Robert's Travel Blog

 It's "the Jet of the Bells," a waterfall outside of Medellín.  Uber to the meet-up point, then bus to the start of the trail.  This is in the mountains outside Medellín, so there were spectacular views. The first twenty minutes or so were easy, pathways or step.  Then . . . An hour of walking/ clambering up and down either the side of the river or across the river.  Finally! Andrés had a whale of a time.  He was almost the first and definitely the last in and out of the water. Ood da, regarde las nalgas!

 A "mirador" is a lookout point, and since Medellín is built in a valley, there are plenty.  Indeed, just the drive from the airport is pretty spectacular, but they don't stop 😥 A whole sort of mini-culture, including food stands (hey, it's Colombia!) springs up around them. Nice sunset, but those trees blocking the view of the city must be removed!! Andrés had a chocolate . . . with cheese.  It's fresh cheese and gets very melty in the chocolate, so you need a fork.

 It's a challenge!  First of all, there are (count'em) two TWO Asian grocery shops in Medellín, and they're tiny. Unlike most Asian groceries, which are jam-packed to the rafters, here the ingredients are carefully laid out against the walls, and there are no internal aisles.  Oh, and did I mention they're not very large? I have been craving fried rice.  You can get "arroz con pollo" (chicken with rice) here, but it's not the same thing.  You need oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil.  I bought three what I would call half-size bottles (the only size they had) for the magnificent sum of 103,000 or $29!!!! The rest of the ingredients plus chicken were Colombian-priced: My kitchenette isn't terrible, just bad. The gas burners are deficent so you can't get wok temperatures: Woohoo! Fried rice, delicious!

 Although I've learned to enjoy Colombian food, other than a handful of shaved lettuce, it's hard to find anything resembling a proper salad.  So why TF did I just discover "Cozy Ensaladas," just two blocks from where I live? The restaurant itself is beautiful: Welcoming smiles! Oh, the salad?  Delicious.  There's about two inches of lettuce below the plantain, pork, avocado and,cheese (hiding cherry tomatoes, corn and onions) but both dressings made the whole thing yummy. ($8.75).

It's Floralis Genérica in Buenos Aires. It's difficult to convey in pictures just how gigantic this thing is. It's meant to be a kinetic sculpture, with the petals closing every night, but when I was there, it was "undergoing maintenance." Welcome to South America! Astounding!!!!

Of course there are high-end restaurants in Medellín, especially in touristy parts like el Poblado where you will pay $25 (!!!), and get American-style service, by which I mean someone greets you as soon as you arrive, they take you to your table, you're presented with a printed menu, they take your order, and when you're done, will present you with the bill and you pay at your table. American-style. But if you're in el Poblado, you may as well be in Miami Beach.  That's not the real Colombian restaurant experience. Between high-end and lower is the middle tier, take any seat you'd like. You might feel like you're being ignored, but cool your jets, they'll get to you.  This is middle ground.  Often the restaurants are very nicely decorated, but the food will be less high-end, and you can either order a la carte from the menu or often there will be a "menú del día" (prix fixe meal, don't confuse that with a menu "carta").  The menú del...

 #1. Avena! I've often wondered what was in these tubs, that you see pretty frequently.  It's a very traditional (the 100% Paisa basically means "local") Colombian drink made from oats, milk, cinnamon and cloves.  Very thick and sweet, and it resembles nothing more than melted ice cream!  It hits my sweetness tolerance but will definitely have this again on a hot day when I'm too lazy to eat. #2.  Most mornings I have a coffee (1/2 "tinto" black and 1/2 "leche" milk) with a buñuelo, a delicious deep-fried ball of sweet/salty/cheesy goodness.  Unique to Colombia, although I did find them in  a Colombian bakery in Buenos Aires. Literally less than 20 m away, on the corner, is the reposteria (fancy bakery), but open to the street.  Open 24h so I can get my morning coffee, a doughnut or empanada at any time! #3:  Mondongo (tripe stew).  Another Colombian favorite.  And reputedly the best version is served at a restaurant named "Mondongo...