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Colombia: Medellín

Medellín is in a steep-sided valley
Medellín is in a steep-sided valley

Just in case you were wondering, I can vouch that Medellín, Colombia's second-largest city, is a great place in which to feel absolutely terrible. If your insides have turned to jelly and you've got an itchy rash that you can't quite explain, then Medellín is a nice, comfortable place in which to get better.

Exploring Medellín

The orchidarium in the Jardín Botánico
The orchidarium in the Jardín Botánico

It was a shame that we got hit by the lurgy in Medellín, but you can't choose when you get ill, so we simply extended our stay and took our time while I drew a thick black line through all the things I'd pencilled in for the area. Bang went the Pablo Escobar tour, which was a shame as it's supposed to be a fascinating insight into the bad old days when, under Escobar's underground rule, Medellín was the cocaine and murder capital of the world; out went our planned day trip to the huge granite monolith at El Piedra del Peñol, which you can climb for amazing views of the surrounding countryside; and we waved goodbye to the long walks that I'd hoped we'd enjoy in the pleasant forests of Parque Arví, just out of town. Most annoying of all, we'd met a really friendly Englishman in Santa Marta called Patrick, who's lived in Colombia for a decade and has a pad in the countryside near Medellín, and he'd invited us to Sunday lunch at his house; but there was no way we were going to make it, and given that he has a nine-month-old baby who could probably live without being infected with a mystery illness, we sent in our apologies and hunkered down with the cold sweats instead.

One of the Jardín Botánico's friendly iguanas
One of the Jardín Botánico's friendly iguanas
Plazoleta de las Esculturas, with the Museo de Antioquia in the background
Plazoleta de las Esculturas, with the Museo de Antioquia in the background
The impressive curves of Botero's 1987 sculpture 'Mujer con espejo' ('Woman with mirror')
The impressive curves of Botero's 1987 sculpture 'Mujer con espejo' ('Woman with mirror')
Botero's 1992 sculpture 'Pensamiento' ('Thought')
Botero's 1992 sculpture 'Pensamiento' ('Thought')
Cable car K heading east from Acevedo station
Cable car K heading east from Acevedo station
The impressive cable car terminus at Parque Arví
The impressive cable car terminus at Parque Arví
Heading back down into Medellín along cable car L
Heading back down into Medellín along cable car L