Today we planned on going up to the top of the mountains that surround the city to visit a huge nature park. Parque Arvi is 16,000 hectares with loads of hiking and biking trails and lots of wilderness. We wanted to experience a bit of it but Rudy had read some discouraging reviews the night before so wasn’t that keen. But we did some more research and decided that, despite apprehensions and perhaps feeling a bit lazy, we would venture forth.
It was a bit of a journey. First a 15 minute walk to the SurAmerica metro station. Then a ride down 3 stops and a transfer onto another metro line for a longer journey. At the end of this line we took a cable car to the top of a mountain. And then we boarded the last cable car to the Parque Arvi.
The temperature was cooler on top of the mountain but the sweaters we had brought along still were not necessary. Once we got down into the trees and along the trails the air was cool and fresh and everything felt a little damp. The trails were well marked and had English (as well as Spanish, of course) on most signs and so we were able to figure out what to look for. Basically the park is filled with 72 of varieties of butterflies, 70 species of birds, and 19 species of mammals. (Not to mention the coral snake which we did not see. I was very relieved about this.) Although we did not see all of these living creatures, Rudy sure did have a lot of fun trying to run around and take pictures of each of the different butterflies that we saw (he only got one good picture). I also enjoyed watching him run, squat, and crawl around. 🙂
After our glorious walk through the woods, looking at and learning about all kinds of flowers (orchids, bromeliads, anturiums), we climbed back up to the park entrance.
Before our visit to the park, Rudy had read a review where the writer raved about a restaurant near the park that served the best Arepa con Choclo (corn arepa). After finishing our hike we got directions as to where to find this restaurant. It was a 10-minute walk out of the park, down the mountain. When we got there we were hot and sweaty and Rudy, true to form, tried to use his Spanglish to relay his wants. Usually the exchange is cringy and awkward, but today he ramped it up a notch or two. He initially tried to communicate to the waiter that he had read in a review that this restaurant served the best arepas in the world. The waiter clearly did not understand. Rudy took his phone and spoke into his translation app and handed his phone to the waiter. The look on the waiter’s face was priceless. He shook his head somewhat disgustedly, handed back the phone, and went to get our food. We were perplexed by the waiter’s reaction, so Rudy pasted the Spanish text back into the translator and got this message::
(click to read).
Wow, that truly explained the waiter’s confused look.
When we got home we showered and went out for a fine meal at an Italian restaurant a few blocks from our place. After we got back from dinner it was early to bed — it had been another long and interesting day in Medellin.