Intercontinental Hotels Medellin

... was really killed but either way he is dead. :o))<br><br><br>THE ASSAULT!!<br>I was taking these two women to my favorite place to eat through a park that I have walked through tons of times. This time 2 young guys were sitting at the top of the stairs and I asked the women if they scared easy. They said no so I was going to walk between the guys. (I was not scared but we could have gone another way. That is why I asked) As I walked past the first guy ...

... anyway and the boyos start singing. Her parents are fast asleep in bed but to be fair to them they came out to the sitting room and seemed to really enjoy it. The trio played for about half an hour and then it was back into the polo so that we could drop them back. The maddest night out I've had in a while. Brian was sampling the local drink all night, a kind of watered down Sambuca he tells me. He had a VERY sore head the next day. <br ...

... really) will make riding around Arlington a breeze. Of course I did fall off once today and got somewhat nasty cut on my leg but the Vespa was ok which is what counts I think. <br>Finally, despite all my adventures in this city I have most enjoyed my time with the Usma family. Simply sitting around with them and seeing the family dynamics has been very relaxing as I have been missing this during my travels. Oh and the food! Jaime's mother prepared quite posibly the best ...

... new slide show ...

... and cultural immersion. The latter, for which I grow more fond of by the day. There is definitely something liberating about having all possessions attached to your back. Yes, I may wear the same underware for 3 days at a time, but it cuts out the ******** I don´t absolutely need. Sure, there are the things I miss a lot about home, the top three being.... 1) My big ass bed. Hostel beds are itchy and marginally clean. My bed at home is ...

... sunlounger-sculptures, astronomical observatory, and the fun park nearby. Cero Nutibara is a viewpoint in a hill near the airport which has a replica town called Pueblito Paisa. Think of the set of Zorro and you can imagine it! Pretty with many souvenir stalls and artworks. Its a pity we have to carry everything we buy around the country because some of the woodwork, sculptures and paintings are amazing. The tour ends at the 20 Botero sculptures. Big is beautiful in his eyes ...

There was just time left before I left Bogota on Thursday evening for a spot of culture, in the shape of a visit to the Botero (a famous Colombian artist who likes to paint everything in an inflated manner, from people to fruit - I quite liked his style) Art Gallery - which also featured a few exhibits by famous European artists including Picasso (who, I´m afraid, I think is ****), Manet and Dali (who I like, although I´m not sure where in my house would be an appropriate place to ...

... the threats to the Supreme Court raids, etc. See Wikipedia on Medellin and Pablo Escobar, Forbes 7th richest man in the world for 1989. After being killed in a shootout in 1993, the power shifted to the Cali cartel before it was eradicated in the late 1990s. This is not to say that Colombia stopped producing cocaine, despite the U.S. worst efforts, but the producers are keeping a lower profile ...

... for a while and plenty of English football banter in front of the Euro 2008 tournament. Having endured frequent comments &amp; light hearted ridicule from fellow travellers of all nationalities about England´s dismal failure to even be there , we all rather enjoyed watching the French &amp; Italian teams struggle . Most of the Brits , with me included , seem to have nailed their colours to the Dutch mast in England´s absence - Holland´s team is really looking a class act ...

I have been held back in Medellin out of curiosity. This is my 8th day in the capital of Antioquia, and the city itself if not much of an architectural gem, not does it have many spectacular sights. What I have managed to see is the hidden side of the city...in fact a side that exists in most Colombian cities, that no one apart from the millions of displaced peoples and the warring armed groups step inside. Medellin is hailed as a success story of the Uribe government ...