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Weather today around lunchtime. Lasted about 30 minutes, lighting, hail and wind, actually got worse than this. But Paisa folk are used to it, the storm drainage system across the city will be in full effect today.
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Medellín has one of the most extensive storm management systems in Colombia, due to the intensity of flash flooding and annual rain fall. These are well disguised with subtropical public gardens. All of which ends up in the Medellín River, the highest and fastest I've seen it flow.
Unfortunately not everywhere has this infrastructure, as rural parts of the country can not cope with climate change, as witnessed last week :(
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/887542/102-children-among-314-killed-in-colombia-mudslide
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Great thread. I really like your writing style.
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Thanks guys this is all distraction from caring for my partners family and terminally ill father.
I am really fortunate to have access to this amazing country. And want to dispel the stereo typical views people have. Equally all Colombians should be proud of what they have achieved. Many left during the violent times, left behind good and bad memories. Up until the early 80s, Medellín was a great place to grow up for many, slowly the good times are returning, but there is still a lot to be done. It is Colombia's rich culture and heritage which stands out and persevered under very difficult times which I admire the most.
When I see cable cars and escalators in the poorest barrios, I know something remarkable has happened here.
https://youtu.be/rTsPaAIJdnw
Al x
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Same here, really interesting stuff, & sorry for your troubles
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Tunes like this when driving back late at night from the cancer clinic, help alleviate the mood.
Empty streets, wall full of yellow stars, kids asleep in the back..
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Can you translate that for those of us missing out on these jokes?
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toche pico de plata
It's a corruption of a recent highway notice pico y placa. Each weekday only certain car/ taxi/ motorcycle registrations are permitted on the main roads in Medellín, enforced to reduce traffic during rush hour and promote car sharing.
above reads, 'touch the silver beak'
Bichofué
The response is too Paisa to explain in English, but I believe it means 'trust in free bugs'.
This is not Spanish, but local Paisa words / expressions. Imagine translating from Cornish or Welsh to English. Some of the Paisa words are from Galicia.
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Pico y Placa
The Mobility Ministry of Medellín announced the rotation of peak and plate for private vehicles and two-stroke motorcycles in the city. The same rotation will be adopted by the neighboring municipalities: Itagüí, Envigado and Bello, starting next Monday, February 6 2016
It should be remembered that the norm for private cars and motorcycles is from Monday to Friday from 7:00 to 8:30 in the morning and from 5:30 in the afternoon to 7:00 in the evening.
Juan Esteban Martínez, Secretary of Mobility of Medellín, explained that during the first week of rotation for private vehicles; Ie between Monday 6 and Friday 10 February, the measure will be pedagogical. As of Monday, February 13, the sanction period will begin.
Those who violate the restriction as of the second week of February will be punished with a fine of 15 daily minimum salaries in force, equivalent to 386,850 pesos, in addition to the immobilization of the vehicle in case it is detected by an agent in the streets.
For taxis, whose rotation is different, there will be educational sanctions between Wednesday, February 1 and Tuesday, February 7.Thus was the rotation of the peak and plate in Medellín
Individuals
Monday: 2-3-4-5Tuesday: 6-7-8-9
Wednesday: 0-1-2-3
Thursday: 4-5-6-7
Friday: 8-9-0-1
Motorcycles :
Monday: 2-3
Tuesday: 4-5
Wednesdays: 6-7
Thursday: 8-9
Friday: 0-1
For taxis, this will be the rotation during the first half of 2017.
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almac68
We are close to the amazon, so naturally we eat crocodile sandwiches.
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I fucking love Lacoste bread.
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To say Colombians have a sweet tooth would be a serious understatement. Sugar is one of Colombia's biggest export and I think health risks. Panela is unrefined from sugar cane and is served with coffee And here is all manner of confectionary and alcohol. It is a huge local industry. The stuff for world export travels down Rio Magdalena. If you wanted to be a dentist here you'd make a decent living.
http://sugar-colombia.com/post/12/Industry-Facts.html
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http://www.lan.com/onlyinsouthamerica/aguardiente-colombian-fire-water/
Never mixed in cocktails and shit. Drink it neat straight from the bottle, okay wedge of lime is all :)
If you’re in Colombia for more than a day or two and plan to hit the town, you have to participate in the guaro rite of passage – just don’t expect it to come with any chasers. That’s not how they do things here.
