I am already halfway through my 3rd week of studying Spanish! 20 hours of group class with 2 hours of private lessons (along with studying in the afternoons/evenings) leaves me seriously exhausted by the end of the day. We have been sticking around our neighborhood during the week and doing our best to explore the city and surrounding area on weekends. Alex is still recovering from a pretty gnarly virus, so we took it easy this past Saturday.
Blink (the school we are attending) often coordinates group activities for students. On Sunday, I joined in on a hike led by one of my professors while Alex stayed back to recuperate. As Medellin is nestled into a valley, there are several beautiful areas to hike just outside of the city. A group of about 20 of us went to an area with hiking trails just south of the city center called Arenales – a surprisingly rigorous hike that ended at a waterfall. It took about an hour to get there by public transportation (first train, then bus) and the entire round trip only cost about $2 usd. I still can’t believe how cheap everything is here!
Some photos from the trailhead…
Medellin is a very car-heavy city so it felt good to get into nature and breath some fresh air for a day 🙂
The crew heading into the jungle!
On our way in, I heard someone yell, “Clear the trail!!” I stepped aside and a few of these wild cows came RUNNING down the path. It was actually pretty scary, but I managed to get the last guy on video!
Once we got into the actual hike, it was a pretty intense climb up with several fast-moving stream crossings! By the end of it, I was exhausted, soaking wet, and covered in mud. I didn’t get many photos of the tough parts, well, because I don’t plan on utilizing my travel insurance. Beautiful hike, I hope to experience several more!
Wandering Between Meals 
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