From Popayan we caught the overnight bus to Medellin (it was the only way to go direct and not too bad).
We arrived at the Happy Buddha hostel at 7am, which was 7 hours too soon to check in. Luckily they let us shower (all soap and shampoo included!) and have some brekkie. Then we were off to explore Medellin on the metro.
We went all the way to the cable car that goes up the hill and over the favelas - all included in your metro fare of less than a dollar!
We then transferred to the cable car to Parque Arvi which was tourist priced at $2.5 each way. We didn't realise that this was effectively a national park and we weren't dressed for hiking! So we managed a peruse around the information and to taste some snacks being sold before we headed back down the hill.
Great views though and amazing to be out of the city & the heat in just 15 minutes!
We then headed to the botantical gardens, where the orchid garden was simply stunning
The gardens were attractively laid out around a pond with water lilies and resident turtles
There were some nice little quirks, like this train carriage/cafe
And lots of native plants
We didn't see the wax palm, Colombia's national tree, but apparently it only grows above 2,500m
Next stop was the old town to see some of the numerous cathedrals and churches.
We avoided the storm by jumping on the metro back to the El Poblado area where we were staying. This area is like a mini Melbourne (according to all the Melbournites we've met in Colombia - it's like the whole population is over here!), with lots of cafés, boutiques and cool bars. Not a chain in sight!
It's also very green - with lots of trees and parks
We spent a very nice day lounging on Saturday - taking coffee and cake in the cafe, browsing the shops and getting salads for lunch - it was nice to not feel like a backpacker for a few hours!
We loved Medellin - but it's not so friendly on the backpacker budget... Next we were off on the next night bus to Santa Marta and the Carribbean!
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