Medellín, Sunday-Monday

Sun 1856 Been back at hotel for while, done bit of laundry and had shower. Going out for a few beers shortly, if it feels horrible I won't stay out.

Drowsed a bit fitfully in bed this morning, think finally got up 10ish and maybe left hotel 11ish but not sure. Had poke on web and decided I'd go over to Museo de Antioquia, which would push my comfort zone just slightly given my risk perception after warnings about the Plaza Botero (even though nearly every site warning about it said to still go). Did feel a bit scared when I got off Metro, some doubtless harmless chap asked me to change a note for him or something but I just said sorry, quite a lot of street vendors and people just hanging around but in hindsight it was more busy than actually actively unpleasant if I hadn't had my perceptions altered by that advice.

Looked at Botero statues in plaza, snapped one or two cautiously (other ppl taking photos on phone) and went into museum.

Oh. Forgot to say I went for early lunch when left hotel, struggled a bit to find somewhere I wanted to go, in end went to El Chaparral de la 70 even though it had no prices on view and was slightly disappointed at highish prices when I got menu, but I splurged on a half decent churrasco at 38k and a jugo de lulo en leche at 6kish, final bill 48k including (I asked) tip, and could pay on card.

Museum entry 18k and could pay on card, so not too bad. Museum generally pretty decent, though I expected to find Botero's work more "cheering" than I did - maybe this was my mood, I don't know. Wanky Guardian-esque exhibition on ground floor putting some unobjectionable older pictures in a "different context" by accompanying them with post-modernish identitarian word salad descriptions (in both Spanish and English), but otherwise pretty decent. I think one of the big exhibition halls on floor 2 was closed which was a bit of a shame but not end of world. Nearly overlooked basement exhibit of some young artist photos from the troubled period in late 80s and 90s but luckily stumbled on it after having a not-too-pricey americano in basement cafe (open air, in a big well in the building) before leaving.

(I mostly went over the building twice, both times top to bottom as instructed when I got ticket. First time fairly "thoroughly" , then the second time a quicker pass to get my money's worth and pay more attention to anything which caught my eye when I wasn't trying to be too thorough and look at everything. First pass probably took 2.5ish hours and second pass an hour, at a guess.)

Felt better - if still a touch edgy - walking through PB to get back to Metro (Parque Berrio IIRC), got back no fuss.

So that's about it so far. Took lot of photos in museum. Have photo but can't remember artist off top of head but did rather like a near-photo-realistic painting of "Broadway looking towards Columbus Circle" from 2002; at first glance it looked like a photo but on closer attention in a way I'm struggling to describe things looked a little bit "sharper" and "cleaner" because at the very fine detail level it *was* a painting.

Mon 0104 Home. Not sober - 99% sure had 11x330ml Aguila - but it's been such a long night don't really feel pissed, sadly not very social but still an interesting (and cheap) night. Probably not going to write up right now, but just might feel different in a bit. Future Me could check e-mails I sent tonight but prob write things up here eventually. Obviously won't necessarily be up super early tomorrow but a) am I ever? b) I don't have to worry about that because I'm not too pressured for time.

Incidentally realise I have about 50 days/7 weeks til I go home. But that's fine, good in some ways, bad in others, and ultimately I have lots of options to return in semi-unlikely event I feel desperately lost back home and wish I was back here.

Mon 0335 Bed. Been listening to some music. Will write up tonight later.

1741 Peculiarly reluctant to finish write up.

Anyway, so I went to Fonda La Colombianita just round corner as had seen a sign advertising Aguila at 2k for today earlier. Waiter tended to be a bit preoccupied with his gf and other mates but at that price who cares. One slightly drunk guy sort of said hello but didn't talk to me beyond that, towards end of time there a guy did come over and talk to me a bit, I was mildly suspicious but he seemed genuine enough.

Had 5 beers and then paid up, saying I'd be back, and went to empanada stall in street I had been eyeing up. Bit of confusion re price - I thought guy said 1k then it was 2k - but got one, quite nice. I then wandered up the street to try another stall and they said 2k too. At first stall I got one with potato (and meat) in, can't remember name, at second I got a "paisa" (if I heard right; word for people/things from here, I think) which *was* nice but also had great big lumps of what I think were chicharron in, not the crispy stuff but sort of chewy. As I say it was actually quite nice but also slighly repulsive.

