January 27-28, 2008
Days 851-852
Medellin's cable car system.
I was in no hurry to leave Medellin, so I spent a couple more days sightseeing the area. I discovered that like several cities in South America, Medellin had a cable car system that went to the top of a large hill. However, unlike the other cities, Medellin's cable cars actually had a practical use as well: getting the poor people to their homes. The coolest thing about it was that it was attached directly to the metro line, so going to the top didn't cost anything more than a metro ticket. I thought it was a great idea to help out one of the poorest neighborhoods in Medellin.
I also got the chance to have a reunion with Judy. I originally met her a few months ago in Bogotá, where we were both vacationing. Like everyone else in Medellin, she seemed genuinely happy to see tourism finally starting to happen in her city after so many years of turmoil. Once she gets her master's degree in accounting, she would like to move to Bogotá, where there are more jobs, but she was definitely proud of her hometown, in the middle of paisa country.
