Best pueblos outside Medellin

Lisa Zee says on Sep 18, 2007, 19:36:

Go to Rio Claro, It might be a bit more that 2 hours, but it is beautiful.
Antioquia is about 1 hour.
I am sure guys here will point out many places, Antioquia the state is beautiful, and has many, many towns.

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webmanco says on Sep 18, 2007, 19:52:

Santafe de Antioquía, Guatape, at Rio Claro you could do some extreme sports.

...A yo, déjenme queto y no me jodan má! ...

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Gator says on Sep 19, 2007, 10:12:

I also would go with Santafé de Antioquiade Antioquía, Guatape, at Rio Claro with no argument and pershaps add El Peñol Lake. Rio Claro is about 150 km or- say 2.5 to 3 hours. In the Cañon del Rio Claro you can tube or rent a kayak. It is som white water and reminded me of some of the rivers in North Carolina.

"Credidi pretio parvo emere et magno vendere tibi in animo fuisse!" .

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robi666 says on Sep 19, 2007, 10:30:

Gator, Guatapè = El Penol lake.
Usher, take a look at http://www.comfenalcoantioquia.com/turismo/InicioTurismo/tabid/1493/De...

"I am a citizen of the most beautiful nation on earth. A nation whose laws are harsh yet simple, a nation that never cheats, which is immense and without borders, where life is lived in the present."

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webmanco says on Sep 19, 2007, 10:31:

Don´t forget to go to the real Pueblito Paisa at Rionegro, El Tucam. Best time it is on weekend.

...A yo, déjenme queto y no me jodan má! ...

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paisa29 says on Sep 19, 2007, 10:39:

Jardín.

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usher127 says on Sep 19, 2007, 13:45:

Muy bien. Gracias. I will let you know how it goes.

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morphus says on Sep 19, 2007, 17:20:

I like Santa Fe Antoquia for the cheese arepas.

Guatape is nice. You can rent one of those peddle boats in go around the lake.

La Ceja seems pleasant. You can catch a bus to go there in Medellin San Diego by the Metro for 5 mil pesos.

Rio Negro is a big town. I think there is more to do at night.

La Pintada is like a paradise to me with all those fruit trees. That was the first time I ever saw a papaya tree.

San Pedro has a lot of pretty girls.

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dwmte7 says on Sep 20, 2007, 07:56:

as mentioned by others, sante fe is wonderful. there are a few other options which might prove interesting. go get a hotel in rio negro and spent a few days visiting carmen, maranilla, la ceja, llano grande, san antonio and you are certain to discover a colombia you never imagined in medellin. lived in poblado for years and finally escaped to llano grande and although we have a home in envigado, i always head for the mountain. you don't need to go far to find the colombia everyone here talks about, but so few know or have experienced.

good luck.

dwmte

dwmte

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tomtom33 says on Sep 20, 2007, 08:22:

My novia's kids live in Guarne. I have spent a bit of time there and in Rio Negro. I haven't really done any tourist stuff, but they are nice little towns.

I spent a couple of nights at a finca overlooking Guarne-tranquil and gorgeous. But I can only handle a couple of days of that. Then it's back to the city.

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dwmte7 says on Sep 20, 2007, 15:28:

aw, common, tom-tom, i gotta admit, guarne is a bit of a bluster as far as pueblos go, but anyplace in the finca (almost) beats the lips off medellin, more specifically, poblado. just have to go back to the 80's when it's streets were half dirt, pablo was still around, livin was out on the edge and romance was the next breath which connected you with the possibility of living longer.

now, hell, i might as well go sleep on the streets of miami as hang out in what's called lleras now. i don't mean to pick dry bones, but one needs only remember what they threw away and what they got in return. with all due respect, a day around poblado, as much as i love it, is just another day in suck city. now i've said it before and i'll say it again...check out "LA CASA DE CINCO PUERTOS'. it's a block or so west of the body shop and it's a funky little place on a triangular corner and it's been there for over 50 years. that'll take you back to how it was when the bombs were goin off and the shootings were non stop.