Went back to FLC (incidentally was delighted to see spanistdict translates "fonda" as "cheap restaurant" , somehow) and had another 3 beers, paid up and gave an overall tip. I had seen at "Bongo Discoteca" (small place really, not a big club) some guy fooling around with a trumpet so went over there and amazingly there were a group of about 11 white-dressed mariachis (I wasn't sure if they could be mariachis in white instead of black-and-silver, but they sounded like it and a few times one called out "soy mariachi" and I asked Z who told me white mariachis are indeed a thing and are usually pretty expensive) plus a handful of other random guys hanging round in street clothes and to my inexpert ear they were very good. No entry fee and beers only 3k, though - perhaps due to poor Spanish? - they made me pay for each beer as I got it at the bar instead of letting me run a tab. So had another three in there, by which point the music had finished and I went back to hotel.

Music in FLC vaguely ranchera-ish (I base that on something I overheard), not rock/pop or (thank fuck) RnBish. It - and indeed mariachi - are not styles of music I'm massively a fan of or listen to regularly, but in moderation I can enjoy them and it does help to add a bit more of an "exotic" vibe.

Bit hungover this morning but not terribly so. Think I got up 10ish but dithered around hotel, didn't really feel like going out. I signed up for a language exchange on CS at 7pm and will head out to that pretty sharpish, as it's about 1km away and I plan to walk.

So let's stop writing this now and finish it later. LE is at some microbrewery which does kombucha and GM says it shuts at 9pm so I suspect this won't be a late night.

Tue 0117 Undeniably decent night socially, mostly English tho did speak bit of Spanish with staff member. Kombucha an interesting thing, amazingly fizzy and bitter on tongue but did sort of like it. Very interesting if poss full of shit guy there, won't say more, I went off after with interesting Australian guy called Angus for a couple of beers at a shop on street and further conversation, on his advice walked back from there and tho it felt mildly iffily quiet it was fine, and quite cool to walk up carrera 70 and see places open even if virtually empty.

So need to write up Mon day but will do that later, yes I am semi-accumulating a backlog but tis OK. Been given a sealed bottle of Kombucha from that bar tonight, fuck knows what will do with it as have no fridge and also no semi-death-wise to encourage me to try to open bottle cap with newspaper or the like.

Apparently tonight was first ever of this particular lang exchange, so there's a minor historical first for me...

Tue 1214 Brief random note - if didn't already say I was slightly disappointed the four day hike didn't actually go right to the top of Cerro Kennedy, but not the end of the world.

Woke up maybe 930ish, got up 10 but been dicking around in hotel room up to now. Need to sort out extending this hotel before I do anything else. Otherwise probably be a quiet-ish day, will prob find some museum or other to go to this afternoon. There may be another lang exchange tonight, I may or may not go - I sort of want a quiet night in, OTOH I should seize the social opportunities as they occur and last night I didn't really drink to excess (though it's a shame it came on the heels of heavy-ish Sunday night).

1237 OK, I checked on booking.com and they had a room here (I was a bit pressured because I'm an idiot and believed the "only 1 room of this type" meant "only 1 room at this price" message) at 214k for another six nights. I was going to go down to reception and see if I could negotiate to book direct at that price, but I decided not to - that is actually less per night than I'm currently paying (199k for five nights) and I didn't want to risk losing the "last" room (because I'm an idiot, as above) while negotiating. If I hadn't left this so late I might have gone down to reception as I'd have felt less pressured. If (and I may well) I extend again I'll try to do a few days in advance and maybe speak directly to reception first.

This means I am here until a week today. I want to be here over the weekend because there's stuff like Parque Arvi which I think will be safer at the weekend with more people about. There's also plenty of other stuff I can do, I am still flirting with sticking on here for a while and studying some Spanish, and a superficial poke at CS site suggests there's a reasonably active CS community here so there is potential for socialising too. Not making any decisions about a "long" stay yet, just waffling.

Since pressure is off a bit now I've sorted that let me briefly write up Monday day and then submit this to blog before I lose it before I go out. Don't want to hang around in hotel all afternoon but another 30 mins writing this up and a few mins picking out a museum wont hurt.

