Moon River de Medellin, Colombia

Perhaps my favorite aspect of travel is forcing myself to see people and places unfiltered. Forget about what the news said, which stereotypes or preconceptions I'm supposed to hold, whatever I'm conditioned to know (besides reasonable caution) is tossed into the wind. Medellin, Colombia's not so distant past of drugs and crime would likely prevent many persons from visiting, a simple non-issue decision of a city to fly-over en route to Machu Picchu or Buenos Aires, which we did initially, but ultimately, we explored the vast inland valley for a week in May 2015. We rented a room in an Airbnb house near the Setenta (La 70), Medellin's nightlife party row, and with the assistance of our hosts' directions, that lone week was plenty of time to ensure that we would, indeed, be returning. (Incidentally, we met up with him in Marbella, Spain the following year, this past summer!) At Salud y Pan, a vegetarian-friendly restaurant, waitresses began to recognize us as we returned for a few of their healthy, creative, delectable, and wallet-friendly dishes. Per usual, we explored mostly by foot, discovering the local skatepark, the ex-pat coffee shop, restaurants, and rallying after a long night of aguardiente, micheladas, and dancing just to catch an Atletico Nacional, the prize team of Pablo Escobar and the slain mixed-fortune football hero Andres Escobar, match at the nearby stadium (Feliz Dia de La Madre souvenir cup with chocolate included). It was rare, if at all, that we ever felt threatened or in an area too dangerous to walk, though we didn't find ourselves on the  hillsides where it was rumored to be a drop more sketchy in the more recent past. Ex-pats lived quieter existences there, attempting and successfully assimilating into the culture. Medellin, known for it's "eternal spring" weather, in a short amount of time, left a deep impression on us. We left much unseen, as we understood from the view of the Metrocable en route to Parque Arví that it would be impossible to turn every corner of that sprawling metropolis. Intrigued we remain, in adoration we await for our return to Colombia. Get out there, folks. There are incredible sights to be seen and locals to encounter. *Video above is footage from our Metrocable ride to Parque Arví at the top of the hill. The classic Moon River performed and recorded by Par Avion