i know, i know, many of you will take me to task for saying the age of lawlessness was better than the relative commercial calm that paints over poblado...and i concede, that's stiff measure. however, been there and done that. and i'll take the strangely seductive and romantic days of yore over today, anyday.

dw.

dwmte

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dwmte7 says on Sep 20, 2007, 15:41:

i forgot to add....if you go up to llano grande and are driving along towards rio negro from don diego, you'll see a turn off to el tablaso...that's where pablo was born. it's a great little place with not much more than a pool hall. but you can discover much there. too, there's gualanday. the best centro commercio in all of colombia in my opinion. it's about 3-4 hundred meters before you get to tutucan. the modest, lovely theme park outside of san antonio, which is just before rio negro. i know everyone there for many, many years and i assure you that if you tell them that 'old douglas' sent you, you'll be welcomed with open arms. the pizza parlor in gualanday, owned by jorge and deborah (mona) is without compare. an evening there in front of the fire is straight from the heart. and out back, the two antiquarios, mauricio and mario, they're like brothers. let them show you around, tell them douglas said hello.

i give good advice on where to go, what to do and who to hang with, because after you leave the familiar safety of a place like poblado, going out partying and hanging out in the pueblos is a bit like hangin your life on your sle eve. i would suggest maranilla, but you need big nuts to go play there at night. it's a favorite both to locals and guerillas. it's crawlin with clubs, bars, etc. but it aint for the faint hearted. go with good (trustworthy) friends and behave yourself. fuckin around can get you dead. but maranilla like san antonio (much safer) are great places for youthful night life. i, personally, avoid la ceja, as the buddies of castano live/hang out there and i just don't trust the place. many folks hark-up penol, but for me, it's really so so. like gertrude stein once said about oakland, california..."ain't no there, there."

dw

dwmte

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luly_1 says on Sep 20, 2007, 16:04:

i went to marinilla and i will say there wasnt much to do there. i went on a monday and even then there were people out in the streets past midnight. if you like to go to a bar and drink and dance, it's the place to do it. since that's not my type of plan, i found myself walking around admiring the grafitti littered walls with my boyfriend. i would suggest that you visit marinilla with someone who knows the place and is familiar with the people. i went with my boyfriend and he went to school there for two years so he was familiar with everything and that made me feel safe.

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tomtom33 says on Sep 21, 2007, 02:14:

Doug, I spend very little time in Poblado, but I don't spend much time in Manrique either. I like the vibrancy of the city and live in Conquistadores. The country is nice - for short visits.

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usher127 says on Nov 6, 2007, 19:59:

I did in fact make it to Guatape. It was really nice... but on the other hand... I hate anything that feels touristy.. which it certainly did. I want to go to un pueblo that people dont visit. The type of place where, when you walk into a bar, it goes completely quiet.

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RussianFred says on Nov 6, 2007, 22:52:

Bello!!!

Annual Drug Deaths: Tobacco: 395,000, Alcohol: 125,000, 'Legal' Drugs: 38,000, Illegal Drug Overdoses: 5,200, Marijuana: 0. Considering government subsidies of tobacco, just what is our government protecting us from in the drug war?--Ralph Nader

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webmanco says on Nov 7, 2007, 01:06:

Bello or Niquia in Columbia. :-) Well Bello might not be any longer a Pueblo.

...A yo, déjenme queto y no me jodan má! ...

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robi666 says on Nov 7, 2007, 03:38:

" I want to go to un pueblo that people dont visit"
Bello and Niquia? Well... ehm... you get there by metro.

Talking about staying in Antioquia...

San Roque is nice, three hours from Medellin, half an hour on the hill from the way to Puerto Berrio. Just do not listen to the taxi drivers in Medellin telling you not to go.

Or, if you want to experience some lawless vibes, you can try Zaragoza, Remedios and Segovia, if you are not afraid of brujas that will try to make you stay there forever.
Just, do not accept drinks from women and if you really have to do it, get the glass with your left hand. Also, remember to wear your underwear inside-out.

"I am a citizen of the most beautiful nation on earth. A nation whose laws are harsh yet simple, a nation that never cheats, which is immense and without borders, where life is lived in the present."

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