#93 Exploring Comuna 13 of Medellín - A Journal of 20+ Photos 🇨🇴 ...

25 years ago, Medellín of Colombia was dubbed by Time Magazine as "the most dangerous city on earth"(Netflix "Narcos" anyone?). Nowadays, it has been attracting visitors and expats from all over the world, with its mild temperature throughout the year, its low expenses in living and its booming vitality across the city.

The citizens are proud of their home rated as one of the world’s most innovative cities, along with New York and Tel Aviv. When I was in Medellín, I found so many digital nomads of different nationalities based there, some of them fell in love with the place and decided to stay longer.

25年前，哥伦比亚的第二大城市麦德林被《时代》杂志称为“地球上最危险的城市”，如果你看过2015年热播的Netflix原创剧集《毒枭》，可能会对这个世界上最大的可卡因加工国和贩运国有些许了解。该剧颇为真实地讲述了上世纪八十年代哥伦比亚大毒枭帕勃罗·埃斯科巴传奇的一生，而他的老巢就在麦德林。

如今，这座焕然一新的春城和纽约、特拉维夫一起被评为世界上最具创新性的城市。在这里旅行时，时刻可以感受到当地居民的自豪，近年来翻天覆地的变化给他们带来了新生活的希望。麦德林也以四季如春的气候、低廉的物价和宽松的政策吸引着越来越多世界各地的人们前来工作定居。

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There were lots of intriguing sights and exciting activities going on in Medellín that I plan to blog about. And today, I’m sharing my experience in visiting Comuna 13 of this impressive eternal-spring city. Comuna 13 is a densely populated and poor neighborhood among Medellín’s 16 barrios. It used to be the most violent area in this formerly “murder capital of the world”.

Ok, imagine, a notorious slum area with the highest murder rate in “the most dangerous city on earth”! Sounds scary right? The good news is this neighborhood managed to reinvent itself from the drug and gang wars. Sure, things are not just black or white, and a new comuna is not built in one day, but the positive changes towards a good direction is still something amazing to see.

麦德林有着太多我想分享的故事，今天就先请大家跟随我的脚步，一起来探索它曾经臭名昭著的贫民窟13区，看看这个被称作“全世界最危险的谋杀之都”里的“最暴力的贫民窟”有着怎样的过往，又是怎么转化为如今这个朝气蓬勃的新社区的。当然，任何事情都没有非黑即白这么简单，但是这样积极的转变总是激动人心的，不是吗？

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There are a few organized tours guided by local agencies that you can join. However, I decided to visit Comuna 13 independently to find out what’s it all about. Another traveler I met earlier in the same hostel in Panama was also interested in the place, so we took a bus together to the neighborhood. After about one hour in the bus and some walk up the steep slopes, we finally arrived at the gate of Comuna 13:

当地的旅行社也有组织由导游带领参观这个贫民窟的活动，但是一直很惧怕跟团的我决定还是自己去一探究竟。只身深入虎穴，有点怕怕啊~ 还好前些天在巴拿马的旅馆里认识的一位英国小哥也飞到了麦德林并打算去贫民窟看看。所以我们一拍即合，共同前往。于是搭了巴士，晃晃悠悠一个小时终于到了山脚下，又走了一截上坡路，最后来到13区的入口：

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The Troubled Past

Some decades ago, Comuna 13 was controlled by gangs and drug lords, the most infamous being Pablo Escobar from the 1980s. (I can probably write a book about him based on all the 2-sided stories told to me by locals.) The narrow staircases along the steep hills made it difficult for police to enter to take action, as each gang had its own lookout on the high mountaintops so they could easily escape.

Different gangs fought over control after Pablo Escobar’s death in 1993, causing high murder rates. In 2002, when the Colombian military were fighting over left-wing guerrillas, over 100, 000 residents of Comuna 13 were left in the heavy combat and siege. Many of these innocent inhabitants were killed or injured. As a result of the victory, the paramilitary groups began to control the whole city of Medellín allied with the police.

