook.

Music

Over the last month, barring a few epic moments at the Back Fence, my music listening had taken a sharp downward spiral. Today, after 3 weeks in Bogotá, I was in a bit of a rut or funk. I put on my earphones, lined up the best of "The Who" and almost magically, to the strains of some good ole original rock n roll, my mind magically cleared and I managed to set some clear goals for myself for the next month here.

Music does have some serious therapeutic qualities...much like reading and writing. Catharsis of another sort really.

Another first

First family member, my first cousin studying at Georgia Tech is now an AIESEC'er! Albeit in the US but nonetheless! I'm thrilled! I hope she stays on for at least a couple of years. She's already talking about some regional conference...and so it begins.

Vocational Training in Bogotá

As part of my stay here, I am attempting to understand the education methodology being used in vocational training by the university I am working with here. I attended my first classes today. But to get there I had to catch a taxi. I had fairly good directions so when I read them off to the taxi driver who seemed a fairly amiable sort, he straight up asked me where I was from. Clearly my accent gave me away as an extranjero. Over the next 15 minutes of the drive, we spoke about everything from Colombian food to the languages in India and everything in between. The driver was curious about my opinions on Colombian food, the weather and how it contrasts to India, whether women in India wear veils (!), where I learned Spanish and of course, what I thought of Colombian women! Every single guy whom I've had a conversation with in Bogotá has not failed to ask me this question! So anyway the taxi ride was entertaining and every conversation here helps me improve my language skills.

Of course as is almost the norm here, I was welcomed and treated like royalty at the Centre. I sat in on an entire basic English class which was much fun. The teacher was of course Colombian but had spent time in England. It's times when I sit in on such classes, whether here or back in India, I feel a real urge to get up there and teach! Maybe one day I will. But coming back to the class, the topic was putting down all the info that comprises passports of different nationalities. None of the students present had managed to find this info and I volunteered to show a soft copy of my passport which was on my portatil (laptop). Much fun ensued with them trying to ignore the Hindi script and read the English script. Many questions followed on India, my passport, my city (aah how I miss you), food and religion in India.

I then took a peek into the university's digital learning classrooms. They have a fairly good computer-aided digital learning facility where students supplement classroom learning with exercises and practice in English, I.T, graphic design, MS office and other verticals.

I was quite excited as I feel I have now found one tangible area where I can contribute positively. I am going to propose working with the English faculty here to share activities, ice breakers and work sheet formats similar to those that have been developed by QUEST Alliance in Bangalore. I feel these guys can benefit enormously from these tools. Much credit to the team back in Bangalore for the design and thought gone into the curriculum there.

This weekend I have a couple of engagements to sample the nightlife and visit handicraft markets in Bogotá. I also intend taking a cable car to a famous church Monserrate that sits perched atop the mountains that line the East of the city. Pictures will follow.

Food in Bogotá

It's been almost 2 weeks since I landed in Bogotá and this has been enough time for one such as me to explore the food options here. I love food. Anyone who has spent any time with me will tell you that. All sorts of food. I especially love the complexities with which they are prepared.

I had heard much about the food in Colombia before getting here and initially things were a bit of a let down. However, after some exploring Bogotá is a city where you can really sample the local fare at very cheap prices once you know what to ask for in cafés. Here are some of the food options you will encounter if ever you visit Bogotá:

- The ubiquitous empanada and pastille:
Empanada literally means wrapped in pan or bread. This is the Colombian version of the venerable Samosa. A deep fried, crusty outer shell with the inside filled with beef, chicken, pork or / and cheese. It is rare that you will find empanadas only of queso or cheese but you will find them. Sorry no vegetarian ones I have seen thus far. This is a common trend in Colombia. People don't understand the concept of being vegetarian! Unthinkable really. The pastille is almost an exact version of the Indian puff or patties. Folks in the south will easily understand what a puff means. Most often, these puffs are chicken puffs. I haven't found anything else. Pastille de pollo or chicken puffs and empanadas are the standard savoury snacks found here.

