Barry Elsby – Medellin, Colombia Into the last week of the course at the University EAFIT, hope my Spanish is improving! I will continue with lessons on my return to the Falkland Islands with Miguel Barrientos, one of the many people from Chile and South America who have chosen to live in the Falklands. I believe it is important to try and speak Spanish if we are to have closer trading links with friendly countries in South and Central America – also better for holidays there! Over the weekend I visited a number of places in Medellin including the Museum Antioquia. The museum was very interesting but the area around it is still being regenerated. There were some very impressive sculptures in the square by the museum – not sure they would suit the Falklands though. The transport system in Medellin is excellent with cheap buses and a fantastic metro system for a flat fare of 50p to any station. Medellin lies in a valley surrounded by hills. The city has spread up the hills, with the poorer areas being at the top. Until now the only way to get to and from these areas was by climbing hundreds of stairs – a bit like in St Helena but more so. The local government here has installed lots of cable cars, linked to metro stops but also escalators, to make it easier for people on the slopes. This weekend they opened another huge outside escalator, the equivalent, they say, of a 28 storey building. Hope you like the pictures. Off to Bogota on Saturday to start work.
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 01:20:29 +0000