Basketball at Midnight

Hola everyone!  Here is what is likely to be the second to last post of the journey!  We have returned to Medellin to explore the city for a couple days before our final return to St Louis tomorrow (Tuesday).  Since the major journey is finished, I have made a Google Map for your enjoyment.  It is located here.

First, to recap – San Gil (and several of the towns surrounding it) claimed to be the Tourist Capital of Colombia, though I didn´t find it quite as exciting.  It was a very large town on the Rio Fonce.  It had an active and pleasant central square, but the town was built up a bit more than I would have preferred, and much of the town entirely ignored that it was built riverside.  The hostal we stayed in, for instance, was on the river itself, but had nothing that allowed you to really even see the river, let alone drink your coffee or beer while overlooking it. There was a small walkway along the river at the north side of town, but opposing the river on the walkway was one of the major thoroughfares.  The next town upriver, which we only saw upon leaving, seemed much more akin to my expectations – a small town centered around the square and the town cathedral.

Despite the lost possibilities of the town itself, there are a tremendous number of activities that can be done when using it as a base.  There was rafting (both on segments with Class 1 and 2 rapids, or 3 and 4), ziplining, hikes, kayaking, and several other sports.  About 1 to 2 hours to the north is one of the reputably best places for paragliding in the country, near the Chicomocha canyon.  We drive through this area on our way back here, and it was breathtaking- equal to El Cocuy in its dramatic landscape.  Whereas El Cocuy was hill after rolling hill until you reached the snow line, and then small little ice coated peaks, the Chicomocha canyon were single ranges from the river at the bottom to the top.  While the max elevation is less than El Cocuy, the maximum ascent is probably much larger.  Now that we have taken this route, I can see why there is no road that connects El Cocuy from Bucaramunga.

We did take advantage of the many activities to do in San Gil, but as time was limited, we only chose one – HydroSpeed!  Essentially, you have flippers and an extremely thick boogieboard, and you go paddling down the river with a guide in a kayak.  We went down the same river with class 1 and 2 rapids as the rafters, and saw one raft during our trek.  The HydroSpeed experience turned what would have otherwise been a rather dull, Hoozah type rafting trip into a much more fun trek.

Now that we have recovered from our overnight bus ride from San Gil to Medellin through Bucaramunga, we have one day left to explore the city before heading off.  Take care!