No fue suerte, solo
cometí los errores
necesarias hasta llegar a ti

— Laura

I stayed in a fantastic place with amazing people for what was supposed to be one week. Several factors made me change my mind, one of them being work and learning, the other being a low mood in a period of the year that has always been stressful to me the previous years.

Being in Medellín, I went to see the work of Botero, of course. The sculptures in front of the Museo de Antioquia were all very present, like any of Botero’s work, and while looking at a bird on one of them, I thought: “Haaa… The birds of Botero”, just as the pigeon started to move.

In that museum, I was really stunned by a piece which colours and details I thought were wonderful for a painting, just to realize that it was a digital photo of a landscape with colours that seem out of this world. This is the Andes, baby, and it’s a work by Camilo Echavarría called “Panorámica del río Cauca y los Datos de la Pintada desde la hacienda El Porvenir”, from the series Atlas de los Andes.

I met Michael again after our first encounter in Nicaragua, during Vipassana. I went with him to buy a few things he needed for his new activity and we ended up at Gloria’s, a place and a person I warmly recommend if you’re looking to buy arts and crafts from Colombia. you can find her at Centro Artesanal Mi Viejo Pueblo, CRA. 49 #53-20, Local 38, Medellín.

Right after, I went drinking in a bar for the last match of Colombia during the 2018 World Cup, with my newly bought jersey (this was a promise to my family from Bogotá), taking a beer shower and hugging random people when Colombia equalized at the last minute of the game. I bought some doughnuts and beer to finish the match with my hosts; these things are always good, regardless of the outcome of the match.

I went to look at initiatives like Morro de Moravia or the cable-cars to reach the Arví Park, which are great urban projects, although they surely come with their list of questions about how the local population was or is taken care of.

It looks like the metro in Medellín also likes Guns N’ Roses songs as I heard many of them in different stations while I was moving. “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” & “Don’t cry” were some of them. :)

One of the highlights was going to a play with my hosts, met randomly in the street while my mood was not the greatest ever on this anniversary. I ended up having a super nice chill evening and visiting the beautiful place that is Matacandelas, with nice discussions the rest of the evening…

While waiting for the bus that would lead me to Necoclí, a look outside through the gate’s door, I was mesmerized by the urban lights on the slopes of the surrounding mountains, like a thousands stars just a short distance away…

Medellín will surely continue to travel with me as I made a promise to send photos to one person there.

Il manque quelqu’un près de moi
Je me retourne tout le monde est là
D’où vient ce sentiment bizarre que je suis seul
Parmi tous ces amis et ces filles qui ne veulent
Que quelques mots d’amour

De mon village capitale
Où l’air chaud peut être glacial
Où des millions de gens se connaissent si mal
Je t’envoie comme un papillon à une étoile
Quelques mots d’amour

Je t’envoie mes images
Je t’envoie mon décor
Je t’envoie mes sourires des jours où je me sens plus fort
Je t’envoie mes voyages
Mes jours d’aéroport
Je t’envoie mes plus belles victoires sur l’ironie du sort

Et dans ces boîtes pour danser
Les nuits passent inhabitées
J’écoute les battements de mon coeur répéter
Qu’aucune musique au monde ne saura remplacer
Quelques mots d’amour

Je t’envoie mes images
Je t’envoie mon décor
Je t’envoie mes sourires des jours où je me sens plus fort
Je t’envoie mes voyages
Mes jours d’aéroport
Je t’envoie mes plus belles victoires sur l’ironie du sort

De mon village à cent à l’heure
Où les docteurs greffent les coeurs
Où les millions de gens se connaissent si mal
Je t’envoie comme un papillon à une étoile
Quelques mots d’amour

A. discovered a Japanese restaurant not far away from our beloved Yarumo (I had to leave because of the lack of mental space available there; too much noise and not enough place for non‑smokers) sounded like a dream, topped with onigiri and vegetarian okonomiyaki. This proved useful while our perfect Nativo was closed for renovation, and this allowed A. to show off his Japanese skills a bit. ;)

I was walking once, humming shaggy in the street (Thanks L.) on my way to the street market, and somebody was listening to that song at home, windows open, right at the same point in the song I was at. Magic was in the air…

I also changed glasses, twice; quality standards may be very different depending on the people you ask.

A few new people met along the way which path I hope I can come across again… K. and M. didn’t stay very long but made a lasting impression. I. and V. zho hosted me later on too.

The first time we met in France, I missed part of the jokes of F. and other members of the A. family because I didn’t speak a word of Spanish, like this one about the fact Colombia also have sushis: sushicharrón! Yep… :)

I could not abstain going to Mr. Bam Bam, especially after they released their first vegetarian option. Discussions with D. and A. about politics, diverging opinions, sprinkled with perspectives that enrich and complexify the simplistic vision one can have from a country, if only because one does not know much about its history or the diversity of its culture.

Sharing a Colombia–Poland match with the family and trying to keep my origins at bay to enjoy celebration even more was fun, especially if Colombia is winning. :) I now can proudly cheer for Colombia next World Cup, with a bright yellow football jersey.

I ended up changing my plans a bit to meet the family on the coast, but I will have to change them again as the meeting won’t take place… Plans while travelling tend to change a lot, but it’s even more true in Colombia. There has been worse way to learn!

It was also nice to meet A. family, although it didn’t end up quite as I was expecting. He was too busy preparing for his trip to shoot footballers in Moscow (with a camera, I think)…

One of the biggest encounter was surely S., her little devil and the rest of the family, her stories and some futures under hyperactive reconstruction. The trip ended marvellously with A. and J. welcoming me in their tattoo world, and sharing a Temazcal ceremony with us. This lead to quite some beautiful thoughts being spoken out, and a long lasting effect on some of us (beside the immediate heat). This is an experience I would love to live again, probably more than Rape or Chimó; I guess I am more interested in self‑induced experiences than additive based ceremonies. The power of the brain and its influence on physical matter is really fascinating.

The Gold Museum has been waiting for a long time for me to give it a try, but I think I gave this patience back to it, staying almost 7 hours in it, wandering in its huge collection and description of history and culture related to gold. The value we attribute to the material is not nearly as interesting as everything built around it.

And then are Medellín, Necoclí and now Cartagena, although these will be for other articles. Breadcrumbs is still more up to date than this blog. :)