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Mediocre Medellin

Medellin, Colombia – Below is a quick review and thoughts of Medellin. In short, this city is over hyped and I can’t say it’s everything that the backpackers of old or what Lonely Planet or other guide books make it out to be. On the plus side it’s no longer the murder capital that it [...]

Medellin, Colombia –

Below is a quick review and thoughts of Medellin. In short, this city is over hyped and I can’t say it’s everything that the backpackers of old or what Lonely Planet or other guide books make it out to be. On the plus side it’s no longer the murder capital that it once was in the 80’s and 90’s.
                                                                                                                                                                       

I had higher hopes for Medellin.

I had heard is that the women are beautiful, the city is fun and the party scene would be great. I can’t really agree with any of those things. Ok, the women are beautiful but I’ve never seen them crack a smile or ever look like they’re having a good time in this city. Further south people seemed friendlier.

The city isn’t that fun. Other than the enjoyable El Poblado neighborhood the city is loud, big, modern and concrete. Barring museums the two most popular things in town are taking the Pablo Escobar tour and taking a cable car to the top of a mountain for a view of the city. Not exactly thrilling. If you aren’t here on a weekend to go out then I don’t know what you will be doing.

Even if you do come here on the weekend I can’t say the party scene here has lived up to the hype. I walked around for three hours on a Friday night trying to find a bar or club that was full and where people were having a good time. The only club that fit that criteria wanted a $15 cover. I knew I had walked into my last club of the night and gave up any hope of a night out when I saw a midget dancing to the funky chicken on top of the bar in a completely empty club.

Game Over. Good Night. Time to go home.

Not interested in spending money on another sub-par night I skipped out on Saturday night and making my way to Cartagena and the Caribbean coast a couple days sooner than I expected.

Popular Latin Songs in 2011

My first experience in Latin night clubs left me confused and thinking I would never get used to it. Reggaeton and Salsa are king and I had never heard either in a club back home. Eventually I did get used to it and have become accustomed to hearing and dancing to this stuff for hours on end.

So what’s popular now? Here’s a list of some of what I hear on a regular basis in no particular order and what I would have heard in Medellin if the places I went weren’t such crap.

Aprovecha – Nova & Jora ft. Daddy Yankee
Mamadeo – J King & Maximan ft. Arcangel
Yo No Quiero Agua – Pitbull
Danza Kudoro – Don Omar ft Lucenzo
Te Vas – Americo
Una Vaina Loca – Fuego
No Quiero Estudiar – Los Autenticos Decadentes
Taboo – Don Omar
Mi Niña Bonita – Chino y Nacho
We No Speak Americano – Yolanda be Cool
Tu Angelito Soy Yo – Chino y Nacho
Dile – Don Omar
Dile Al Amor – Aventura

Filed under: Colombia, Cubicle Ditcher

About the Author:

Sam Langley left a comfortable and profitable job with an insurance company in the USA to travel the world. He has been going for years, and has not stopped yet. Keep up with his travels on his blog at Cubicle Ditcher. has written 147 posts on Vagabond Journey. Contact the author.

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  • Wade Shepard October 13, 2011, 2:08 pm

    Haha, that’s funny. Medellin is billed as this traveler’s fairy tale land. Perhaps it once was. Funny how bubbles burst.

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