Colombian Doughnuts:
Doughnuts and indigenous versions of the same are highly popular as a sweet snack. You will find many varieties including apple, arequipe, raisin, strawberry, sugar and of course chocolate versions.

Tinto / Pintado/Café con leche:
Bogotanos love their coffee. A tinto or straight up black brewed coffee is the all time favourite here. People consume copious quantities of tinto. I must admit although I am a born bred south Indian filter kaapi lover, the tinto does go down very smoothly albeit leaving a strong after taste. I prefer the pintado or coffee painted with a little milk or con leche, meaning lots of milk with some coffee in it. The coffee is good but surprisingly not great. Lonely Planet tells me most of Colombia's best coffee is exported. That may be true as the coffee I have drunk so far comes nowhere close to the heady aromas of Baba Budan or Coorg beans.

Frijolo and Bandeja Paisa
OK so what do Bogotanos eat for lunch and dinner? At home they may have a docile combination of some rice, some meat, some salad and some postre or dessert BUT when it comes to a meal outside, they sure love their meat. It is fairly common in cafés, food courts and little hole in the wall restaurants to find people tucking in to enormous plates filled with a side of beans and rice topped with french fries with most of the plate taken up by a huge slab of roast or friend beef with pepper sauce. The traditional version of this meal is served with fried bananas, arepas (a kind of idli to be honest) and avocado. People here love their avocado. Chicken is at times substituted for the beef but rarely. It is more common to find the plate I just described also coming with a generous portion of fried pork! This is a normal meal people.

One thing that has struck me here is the absolute lack of international food. Bogotá is yet to discover the joys of good Chinese, Thai, Indian, Turkish, Japanese or Middle Eastern food. It seems like the only international food items to have made their way are of course the hamburger, the doughnut, the sandwich but little else. More surprisingly, pizza and pasta too are fairly uncommon except for in upscale restaurants. All of this is understandable in a way because food choices expand when there is diversity in local population. Immigrants bring their own food with them and set up shop. However, there is still a lack of knowledge or appreciation of other cuisines here.

My food:
As a result of not being close to the coast and limited cuisine options close to where I stay, I have been limiting myself to the supermarket for my meals. I now have a fairly good larder in my hotel room comprising mustard, Heinz chilli sauce, Nesquik milk mix, a fruit box which is replenished with great peaches, nectarines, apples, mangosteens and kiwi fruit as well as some minor snack items like nuts and raisins. I buy bread and cheese when needed and must say although it's not like eating a real hot meal, it's better than subjecting myself to the nearby cafés. Now don't get me wrong: if you were here for a week or two, by all means go nuts with the food. However for a longish period of time, I am afraid it gets a bit much. All the vegetables and food are cooked in a ton of oil. All the snacks are either deep fried or sugary sweet. If you don't want to get out of Bogotá to enter the Sumo wrestling championships, then it's best advised to go easy. Although it's a long way away, I intend running a 50 K in November this year for which the hard yards begin now.

But coming back to the food.

Things that are unique and incredibly delicious in Bogotá:

- Salpicon
The Salpicon is a mixture of pineapple, passion fruit, papaya and other fruit juices with generous quantities of diced fruits added to it. Salpicon is sold on every other street corner in their standard see-through plastic containers. 1 thousand pesos or 50 cents will get you a glass of Salpicon. It's by far the most refreshing thing I have had in Bogotá so far!

Pan Yucca:
buns or bread baked with starch of cassava and cheese. Super rico...delicious and a must try.

Chocolate Completo:
I've already talked about this before: hot chocolate, a slab of cheese, pan de yuca. What's not to like?!

This is what I've seen so far. As I travel I am sure there will be more interesting things. I am especially looking forward to my trip to the Caribbean Coast with its abundance of seafood. Hasta luego!

