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Today I’d like to share with you a couple adventures I’ve taken to the ‘dark side’ of Medellin, Colombia. There are two distinct sides of the city - the posh almost LA-like neighborhood of Poblado, and then the grungy downtown and slum areas.
Here’s the story of two different nights spent in downtown Medellin’s Parque Periodista.
If you’re easily offended I don’t recommend reading.
Early Dec. 2008
I’m sitting on a bench drinking Pilsen out of an over-sized cup. To my left and front are a few gringo friends, and to my right are 60 people I don’t know, snorting coke.
I’m relaxing in the place people tell you not to come. But I don’t know that at the time. Everyone looks happy enough.
An older woman comes around and keeps handing me her boxed wine to drink. I take swigs careful not to touch my lips to the lid. She smiles, pulls out a bag of coke, taps some onto the web of her hand (the skin between her thumb and index finger), and sniffs it quickly.
“Wait a minute. It looks like you’ve done that before,” I joke.
Six art students pull out some guitars and someone hands me rum. They start singing ‘Wonderwall’ by Oasis and half of the small park joins in.
A guy asks me for money to buy coke. I tell him I’m not doing any tonight. He says that’s OK, just pitch in because he’s going to get some. It’s only 4 thousand pesos (less than $2) for a gram.
I support the drug trade by giving him 1 thousand pesos.
In a few minutes he’s back, his eyes wide, and he’s ready for conversation. We talk for awhile before he asks me if I want a prostitute. He knows a place where they have little girls. I kindly decline the offer and turn back to sing ‘Blister In The Sun’ by the Violent Femmes.
Late March 2009
I’m standing in a salsa bar a stones throw from Parque Periodista. We’re watching a live band, complete with a horn section, rock out. The place is narrow and packed with people that can move their bodies in ways I’ll never understand.
A gringo friend and I have made the acquaintance of a Colombiano who wants to practice his English. His breath is so bad that it’s hard for me to breathe. He keeps offering me Aguardiente, a clear, Jagermeister-like liquour, that has a habit of making people black out. He forgets that I’m not drinking exactly 4 times.
When the band stops playing, my gringo friend and I prepare to leave. Our Colombian friend then asks us if we can all split the bill, 3 ways. He says this in Spanish, giving me the chance to act like I don’t understand.
Why would we split the bill? We didn’t drink your alcohol.
This is what is known as ‘pigging.’ Ordering drinks on a gringo’s tab. But we don’t relent and just leave him to pay for his own alcohol.
Next we head for some greasy food for my now drunk gringo friend. As we order two men approach us. One is an alcoholic intoxicated beyond belief. He begins eating my gringo friend’s food. The other guy hands me a card with a picture of a naked girl and points at a door about 50 feet away. “That’s my business,” he says.
I play along and question him about his prices and the “hotness” of his girls. I get no definitive answers but apparently they’re the most beautiful in all of Colombia. The most beautiful women in Colombia have a pimp with dirty clothes, a missing tooth, and no cane?
In the background I hear some kids singing ‘Wonderwall’ by Oasis.
Before I leave that night, I come across the same guy who I helped get high in December. He doesn’t remember me. He asks me for money for coke.
My ‘Deep’ Thought: Drugs can help you grow but they can also destroy you. Just make sure you’re growing with every experience and not dying a slow death in Parque Periodista.
+++++
Note: Medellin is one of the most awesome cities I’ve been to on my travels. People even call it the safest city in South America. This just represents one side of the city that a lot of tourists don’t often experience. Every city has it’s darker sides.
I remember being your gringo friend that night early december at parque perodista. It is amazing how fucking rad medellin is.
the cane certainly can destroy.
I am confused, is this supposed to be a good?
[…] Live Uncomfortably » Cocaine, Prostitutes, And Salsa In Medellin … […]
This post sealed the deal. I absolutely must experience Medellin.
Your writing has an intelligent brevity that keeps the mind engaged and feeling present. Keep cranking out the posts.
So much useful information for travelers in such a badass story. You’re fearless D. Damn proud of you.
Interesting post. It’s amazing how many travellers never leave Poblado. ‘Es La Bon’ the salsa club you mentioned is one of the best nite spots in the city but the crowd outside is a bit too real for most tourists.
Yeah, what can I say. I am in Medellin this moment and this post was a life saver
Thanks a lot man, keep it going!
Interesting post. I must admit meeting up with people in Parque Periodista a few times, and despite my German friend telling me it’s safe, hanging out there goes against every shred of what I was told growing up!
Sidenote - the salsa bar you speak of is called El Eslabon Prendido, and Tuesday nights with the live band are definitely worth the $2 cover.
Check out my blog on the city for a little lighter take on the nightlife.
It sounds like you’re off the gringo trail in Medellin, good for you. And yes, it is always good to remember that you are not in Kansas anymore when in Medellin which is the number one reason everyone should visit the wonderful city of eternal spring. To learn more about the transformation of Medellin http://www.medellintraveler.com Vive Colombia!
What is the punishment for being caught with an gram of cocain …for a gringo? Or do they care?
This is sad, the last thing Colombia needs is a bunch of “independent” white people coming in as tourists. Our country is fine without them. Go home.
I had the pleasure of visiting Medellin last week for the first time for 5 days of extreme fun with 3 friends.
Good to know that the “cane” is available for $2 a gram considering we paid $10, which is still cheap by US standards.
We stayed in a beautiful 4 bedroom 3 bath penthouse suite in Poblado that cost a whopping $600 for the week.
Our “guide / driver / translator / concierge” Ruben was well worth the $10 per hour to have around.
The girls speak little if any English, so he was very helpful with the languate barrier.
My cousin, who has been to Medellin twice before took us to a great little place in Centro where they were running a two-fer special for the equivalent of $27 for 40 minutes. While only a couple of the girls were beautiful, most were cute.
After 15 minutes of negotiations amongst ourselves, we all made our selections and did the deed, and I got my $27 dollars worth even though I threw one of the girls out just to be alone with Valentina, who in my opinion was the most beautiful one in the place, and she was truly beautiful.
That night, my cousins girlfriend, a former stripper, brought in some of her friends, all gorgeous, for a house party. My $80 for the whole night of olympic sex with a gorgeous girl was money well spent.
Wednesday was relatively quiet. Straight to the strip clubs.
The first club we went to sucked, so we went down the street to a much nicer though more expensive one and invited several of the girls over for a “private party”.
Thursday, we went to a club called Babylon. It was ladies night. The ladies got in and drank for free all night, the boyz paid the equivalent of $15 to get in and we drank for free til 1:30. Again, we got our moneys worth.
We went to the better strip club from the other night and invited the same gang over again.
We had another house party Friday night with my cousins girlfriend and her girls. Same girl, only this time was only $50.
Saturday was relatively quiet. We went to Savaneta to a great restaurant where I had a 16 oz. filet mignon wrapped in thin bacon with all the side dishes for the equivalent of $12.50. The food was off the charts and would have been a bargain at twice the price.
Sunday was our last day. We hit the joint in Centro on our way to the airport where my lovely Valentina was working again. I didn’t have to think twice about who I wanted to spend my 1/2 hour with, and I took the $15 half hour special with her.
I got a great massage followed by the same incredible sex as the first time.
Then off to the airport.
I had one of the best times ever and there is no doubt in my mind that I will be going there again.
And you should too…..