Medellin Colombia Botanical Garden

                                Medellin Botainical Garden

    

          

Helen my friend from Colombia is putting together a small coffee shop in Medellin, her parents live in an area called, Estrella this is where she is putting the coffee shop up in a new mall. The area is old colonial and very busy, very noisy, dogs, horns, motorcycles, trucks unloading under the window of the small apartment early hours of the morning making it very difficult to sleep. I am not one to live in a big city or near lots of noise, I love peace quiet and nature, so for me this was not easy. I stayed four days with her elderly parents while she ran around doing things. I am still suffered greatly with big blisters on the backs of my heels and now on my toes? I don’t know what is causing this but wow its painful, so I pretty much just hung out with Helens mom and dad and dog and cat. I did get out a little and see the steep hilled bario, not something I would ever want to live in or around, surely different loud and bustling with life.

The final day we got up early and went to the Medellin Botanical Garden, its located very far from Estrella, so we took the transit which is like a train or subway.   Its travels all over this        enormous city. The City sits in a very large valley with a gigantic river that runs thru the center of the city,walled by concrete with no natural banks. Very strange like a freeway of water gushing thru the center of a town. As far as you can see is houses up the steep hills of the Andes all made out of the same material, bricks. So a sea of rust color houses all of bricks all over the whole area, tall short no spaces, just bricks.

We sped thru areas on the transit with short stops filling the train with tons of commuters going to work, shopping and visiting. We stopped and got off near the garden, carrying all our crap from our stay over. We walked cross two busy streets and entered, it was kinda cloudy that day, not cold just cool out. The Garden is free to view, although I found it in sort of ill repair. I am such a gardener and I really know when things are lacking or not in good shape.  It was fun though to get out, I enjoyed seeing the massive trees and some of the varieties of plants that I have not seen in four years.

We walker around slowly to enjoy the nature and peace and quiet it was nice to just relax with out barking dogs and honking horns or car alarms.

We strolled and came upon some sculptures hiding in the garden, I love things like this like art work in the garden that you least expected 

Some of the Varieteies of plants I have not seen ever were interesting to see in real life.

They also had a healing garden, I thought this was cook all sorts of plants for medicinal purposes love that!

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We strolled farther and saw a beautiful young girl taking photos for her communion, and lots of varieties of large leafed plants, the lake was peaceful people were sitting on benches quietly watching the ducks and birds there were even big macaw parrots in the trees. We sat a young lady celebrating her 15th birthday and taking professional photos for her party coming up as well.  It was different to say the least.

 There was all several exhibitions that were closed due to repair and the orchids were not blooming yet so no photos of that, but found a cool restaurant in the middle that seemed a bit overpriced but very nice. We wandered our had a fresh squeezed lime and sugar cane drink sat on a box on the curb watched people , then walked to a small mall and had a hamburger! That was really good with pineapple and bacon and some sort of sauce, yum. We caught the transit back to the bus station and headed back to San Antonio Rionegro Where Helen has a 7 bedroom Hostel. So far its very cheap here for things coffe in most place is 50 cents, and good coffee! The Peso against the dollar is very high.