Being Digital Nomad in Medellin (Colombia)

That’s it, after 4 months of emptying our bank account in Canada and the United States, we finally arrived in Colombia, a less hostile land for our wallet.

As we arrive very late and we are tired by 2 weeks of road trip in Florida, we decide to spend 2 quiet days in a great hotel in the South of Medellín (pronunciation: MIDDLE JUNE) before taking place in our Airbnb (we call it the “vacations after the vacations”).

Finally, we missed the computer too much and we had a lot to tell you. Instead of resting, we are chaining article after article for the blog, vlog after vlog for YouTube ahahahahaha

The view from the room is superb. We knew that we were a little bit in the mountains, but the “bowl” effect is even more visible. Compared to other cities in the shape of “basin” at the bottom of the valley like Kathmandu, La Paz, Medellín seems less polluted because the valley is much bigger.

This hotel (Estelar Square, link Booking) is really cool, great breakfast, swimming pool with view…. High speed internet. Too bad we won’t stay there for a month

Santafé Shopping Center

Right next to the hotel is a shopping center. There are shopping malls and casinos everywhere here. Some are ONLY computer equipment, others ONLY furniture.

It is while visiting the foodcourt of this mall that we realized that we were going to eat too well for little money.

Our Airbnb in Manila (El Poblado)

After 2 days of luxury on the 9th floor of the hotel, it’s time to go back down a little (to the 1st floor) and go to our Airbnb in Manila (in the El Poblado district). Imagine the 16th arrondissement in Paris, and within the 16th arrondissement, the most residential and luxurious part of Paris, and you have Manila.

For info, we rented this airbnb for 45 days at 29€/night. The apartment is only equipped with fans, but it’s better because we suffered a lot from the excessive air conditioning in the USA 😀

Internet & Speedtest in Medellin

The connection speed in this Airbnb isn’t great: 5Mbps going down, 1Mbps going up, but 100m away there are cafes and restaurants with high speed internet (between 16 and 25 Mbps). There must be a lack of antennas in our street because even our 4G is bad inside (count 10€ for 1.5G in 4G, to be used in one month).

Here are the different speedtests made in Medellín. The logo identifies WIFI and LTE = 4G. As you can see, it really varies from building to building.

Security in El Poblado

El Poblado (metro Poblado) is a residential area, very safe and popular with tourists (and rich Colombians). However, you can still see remnants of the time when Medellín was very dangerous: buildings with barricades in front of the windows up to the 5th floor; 24 hour guards who watch and only open the door to the residents… protection in Rio de Janeiro and Manila to the Philiippines.

In the heart of the Poblado, Manila is like a small village, everything is 30 seconds walk away, there is a huge choice of restaurants, youth hostels. There is even a Spanish language school.

After 2 years, it feels weird to come back to South America. Even if we have never visited Colombia, there is an atmosphere, a style… typical South America.

Not really knowing if the city is safe (and how safe?), our first outing is just to go buy a SIM card, to feel the atmosphere. We just have a little cash and a phone each.

We are stared at, observed. Already, there aren’t many tourists in Medellín yet, and our clothing styles betray us too much: I have a hat while people are walking around bareheaded (or with an umbrella if the sun hits too hard); JB has shorts while everyone is in pants or jeans. I discreetly observe the Colombian women and notice that none of them wear jewelry (necklace, ring…).

Thus, my jewels were very quickly arranged, my hat carried disappeared, and my pants left to replace my beautiful skirt. On the other hand, the Colombian girls are small like me. With a small clothing effort, and without speaking, I manage a little more to blend in the mass, contrary to JB who exceeds by half a head all the other Colombians.

Security in the city center & Comuna 13

The city center (metro Prado) is much more lively and popular. 10mn walk from there, we saw poor people sleeping in the street, we could walk there, a little bit stressed though.

I still recommend the El Poblado neighborhood, which is quieter (except the Poblado park in the evening).

JB had his phone stolen when he entered the (crowded) subway at the Prado station. He was protecting me from a pickpocket and another accomplice took the opportunity to steal his phone (in his pocket). But the same scenario could have happened anywhere in the world (I too was robbed in front of the subway in Levallois a few yearsago).

The Comuna 13, located in the west of the city, in the hills, is a poor and once extremely dangerous neighborhood. This area has changed a lot in the last 10 years. It is very nice and safe to visit during the day but there are still gangs there. To go there in the evening, without the other tourists, seems dangerous to me. Moreover, there are no hotels there.

