Finally Headed to Medellin

Got up at 5am so I could leave at 6 for a 1020am flight. Traffic here is CRAZY. I had a really hard time leaving this AirBNB--such a cool place...and I fell in love with Luna. As I was waiting outside for my Uber, Maria came out with the trash...and I once again hugged someone spontaneously. Such a lovely place.

Had my now traditional airport Juan Valdez Cafe mocha and pandebono for breakfast and wondered if I should go to check in past security since there weren't that many places to sit in the main terminal. Since I'm not sure what amenities there are past security, I find a seat and watch a movie to kill time. For those who are wondering, it was the documentary TELL ME WHO I AM which was beautiful.

This airport is really nice--they didn't even make me take my shoes off at security or throw away my food. I bought some water and waited at the gate. For the first time, I don't have transportation lined up at my next stop...so I'm relying on Uber to get me to my AirBNB since Envigado, the suburb where I'm staying, is almost an hour away from the airport.

Arrived without problem in Envigado. Apparently it is a bit faster to get to and from the airport these days as there is a new tunnel that cuts through a mountain (it takes several minutes to get through it, which can feel a bit claustrophobic). There was a bit of confusion at the security desk of the apartment building, but they called Maria (my host) and all is well. She left a key there for me since she is at work during the day. The ride in showed what looked like a much more modern city compared to Cartagena and Bogota...and much cleaner. I have a small room, but I have my own bathroom and a great view from my window.

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After getting some directions from Maria, I head out into the slackening rain to find sustenance. From what I can see, it is a lot of Italian which I've had plenty of...so I pick Barbacoa Burger and Beer and have a bacon cheeseburger, fries and a beer from 3 Cordilleras (a brewery here owned by a guy who used to work at Sweetwater in Atlanta). There are quite a few hamburger and hot dog (perros calientes) places in Colombia, which surprises me for some reason, since you don't see a lot of them in Europe or Asia. I imagine it has to do with the fact that we are on the same continent--we share more things. I also went to Milonga's for a milonga, which is cream cheese frosting between 2 cookies--AH-MAZING.

I stopped at the Exito (the big grocery chain here) that is next to my building and got some supplies, then headed back to my room to watch THE CROWN :-)

FIRST IMPRESSIONS:

• much cleaner, more modern city

• restaurants in all three places are not in a rush to turn over tables like we are--here, they will let you sit forever until you ask for a check