Saturday, January 26, 2008

Ciao, Medellin!


Medellin is a burst of enthusiasm hidden in its seams of contemporary architecture, progressive art, experimental theater, and high ambitions for the future. Actually, this city is so ambitious, it has mastered a form of time travel. The local guidebooks for tourists denotes places like a butterfly house, aquarium, interactive exhibit, theaters, gardens, and other things that do not exist yet! Yet, this has not stopped us from enjoying our time here greatly. We have been occupying our time with free shows at the Lido teatro in Parque Bolivar. Their revenue encompasses events from ballet to african to Colombian Antioquia folk dance (check http://www.balletfolkloricodeantioquia.com/ for insight). There are also jazz, concerto, mambo, and salsa concerts. We even caught a French anime flick. The local Metro has taken us from the MAM (Museo Artiste Moderno) to the Cisneros parque with luminated pillars and a majestic biblioteca. We walked among Botero´s voluptuous sculptures, and smelled the paint of Diego Rivera. There was live mariachi music at our tiny Palm Tree Hostel, and dancing in the Lido to African Contemporary Spanish drumming and choreography. We climbed the Nutibara Hill whilst admiring the 1983 Modern art installations, then slid back down on marble slides. We have footed across the city to lounge in the Parque de los Pies Descalzos (barefoot park) with bamboo forests, zen sand garden, artistic and interactive water fountains, foot jacuzi, and high beches to swing you feet while you rest! I was even infected with some tonsil eating virus, and Manuel labored over my every need for six days. Now that I am back on my toes, grimacing at Bull fights, and drinking champagn we are getting our bags zipped up and our bums on the bus again. I´ve added more to my pictures, so look again. Ciao-