The more we explore the city, the more we understand that it can be safe, provided that we respect the basic safety rules: leave your passport in the hotel safe, don’t carry 1kg of gold, don’t take out your (very big) reflex anywhere, don’t dress too ostentatiously, in short, the same safety rules as any other place in South America. Be vigilant, without falling into paranoia.

Colombians are extremely nice people. If they don’t know, they will ask other people to help you, it’s really adorable!

Supermarket

Tap water is drinkable in Colombia but after some tests, I find it a bit yellow, with a weird taste. We decide to buy bottled water and discover with amusement that they sell packs of water in a kind of plastic bag of 6 liters (for 2600COP that is 0,7€).

In the same supermarket(Exito), there is a “coworking” area, i.e. a mini food court with chairs and high tables for free computer use.

Menu del dia

All restaurants offer daily menus (at least at noon, even if it isn’t always written down). In a local restaurant, for Colombians, you can have lunch between 4000COP and 5600COP (soup + dish + drink) i.e. for less than 1,5€.

But as we are in Manila, the restaurants are reserved for tourists, are a little more trendy and therefore more expensive. On days when we work, we just go out, walk 30 seconds and sit at the following restaurants (the order was determined according to their menu because they are a del dia fixed menu depending on the day of the week) – between 5 and 6€/person

Hacienda on Monday: typical Colombian soup (see photo)
Olivia on Tuesdays: Italian restaurant too good, no menu of the day though
Ganso & Castor on Wednesdays: beef bourguignon (not at all Colombian but so good) + drink
Lavocadería : once a week. Their avocado salmon is to die for

In the evening, we “cook”. Our Airbnb is equipped with a rice cooker, it’s practical. I eat mostly fruit and that’s it, while JB makes avocado toast. Colombia is the third largest exporter of avocado. And the avocados here are 3 times bigger than what we are used to seeing (for 0.7€ each, about 2500COP).

The fruits are too varied, too good. There are a lot of common varieties with Vietnam, the taste is 10 times better, for 2500COP per kilo (0,7€) on average. I have to force myself to try fruits that I see for the first time in my life. Cf. our visit to the local fruit and vegetable market

The rest of the week, we go out quietly, discovering one neighborhood at a time, and have lunch in the bui bui or test the street food. Let’s say that when the water is considered drinkable, all of a sudden the street food becomes much less risky for the stomach. You can fall for a limonada without being afraid of the quality of the added water.

Withdrawal and Payment

More info on this part (where to withdraw money for free) here: 3 Weeks in Colombia: Itinerary, Budget, Practical Tips

Transport in Medellin

With its simple but complete metro and metrocable system (cable car, same price), getting around Medellin is child’s play.

Especially since the equivalent of Uber, the Cabify service, can also be used if needed.

Cabs cost twice as much as VTC but it’s one of the few countries where you don’t get ripped off by the drivers: the meter starts automatically.

In short, we are satisfied to have chosen a city as quiet as Medellín, and a neighborhood as calm as Manila, in the Poblado. The food is excellent, cheap, the people are too nice and speak very understandable Spanish.

In spite of the theft of our phone, which could have happened anywhere else, the city seems much less dangerous to us than we first thought.

Here you will find our travel diaries in the different districts of the city.

We wanted to do everything ourselves, except for the Comuna 13 (with a free walking tour) – just to have more detailed explanations.

Transport in Colombia

Medellín is really the place to be, to radiate towards the pretty tourist towns next door (Garden, Guatapa, Santa Fé….) and there is no easy way to connect them directly to each other, other than to return to Medellín.

There are 2 terminals in Medellín: Terminal del Sur and Terminal del Norte. Depending on your destination, you have to go to the North or to the South. Both terminals offer a deposit service for a very affordable rate.

In Colombia, the distances are enormous, but there are still comfortable, long-distance buses that connect tourist destinations, despite a rather narrow road (only 2 lanes) and a lot of work. But we still prefer to take the plane, which is really cheap in Colombia (between 19€ and 45€ one way)

We were advised against renting a car in Antioquia because there are roads closed at certain times of the day and there are no detour signs. If you like surprises and adventure, why not. That said, in Cartagena, we were told that the roads are beautiful, fast and there are no surprise closures.

More info on transportation in Colombia here: 3 Weeks in Colombia: Itinerary, Budget, Practical Tips

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