El Ritmo

Whether at work, in my hotel, at a café or just walking the streets in Bogotá, it is impossible to escape the rhythm that abounds everywhere. Salsa is part of the Colombian soul and in every single conversation I have had so far, Salsa has dutifully made its appearance. By Salsa I not only mean the more popular and well traveled dance form as much the music and musicians who make this sort of music. Alejandro in the room where I sit in this office hesitantly asks me if I like music. Of course when asked this sort of a question by any person in Latin America there is only one possible answer. The truth is also that I got hooked onto Latin groove, Latin pop and rock a long time ago. Cuban music and Buena Vista too have ensured there aren't many people in the English speaking world who don't nod away to this sort of music. I assured Alejandro that not only did I like Salsa music but that if he wished he could play it on his computer and it wouldn't bother my work. He seemed relieved and let on that he was accustomed to having music in the background while working. :-) We are all the same aren't we.

It's an infectious vibe. When I sleep at night in my hotel room I doze off to the sounds of Latin groove from the tiny bar located below my room window. On Sundays when ciclovia kicks in, many street food stalls have speakers blaring Salsa music. The music somehow grabs your insides and makes you want to move. It doesn't matter if you can't dance but there are no inhibitions in this music. No restraint. No formality. A casual, cool Latin ease permeates through these sounds and you can see why a combination of this music, Aguardiente or rum and their dance can be one of the most intoxicating cocktails anywhere. I think it is a sign of my growing years (?) that for me not much can beat the sounds of Hindustani Classical but that said, I will be much the poorer if I don't leave Colombia with a serious collection of Salsa music.

First Sunday & first meeting

Over the weekend I walked around most parts of Bogotá. On Saturday with Sergio and his girlfriend Joanna and on Sunday by myself. With escort, I visited the arty part of Bogotá as well as the chic part. There is much development here but it is still a strangely reluctant and hesitant development. There are sky scrapers but it seems like people aren't sure why they exist. There are malls but and food courts which are packed but at the same time there is a sense of newness to all this. I am not sure if I am missing the pulse altogether but it seems to me that there is still a coexistence of sorts between disorder, crime and the new Bogotá.

Sunday is the day when almost all of downtown and central Bogotá are shut to traffic. Thousands of citizens are out on their bicycles or jogging and walking with their families. It is almost like the entire city is one big carnival. It was fantastic to walk around the main streets without a care in the world, stopping for a Salpicon here (a fruity drink which is fantastic) or for a pack of Bananas Fritas there. I also visited the backpacker area where I had originally planned to stay and came away having made up my mind to venture there as little as possible. Seedy would be an understatement and I could see why muggings were common here in the nights. No way did I want to be walking back to a room with my laptop in that neighbourhood!

Food is proving to be a big challenge for me here. Sadly, Colombians don't seem to have discovered a lot of the spices that are common place in India or in the Western world. Much of the food is seasoned only with salt. All the meat and veggies are served with a pepper sauce or salted. The amount of meat eaten is also serious. Big sides of beef and pork are the norm here eaten with thickly cut french fries and peas. Beans too are common but again sadly completely unseasoned and to my Indian palate fairly unappetizing. I am surviving on the many fruits that are sold here and packs of yogurt drinks and bread. Unlike Shanghai, there are absolutely no small, affordable western food restaurants here that will serve you a decent salad, a soup or a pasta dish. Seems like hamburgers are the only western fad that has caught on. Pastas, pizzas, Arabic food and Oriental food is very rare. I have seen one Israeli restaurant in the backpacker quarter and one suspect Chinese place calling itself Señor Wok! Not having access to a kitchen is really hitting home now but hey I can't complain. I am in Colombia after all!

I had my first real meeting today, entirely in Spanish of course. I more or less got about 80% of our conversation which revolved around vocational training programs being conducted by the organisation I am with here. Very interesting, very inspiring and very similar to many NGOs in India. I am yet to finalise on some deliverables but patience I must have. The person I met with Señor Carlos had many questions on life in India and my Spanish kept breaking down trying to explain things like why India is a peaceful country, why there is so much development in India and why English is spoken in many places and how there isn't a single language like Spanish. Phew.

For now I have finalised on continuing to stay at the hotel which is in the city centre. Its convenient but like I said no kitchen. I intend to explore the city more over the next weekend. Snaps of Bicycle Sunday too will come soon. Hasta luego!