血雨腥风的过往

几十年前，偏居一隅地处山谷的13区被毒枭帮派所控制，最有名的要属八十年代以帕勃罗·埃斯科巴为首的团伙。这里插播一下：关于这个在哥伦比亚甚至整个美洲家喻户晓的人物，我简直可以根据史实记载还有当地人跟我的各种口述写一本长篇小说。他的狡诈、贪婪、凶恶、勇猛、精明、果敢、革新精神甚至侠骨柔情、劫富济贫，褒贬不一，皆为传奇。这块贫民窟山区地势险要，道路逼仄，各大团伙都在高高的山岗上建立了哨所，因此每当警察叔叔们试图干预，他们很容易就逃之大吉。

1993年，帕勃罗·埃斯科巴被击毙后，各大贩毒团伙竞相争夺控制权，导致谋杀等犯罪率居高不下。2002年，哥伦比亚军队跟左翼游击队交火时，13区的10万余民当地居民被困在围攻搏斗中，大量无辜群众被打死或受伤。作为战斗胜利的一方，准军事部队开始和警察结盟，共同统治整个麦德林城。

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The Revival

Later, Comuna 13 welcomed some new changes. An architect suggested the world’s first giant outdoor escalators to connect neighborhoods – the 6 covered escalators with bright orange roofs were completed in 2011, which was a great help for the locals. Before that innovation they had to climb up the steep hills for half an hour, while now it’s a comfortable 5-minute ride.

Local government offered young people free paint and tools for their creativity. That’s why we could see so many stunning murals on the buildings and walls by street artists. These colorful creative works surely played a role in cheering people up. I also noticed a few libraries and community centers. The inhabitants were encouraged to read the wide choices of books and magazines from handy manuals to world literature works. There were also various activities for them to participate. The abundant flowers and plants in the new parks provided a refreshing and relaxing atmosphere.

More and more organized tours to this unique barrio have been launched as well. After a few months, I visited some favelas(slums) in Rio de Janeiro of Brazil, and witnessed the similar success story of transformation. There are for sure lingering issues, and much work remains. I heard that gangs were still controlling some slums and there were occasionally shootouts. But at the same time, there are clear signs of progress, and most importantly, after all the violent wars and conflicts, there is HOPE (touching background music should be played here...).

孕育希望的当前

接下来的日子里，13区迎来一系列积极的改变。一名建筑师提议建造了世上第一款沿山坡运行的室外升降电梯（见下图）。这六个封闭的玻璃大电梯有着鲜艳的橙色顶盖，于2011年完工投入使用，给当地居民提供了极大的便利。想想看，之前人们需要爬坡至少半小时才能到达半山腰或山顶的家中，而有了这些电梯，只需5分钟就可以轻松上下。

当地政府给年轻的艺术家们免费提供了各色油漆和作画工具，以供他们挥洒自己的热情和创造力，同时改善贫民窟乏味的外观。于是便有了我们现在看到的无处不在的涂鸦艺术。从下面我拍的照片中可以看出，很多作品水平高超、色彩鲜艳，丰富的想象力让人惊叹。漫步在随山势起伏的民房间，我还注意到几座小图书馆和社区活动中心。居民们可以在此博览群书，参加各种社区活动。还不时可以见到新建起来的小公园，种满花草，有涂鸦的墙壁、滑梯、滑板空间等设施。

当地机构也开始组织越来越多的活动，带领游客前来参观。几个月后，我在访问巴西里约热内卢时，看到那里依山而建的贫民窟也颇为成功地复制了这里的创新模式。当然，罗马不是一天建成的，还有很多问题存在。贩毒团伙仍然控制一部分贫民窟，而且时有枪击发生。不过，居民生活的改善有目共睹，而且更重要的是，在经历了那么多暴力的冲突动乱之后，对新生活的渴求不再那么遥不可及，人们的心里有了希望（此处该有如好莱坞大片高潮时气势磅礴的背景音乐响起......）。

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My lovely travel buddy from England was quite nervous walking around there, he kept saying he was paying close attention to everything surrounding us, since we could be shot at any time. But I found the locals pretty friendly and busy living their life just like anywhere else in the world: the elderly people were sitting outside and chatting, most younger folks were working, and children were playing and chasing each other happily. I didn't see any reason they would hurt us.

So I was wandering about with a light heart. Maybe I was too positive but luckily nothing bad happened. I think it helped when we were 2 people and didn’t wander too far from the main stairs and escalators. If you go there, make sure you watch your belongings in case of any street robberies, which I'm afraid could happen not only in this neighborhood but in many other places across the globe.

