Week 34: Medellín & Guatapé

On the first day of week 34 we were in a new place called Medellín (this is pronounced “Medejin”). It took a little bit of time to get there, but then we had arrived! I absolutely loved Medellín sooo much, because it reminded me of home. There were lots of Gringos and it was a bit more fancy than where we have been this year. It was awesome.

On Tuesday it was…. Christmas in July!!! Christmas in July was sooo much fun! In the morning it was like I could smell cookies! And there wasn’t even a crumb! When I woke up I ran to my parents bed, and gave them my presents for them (I got my mum a bracelet and a few pairs of earrings, I got my dad a bracelet and a Colombian poncho), and they gave me my presents (I got a pair of shoes I’ve wanted for a while, a bag, 2 chocolate bars, poncho, t-shirt, nail polish). Then we started to put on some Christmas songs. It was a great Christmas. But it wasn’t over yet! For lunch we went to…. Crickets…. Teppanyaki!!! It was so cool! With them flicking food at you, and doing all of the tricks and stuff. It was also a big day because I had lobster for the FIRST TIME in my life! It was terrible (I will show a video of me eating it)! Then after teppanyaki we went to a big shopping center. We got a few things, and then left to go back home to have chill time. It was a great Christmas.

The next day we went on a walking tour. This time I did listen to the fun facts:

1. About 20 years ago Medellín was a very dangerous place to live.

2. There is a few walls that have bullet holes in it from when it was not a safe place!

3. 20 years ago, when it was dangerous, people had to put mattresses against their windows so then they wouldn’t get shot by a gun!

Back then it was a very very bad place to live, but now 2.5 million people live there! Then when the tour was over we went to a restaurante and had pizza. After that we went to a place with a chess board, and started to play. And, of course, I won!

The next day we were going to go on a bus ride to a place called Guatapè. But before we went on the bus ride we had to get a taxi to the bus station. We did not make it to the bus station! We didn’t make it because the taxi driver drove us all the way to Guatapè! So instead of getting out of the taxi going into the bus and repacking and all that stuff, we stayed in the taxi, cancelled our bus tickets, and the taxi driver drove us to Guatapè! For most of the ride I played on my iPad. But for 1/4 of the ride I looked out the window. There were mountains, big rocks, lots of nature and so much more cool stuff. One of the coolest things I saw was a massive rock that we were going to climb up! Then we had arrived in Guatapè. And it was beautiful. It was very colourful, lots of people, and had the best vibe. It smelt like arepas and tacos. I knew for sure that we were in Colombia! And even better, our hostel was in the middle of the centre square. By the looks, sounds and smells of it, we knew that we were going to love Guatapè.

We were right! We love Guatapè sooo much. Anyway, the next day we went on a hike up the 2nd biggest rock in the world! There was 675 steps to the top, and 675 steps to the bottom (1350 steps in total). For the first 3/4 going up I ran. And for the whole way down, I ran! It had a really nice view at the top. It was quite cold, but after all of the stairs, you could’t really notice it. When we got to the bottom of the rock I stood next to it to get a scale of it. And in the photo I am so tiny, you can’t even see me! After seeing, walking, and taking ALOT of photos on the rock, we went off and had lunch.

About 3 hours after that we went on a boat ride on a lake! First we had to walk to the boat, and I kept on complaining about how we had done enough walking today. But then we had arrived, and there was a fancy boat and a…. Colombian boat. We got the fancy boat. It was a really cool ride. There were a few other boats, a lot of water, and a flying boat. And yes, there was actually a flying boat! A flying boat is a boat attached to a thing with wings. Don’t worry, I will show a photo. Anyway, on the ride there were also a lot of pretty houses. And they were a bargain! If we sold our house we could buy one (do not worry, we will not sell our house)! They were really good morning and afternoon activities.

The next day we drove from Guatapè to Medellín. It was the same drive as last time, mountains, rivers and so much more stuff out the window. The hotel we were staying in was beautiful! It had lots of cupboards, a kitchen, a TV, and a great city view! It was awesome. It was getting late so we decided to go to a Colombian football game!!! It was amazing. There were lights, people chanting and singing. And when the game had started the crowd jumped off the edge of the bleachers with a flag in their hands, and when they were at the bottom it had a massive flag for the team we were going for! It was crazy. And for the whole game there were people with flags in their hands, and there was also a marching band! I just think how sore their arms would be? But it was getting really late so we had to leave at half time. Then we went to bed.

The next day we went to the new Barbie movie. It was really funny, and was so entertaining (if you want to know what it is about, read the next paragraph👇).

Barbie is about a doll that wonders what death is like. And it creates a portal to the real world! And the only way to fix the portal was to find the owner of Barbie, and take her to Barbie Land. The only way to get to the real world, is to bike ride, boat ride, space ride, roller blade, motor home and a car ride. Barbie finds her owner, but some people think it is weird that there is a human sized Barbie doll in the Real World! So they try to capture her, but she escapes with her owner and her daughter back to Barbie Land. But when they got back it was no longer Barbie Land, it was now Ken Land! And the Ken dolls have destroyed Barbie Land, and have put horses, and beer bottles, and so much more Ken stuff everywhere. And they have turned the other Barbies into slaves. And the owner of Barbie could say a few words that turned them back into their normal selfs. Then they had to make the Kens fight against each other. And the rest is for you to figure out. The End. (IT IS LITERALLY THE END)

Fun facts

What are arepas?

Answer: Arepa is a type of food made of ground maize dough stuffed with a filling, eaten in northern parts of South America. It is a very popular food in Columbia. We were there!

Where is the tallest rock in the world?

Answer: Uluru in Australia! If you have seen that rock before, tell me in the comments section. We went there when we travelling around Australia 5 years ago.

What was the most popular movie in 2022?

Answer: Top Gun: Maverick