Ever since our first houseguests in Paris in May of 2017 we have always anticipated each arrival as if it is Christmas morning. Jim’s cousin Paul Steen arrived seconds after midnight on February 12. Jim was sitting on the front stoop and Sandy was sleeping. Paul is Jim’s eldest nephew, son of Jim’s eldest brother Claude. Paul is married to Alicia who is a voracious traveler who recently hit 104 countries. She was scheduled to accompany Paul but had to bow out due to work constraints. Paul and/or Alicia have met up with us in London, Mexico City, San Miguel de Allende and Oaxaca. We love to have them visit because Alicia is so adventurous and takes us to places we would not go on our own. We were so disappointed that Alicia did not make this trip but we love that Paul is an easy and relaxed kind of traveler who just enjoys spending time with us.
Paul arriving at midnight from Denver via Houston.Paul was game for hiking our little hill fairly early the next morning. Pueblito Paisa at the top of the hill.We took it easy on him the next day walking the flat park.These are the Christmas decorations from over the river finally coming down.We took Paul on the Metro and cable car to Parque Arvi which is a very large ecological nature reserve in Medellin and a popular tourist attraction. The ride takes about 35 minutes to reach the top of the mountain offering views of the many neighborhoods as you ascend. La Esperanza is where we change from one cable car to another.Walking to dinner in a park in El Poblado.
Video of a red squirrel in the park.Love these bright yellow birds.We had a very good dinner and a fun meal at Tulum Mexican Soul. Margarita for Sandy, Mezcal Mule for Paul and a Martini for Jim. Guacamole to start,accompanied by esquite, Mexican street corn with truffle oil.
Video of our waiter Mauricio preparing the Esquite. He was from Venezuela and is working here to earn enough money to bring his wife and child here. He was working as an engineer in the petroleum industry but they do not pay enough in Venezuela.Sandy’s tamarind glazed salmon and coconut rice was very delicious.Paul’s tacos. Jim shared both dishes.Valentine’s Day, one of our adopted daughters Deb Camara arrived with partner Casey. We met Deb through our daughter-in-law Catarina many years ago. Deb has come to visit us in San Miguel de Allende, Madrid & Seville and London. This is Casey’s first visit with us.So nice to have an almost full house. Missing Alicia.Jim grilled hamburgers and sausages and we ate on our third floor roof top terrace for the first time.We took a Pablo Escobar tour with our whole group.Our first stop was Comuna 9 where there is a monument to Pablo. These houses were all built by Pablo for the poor people of Medellin. They were initially one level but have all added on additional floors.Erected in honor of the controversial drug lord Pablo Escobar, the monument is a focal point for discussions about the complex history of Colombia during the 20th century. He was raised in Medellin and studied briefly at a university but left before graduating and began engaging in criminal activity participating in motor vehicle theft. In the 1970’s he began to work for various drug smugglers, often kidnapping and holding people for ransom. In 1976 Escobar founded the Medellin Cartel, which distributed powder cocaine, established the first smuggling routes from Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador, through Colombia and eventually into the USA.After parking the car our tour guide took us up these stairs to the monument which embodies the city’s struggles and triumphs offering a poignent reminder of its tumultuous past.That is the monument on the terrace.We learned from informational plaques and artworks about the life of Escobar and the impact his life had on Medellin and the wider world.The juxtaposition of the monument against the vibrant backdrop of the city highlights the ongoing transformation of Medellin from a place marked by violence to a thriving urban center known for innovation and culture. The monument is a testament to the resilience of the Medellin community.Pablo Escobar was a Colombian drug lord, narcoterrorist, and politician who was the founder and sole leader of the Medellin Cartel. Dubbed the “King of Cocaine” Escobar was one of the wealthiest criminals in history having amassed an estimated net worth of US $30 billion by the time of his death.In 1982 Colombian parliamentary elections , Escobar was elected as a member of the of the Chamber of Representatives and as a result was responsible for many good community projects which gained him popularity. Escobar’s political ambitions were thwarted by the Colombian and US governments, who routinely pushed for his arrest, with Escobar widely believed to have orchestrated the 1990 Avianca Flight 203 bombing hoping to kill a rival presidential candidate Cesar Gaviria but Gaviria was not on the aircraft, despite Escobar’ expectations, and went on to be elected president. 101 passengers and 6 crew members died. We went to the site of his residence Hacienda Napoles (Spanish for Naples Estate). This building was bombed and sat empty for years before it was finally razed and this memorial was built.This memorial is somewhat reminiscent of The Vietnam Memorial as it is a long black marble wall. Instead of victim’s names it lists dates and details of the numerous bombings. On one day there were 17 bombings.Our next stop on this tour was the cemetary in Itagüí where Pablo and much of his family and accomplices were buried. This is the only female drug lord in his employ, Griselda Blanco de Trujillo who was Pablo’s distributor in Miami was known as the “Cocaine Godmother”. Her personal life was as horrific as her criminal life with multiple marriages and deaths of several of her lovers under suspicious circumstances. She had her first husband executed and shot her second husband in the head. She was shot dead at the age of 69 by an unknown gunman as she was leaving a butcher shop in Medellin.Looking across the river at Sabaneta.We took a twenty minute drive up a steep winding narrow road to reach this place called the Cathedral. This was a jail/hotel/fortress that Pablo had built before he turned himself in to serve a five year sentence. He had his own guards and the Colombian Army to protect him from his enemies. The upper part of the edifice is now a retirement home for the elderly.After tiring of his luxurious prison he just walked down this path to freedom. It was an escape but he was being guarded by his own men.Spectacular views from up here.We drove back down the long mountain road to our neighborhood to see Pablo’s final house which is where he died only a couple miles from our apartment.He tried escaping out the back of his house through the gray area in the picture. He was shot on that roof. Unknown if he shot himself or was shot by the police. Pablo once said he would rather be in a grave in Colombia than in a jail in America. Because of that statement some people feel he shot himself rather than be captured.Our last stop was Comuna 13 which we had been to on another tour. Comuna 13 has nothing to do with Pablo Escobar as it became another drug haven after his death. The Colombian Army cleaned it out with help from US armed forces and the city turned it into a thriving enclave beginning in 2003.Comuna 13 is now a very colorful busy tourist destination.The requisite group picture.Casey and Deb came back here days later to take a picture with the great ape.There are many steps going up into this community. A lot of them are painted with many colorful themes.Last nights dinner with Paul, We returned to Tulum Mexican Soul in El Poblado.
This has been such a great week for us being surrounded by friends and participating in such interesting tours and activities. We still have an additional week with Deb and Casey who have a great list of ongoing activities for us.
[…] the Pablo Escobar tour and Guatapé on our list but waited for house guests to accompany us. The Pablo Escobar tour we did with Deb, Casey and Paul. After Paul left we moved on to Deb and Casey’s agenda which […]
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