THe BeSt Of MeDDeLin, CoLoMBiA 2 0 0 9 ! !

Hotel Dann Carlton in Medellin

The view from my hotel room during my month long trip to Medellin.

As the end of the year approaches I would like to share some of my favorite photos, videos, stories, adventures, and trip reports regarding my travels to Medellin, Colombia.


Orquestas Sinfónicas Juveniles de Medellín, Colombia

It was not only great to meet some of these talented kids, but a true joy to see their faces when I showed them the video which they saw for the first time.



My home away from home when I am in Medellin.


Extreme Sports in Medellin, Colombia

I had a great time participating in extreme sports with my Colombian friends ! ! !



Mondongo's typical Colombian cuisine in Medellin.

I eat at Mondongo's on a regular basis. The food is great ! !

MaRaViLLoSo EsPeCtáCuLo De LuCeS ! !

Spectacular light show in Medellín, Colombia ! ! !

PVC-1 CoLOmBiAn MoViE AvAiLaBLe On DVD

Shot from PVC-1 film which was made in Colombia.

PVC-1 is a heartwrenching story that will grab you from beginning to end keeping you on the edge of your seat while you scream out for bloody murder against the people responsible for these heinous acts against a Colombian family.

Shot in one continuous take, the movie is inspired by a true story of a rural Colombian family who is terrorized when the mother is turned into a human time-bomb after criminals secure an explosive made of PVC piping to her neck only to be removed after a hefty ransom of $7000 is paid for her freedom.

I higly recommend this movie to all film lovers around the world.



PVC-1 is now availabe on DVD in the USA as well as on NetFlix’s “Watch Now” option.

FeLiZ NaViDaD y PrOSpErA AnO NuEvO ! !

HaPPy HoLiDaYS ! FeLiZ NaViDaD y PrOSpErA AnO NuEvO ! !

MeRRy ChRIsTmAs ! ! MeDeLLiN StYLe ! ! !




Cuidad Luz: Alumbrado Navideño de Medellín

Alumbrado Navideño en Medellín

The wold famous Alumbrados de Medellin lit up the city tonight.



La navidad en Medellin

Más de 14 millones de bombillas conforman el alumbrado navideño en Medellín, cuya principal atracción es la iluminación del paseo del Río, que se extiende por cerca de medio kilómetro, entre el puente histórico de Guayaquil y la calle San Juan. Las Empresas Públicas de Medellín y la Alcaldía local invirtieron más de seis mil millones de pesos en este montaje, el cual es realizado en su mayoría por mujeres cabeza de familia y funcionarios de las Empresas Públicas.



La iluminación del Río Medellín para este año, consiste en un gran telón de luces que corre paralelo a las dos orillas del río, en los cuales hay representados diferentes cuadros que aluden al aire, a la tierra y al mar, junto a un tendido de flores de colores a ras de la corriente.



Los diseños integran paisajes, aves, árboles y otros elementos con movimiento basado en los cambios de las luces. En la margen oriental del río se acondicionó una galería de ventas al público, que permite que los visitantes puedan hacer el recorrido, tomar un descanso, y adquirir diversos productos, en su mayoría artesanías. La Alcaldía de la ciudad programó varios espectáculos para los días de navidad y año nuevo, siendo el más esperado el concierto de Juanes, para el próximo 19 de diciembre. De igual forma, el paseo del río es usado por diversos artistas de la calle para hacer sus presentaciones.



También fueron iluminados parques en los diferentes barrios de la ciudad, vías del centro, como la Avenida La Playa y otros sitios turísticos de la ciudad, como el Cerro Nutibara, donde se encuentra el tradicional Pueblito Paisa. Las luces de navidad en Medellín estarán prendidas todos los días hasta el próximo 12 de enero de 2009.

Pablo Escobar (Dec. 1, 1949 – Dec. 2, 1993)

On this date in 1993, Pablo Escobar was gunned down in Medellín.

Above photo: Members of Colonel Martinez’s Search Bloc celebrate over Pablo Escobar’s body on December 2, 1993, in a photograph taken by DEA agent Steve Murphy. Pablo’s death ended a fifteen-month effort that cost hundreds of millions of dollars. It was the deathblow to the Medellín cartel–it became fragmented and the coke market soon became dominated by the rival Cali Cartel, until the mid-1990s when its leaders, too, were either killed or captured by the government.

At the height of his empire’s power in 1989, Pablo Escobar (1949-1993) was estimated to be the seventh-richest man in the world with a personal wealth of close to $4 billion, while his Medellín cartel controlled 80 percent of the global coke market. A hero to many in Medellín province (especially the poor people), he was a charismatic man who worked hard to cultivate his “Robin Hood” image. He built football fields, multi-sports courts, houses and churches for the locals. The locals provided him with necessary eyes and ears to elude CIA and international efforts to arrest him.

On December 2, 1993, the Search Bloc triangulated him using the radio signals. How Escobar was killed during the confrontation has been debated but it is known that he was cornered on the rooftops and, after a prolonged gunfight, suffered gunshots to the leg, torso, and the fatal one in his ear. It has never been proven who actually fired the final shot into Escobar’s head, whether this shot was made during the gunfight or as part of possible execution or suicide.

Great Time Magazine time capsule article