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February 07, 2006

Medellin Colombia-Shhh Part 4

Local Malls and Parks: Talk about eye candy? I almost made a daily ritual of visiting a new mall and repeating where I saw locals of interest. I would start off a conversation asking where I could find something, like a bathroom, key shop, where I could buy flip flops or some other lame excuse. To my surprise and delight, the Paisas were very accommodating and more than willing to jump in and lend a hand They actually wanted to be of help and most of them were very curious having an American in their midst. Remember, this is not a tourist city so you are something of a rarity to them.
El Tesoro, the newest and largest commercial center, sporting walkways with fantastic views overlooking the city, is a high end commercial center where only the most wealthy can afford to shop. People were dressed very fashionably and looked like they had money to be there. Camino Real which is located downtown, is also a very nice mall. Unicentro, my favorite, is more of a mid level center with lots of people shopping in mid priced shops. I also had a higher success rate of meeting girls here than any other mall in town. San Diego, is one of the oldest commercial malls and also a very good place for recruiting and meeting non-pros. Oviedo, a short two block walk from the Medellin Mansion, is a very upscale mall with many recognizable stores like Tommy Hilfiger, Gap, Cartier, LaCoste, Polo, Reebock, Liz Calaiborne and others. The food court is the best place to girl watch and perhaps the easiest place to meet them. In the early evenings, there is a restaurant at the main entrance that will afford you a view of some of Medellins fines. Viscaya and Monterey are also worth a visit. If you need something for your electronic equipment, Monterey will probably have it. The entire second floor is dedicated to electronics.
Parks: Parque Lleras is in a very elegant park setting surrounded by shops and restaurants. It is very popular with the young and beautiful set who go there for dinner and drinks after work, listen to free public concerts and watch free films. Parque Poblado is at the main N/S intersection in Poblado. Not a bad place to girl watch during the day. Las Palmas is in a section of the city as you drive up the mountain. There are several restaurants and discos and the views of the city at night are spectacular. Great place to take a date for the evening but it is very busy on Friday and Saturday nights. Also worth a visit is La Sabaneta but go on a Saturday or Sunday and it is a little bit of a hike by taxi.


Restaurants: Medellin is full of them. Everything from fast food and pizza places to elegant, white table cloth, sit down dining. Many fine seafood, steak and local cuisine establishments at very affordable prices. Note: Some high end places include a service charge for the waiters but most do not. Tipping is not expected. It is not culturally ingrained in the mindset of service personnel. Most locals will not tip unless the service is exceptional or they are trying to impress a girl they are with that night. Don't feel obligated to tip and if you don't nobody will think anything about it. Leave a nice tip and they will be falling all over themselves to be your waiter/waitress if you return.

Keeping in touch: For the e-mail junkies or those that have to keep in touch while away, there are many decent internet cafes. Most hotels have internet access and the Mansion has wireless internet to compliment their dedicated access. I picked up a couple of Wi-Fi hot spots quite by accident. Many were security blocked but several were wide open and I just helped myself. Speed was quite surprising too!