Primeras impresiones

The taxista pulled out of the airport into a roundabout and the first things we saw were bicycles.

Liz and I were a little shaken up upon arrival, as can happen when touching ground in a foreign country. No one spoke English, not even the immigration agents – who detained us for ten minutes while we frantically searched for the exact address of our airbnb with spotty airport wifi. We then dragged my bike box across the airport and haggled for a taxi big enough to squeeze in both us and my bicycle. Finally sinking into the cab seats with apprehension, we listened to the driver babble incomprehensibly in Spanish.

The bicycles gave a rush of relief, familiarity, and welcome. They lined the carretera from the moment we left the airport, around steep switchbacks and over the lush mountain pass, all the way until we descended an hour later into the metropolis of Medellín. A country of ciclistas! Even if I fail to learn Spanish, I thought, at least we’ll have bicycles in common.

We were unpacking in our 10th story apartment when we heard a megaphone blasting rhythmic, monotonous syllables below. My heart sank. I had done so much research to assure that Colombia is safe, that we picked an upscale neighborhood, that Medellín is no longer the most dangerous city in the world. And now there was some sort of police sting right outside our window? On the first day? How could it start like this?

And then my limited Spanish vocabulary recognized a word – “…PA-PAY-A…”

Papaya? What sort of criminal heist involves papayas?

“…PLA-TA-NO…A-GUA-CA-TE…”

We walked out on the balcony and looked down to a street vendor pushing a makeshift cart on bicycle wheels, selling fruits and vegetables, and letting the whole world know it.

There are many images that reflexively surface when Americans think about Medellín, thanks in part to its legitimate history and in part to Hollywood’s obsession with that history. But despite the recoiling reflexes, Medellín showed us its simple 21st century smile on that first day: Bikes, fruits, and friendly people.

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