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Narcos
http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/cocaine.html
I'm not sure it's possible to summarise the impact and devastation this drug had on this country, but everyone was affected by it directly and indirectly at its most prolific in the 70/80/90s. Ordinary folk and the poorest suffered the most. But also the environment. Cocaine production is damaging the jungle and rain forests in the most remotest parts of the country where government troops can not access without helicopters. The effluent from drug production goes directly into the river systems and the damage is long term. The demand for this drug across the world remains staggeringly high.
The cartels may have moved to Mexico, but the legacy remains in the minds of the ignorant when associated with Colombia. We have a drug addiction clinic next door, all of the homeless here are/were addicts. Just about surviving but it's no life in paradise.
Education is the key to drugs and the schools engage brilliantly. I see 20 branded cigarettes selling for less than £2, yet I rarely see anyone smoke. Gym membership is popular, everyone eats well and the economy is stable. In fact the forecast has been boom for sometime now. Tourism has increased by 300% in the last decade with new trade routes opening up. Literacy for English is higher than any other Latin Country.
I think there is a resilience here, Colombians are the 3rd happiest nation on the planet after the Vietnamese and Nigerians.
Shopping is the new vice, consumerism is worshipped with scores of malls and outlets. Sounds familiar?
fizzy.bleach
mespilus
marcomarcos
MultiGrooves
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About
Colombia, not Columbia
Posted by
@almac68
autóctono
A couple of days ago we were in Poblado District between appointments. and I noticed a small young woman, sitting on the pavement in a bright red outfit. As we got closer I realised that she was native and had a very young child wrapped in her clothes with just head and feet sticking out. It also occurred to me that this was the first time I'd seen anyone from an indigenous tribe in Medellín, as most live in reservations away from the cities. Her features were striking. No make up just an intricate tying of hair. She was selling fine beaded jewellery, all brightly coloured. I needed to get a present for eldest daughter and picked out one bracelet. She ask $7,000 COP I gave her $10,000 COP. I wanted to ask about her tribe, whether the pattern and markings on the bracelet had significant meaning and to take a photograph of her with her baby.
But maybe this would be too much information from just selling jewellery to make ends meet. Of course the colours and patterns on the bracelet have a meaning. Her tribe probably much forgotten and dispersed. Her culture and heritage diluted. As for taking her photograph its a sign of mistrust and stealing identity.
I have been fortunate to meet indigenous people in Canada and South Africa, and heard many tales. The story is the same, all they ever wanted was dignity and a chance to retain their culture.
There are 87 indigenous tribes in Colombia, each with their own customs, a leader and language. From La Guajira desert on the Atlantic/Carribean coast to the Amazon Rainforest.
Nairo Quintana, is the poster boy here endorsing Movistar, from Boyacá with native roots.
Children today are not taught in any great detail about pre conquistador history. There is little interest in archaeology around Medellín, only to build tall and plenty to meet the demand for new homes. Something like 800,000 in Medellín alone in the next five years. It's progress at break neck speed, embracing a new exciting future. I hope for the sake of the Aburrá Valley that the Paisa think seriously about meeting the demand this will have on resources, utilities, as well as the environmental impact.
The Kogi (jaguar people) are the only tribe in Colombia never to be conquered. Their home is deep within the rainforests and jungles of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range. The Kogi rarely interact with the outside world. I have seen trails in the foothills around Minca that are over 3,000 years old, up until a decade ago this small town was under total control by Parcos militia fighting the government army to retain their drugs trade, as well as alot of ancient tomb raiding over the centuries. This was the closest I ever got to the Kogi, we stayed in an eco hotel surrounded by solar powered lighting, dense jungle and hummingbirds. The Kogi resist any outside interference. There are lost cities within the mountain range hidden from satellites and google earth. Here is their story and message to the world and not for the first time.
https://vimeo.com/36960419
As for the girl selling jewellery, her future is probably day to day survival. You can't leave Colombia, without buying an authentic morchila (woven bag), an hamaca (hammock) or handmade jewellery.
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