So after much dithering on Mon I think I left hotel about midday with the intention of going to the museum inside the university. I got a bit lost trying to find it (Google Maps not super helpful as it shows the museum inside the university campus, but what you need "first" is the entrance to the campus) but although the entrance doesn't seem to say "Universidad de Antioquia" on it, I did spot it in the end (bit of phone use in street but didn't help that much due to compass being fucked) and after a bit of a false start with one of the security guards I showed my passport copy to one of them and got let in.

Campus is almost comically (but I find it a bit frightening too) stereotypically student left wing politics environment, murals (some quite cool) and scrappy cardboard placards with slogans on etc. I shouldn't be too surprised, my wandering round the campus of the university in Cordoba was similar if a bit less "concentrated" . Sort of cool to see it in a way. Loads of students about of course, snapped the odd photo but didn't like to make myself too conspicuous. Huge and quite cool sculpture/fountain just in front of museum. Also quite a big and "professional" looking (couldn't see a credit, but if I had to guess I'd say it was maybe the same guy who did the big murals in museum in Plaza Botero, whose name I don't remember now but I have it on some of the photos) mural along one wall near that sculpture; again snapped a few crappy photos, tho felt "better" photographing that as it's a clear "attraction" not an attempt to capture what it's like inside the university.

A woman was turning people away at the door of the museum; she said it would be open tomorrow. I didn't like to ask why it was shut (MG and GM said it was open today, tho I had noticed on MG many museums are shut Mon which restricted my selection yday) as it didn't *really* matter and her phone rang as I was talking to her. Mildly annoying after going over there but not end of world, I know where the museum is now and it was sort of cool to see the campus.

I went and had lunch (minor language difficulties) in a cheapish restaurant I'd seen while getting lost - fairly decent pechuga a la plancha with plantain, frijoles, rice, a choice of soup to start (I had chicken) and a small glass of fruit juice (again a choice and this caused me great difficulty I'm sure I'll get there eventually), 11k, I also got a tinto after, final bill was 13.5kish and (I asked) didn't include tip so gave 2k of change back.

Bit tempted to get an empanada or pastel de pollo or something from one of the kiosky places along the street back to metro but resisted; have eaten/drunk quite a lot lately and don't want to start putting on weight with continual larding out.

So came back to hotel and slacked off rather badly and then went out to lang exch about 610, as I planned to walk. Managed to get lost and GM helped a bit but again lack of compass plus feeling nervy about getting phone out on street reduced utility. (Incidentally staff member I spoke with during early part of exchange said that it's important not to look nervous as it makes you more likely to get victimised. I hope I don't look nervous but it's hard to know if I'm managing it or not. People seem to say I always look nervous but I wonder sometimes if they're just extrapolating from my past behaviour rather than making an accurate judgement. Meh.) I did find it in the end, tho it had taken me maybe 30 mins to get there. Some of streets felt very deserted but quite nice - tho still deserted! - and I don't think walking over was foolish, possibly it was foolish to walk back but I was taking advice from that Australian guy, tho TBF right now I am not sure exactly how long he has been here - prob long enough to be reasonably trustworthy. Won't write too much in detail about discussion as it would feel a little bit overly "private" . I may bash an e-mail over to Rab about some of the "juicier" bits tho; I can be more open in a private mail.

Oh, "bar" owner - really nice Indian chap - gave us a free bottle of kombucha to take away. I managed to get mine home OK. Not sure what I will do with it as I have neither fridge nor bottle opener, but I'll hang onto it for now anyway.

Right, is that everything? Let me futz around getting ready to go out (topping up cash, sunscreen) and see if anything else comes to mind.

1307 Got e-mail from hotel saying my reservation has been confirmed and I now have Hermann's Hermits singing that in my head.

1328 Going to go to Museo Etnografico Miguel Angel Builes; MG recommends it, it's nearby-ish too. Bit edgy about the walk from metro but MG says it's a 15 min walk and doesn't say it's a dodgy area and it's daylight and just need to not worry. Have also signed up for tonight's lang exch, it's even closer and is only from 630-730 so it's probably not going to be a full night out - it's in a coworking cafe so I probably won't be tempted to drink any alcohol either.

Let me send this now and then get the fuck out of the hotel...