我们在山间游荡时，我的旅伴 -- 那位来自英格兰的小哥一直非常紧张。他不停地跟我说他在密切关注周围的一切，以防我们被乱枪击中。而我觉得周围的居民跟别处的也没有什么两样，看上去挺友好，都在忙着过自己的生活：老人们在门口坐着聊天；年轻人大都在干活；孩子们在嬉戏玩耍。总之我是看不出什么重大危险来。

所以我心情很轻松地四处逛着。也许我太乐观了点，不过还好一直没什么险情发生。可能因为我们是两人同行，也没有走得离电梯太远。如果你们也去到这种贫民窟，其实就跟世界很多地方一样，都是要注意防备，看好自己的随身物品啦。

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I guess I have this problem of lacking fear in my travels, like once I was strolling alone in a hillside slum in Guayaquil of Ecuador, and I didn’t feel anything dangerous. Later there was a local woman who told me it’s not safe to walk there, so she accompanied me downhill to the main streets. I was very grateful for what she did for me, otherwise there might be some safety issue, if a local thought so – they must know the place much more than a solo traveler like me. So two lessons learnt: always be careful and always listen to the locals. 🙂

可能我在单身的旅途中有点太大无畏了，比如有一次，我在厄瓜多尔的贼城瓜亚基尔的一个山头贫民窟闲逛，也没觉得有什么异常。但逛了一会儿，突然有位当地的中年妇女过来跟我说这里太危险，一边说一边用手比划着砍头的姿势，说完就把我一路送下山。想想还是很感激她的，万一有什么危险可就惨了。她毕竟是当地人，肯定比我了解情况，既然她都说不安全，那我就真的不该在那儿侥幸逗留了吧。

故事寓意：出门在外尽量小心，多听从当地人建议。

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When we were having dinner in a roadside snack bar, a young woman suddenly walked to us and started winking to my travel buddy. It might be obvious that we were not a couple, or she just didn't care, as she kept smiling to him and handed him a note with her phone number on it, haha😄. My fellow traveler was getting blushed by this sudden sweetness. We tried to talk to this girl and some other inhabitants about their life there, as their stories could always offer first-hand insight into the local culture. It’s a pity that our crappy Spanish couldn’t go too deep in the conversation, but the locals seemed to be pretty laid-back and happy about their new life.

We walked around those brick and cement houses with corrugated iron roofs, greeted local residents and were greeted by them. There were cute kids running to us and posing in front for photos. I could constantly feel the vibrant, creative and cheerful vibe in this community. We stayed at the mountaintop till dark, so we could have this fantastic night view of the lit houses tucked away all over the rolling mountains:

随后我们在路边的一个小餐吧里吃晚饭，突然间，一位衣着破旧、长相普通但却风情万种的姑娘摇曳生姿地向我们走来。估计是我们俩看着就不像一对情侣，或者她也根本不在乎是不是，总之她完全忽略了我的存在，一个劲儿冲着那位英国小哥微笑抛媚眼，还问店家要了一张小纸条，写下自己的号码塞到他手里。这些热情似火的拉丁姑娘也真是可爱，我在加勒比和南美居住之后发现她们的撩汉技能真是望尘莫及啊，哈哈。那位内敛的英国绅士还立马羞红了脸，但是这姑娘已经一屁股坐到了我们旁边。我们就试图跟她还有其他当地人聊聊家常，以了解下当地生活和文化。只可惜我们破烂的西班牙语不足以进行深度交流，但似乎周围的人都过得挺开心快活。这多数拉丁人乐观的天性又是我一无趣的东亚人常常觉得难以企及的一点 =)。

我们在这些红砖水泥房间游走，跟当地人打招呼，也被当地人问候。还不时有可爱的小孩子跑过来摆造型要求拍照。我的旅伴也似乎放松下来，说可以感受到周边友好活跃的气氛。我们一直在山顶呆到天黑，看到了下面这张照片里的美景：

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So that’s it for today’s sharing about Comuna 13 in Medellín, Colombia. What impressed you the most with this neighborhood? Would you dare to explore it on your own if you have the chance? Tell me what you think in the comments! Until next time. =)

好啦，今天关于这个独特的山间贫民窟的分享就到这里。你有什么感想呢？如果有机会，会不会自己去探索这种地方？

All content by @itchyfeetdonica
照片文字均为原创。