Posts tagged medellin
Medellin Getting Ready to Light Up
0459 days
by Tom Germain
in Tourism
The title isn’t in reference to the recent brouhaha surrounding the proposed legalization of the minimum dosage of marijuana in Colombia, but rather an allusion to the intense preparations for its world famous Christmas lights extravaganza, which I’m reasonably certain has no equal in any part of the world!
Medellin, to be perfectly honest, isn’t a city with a lot of tourist sites, at least not when stacked-up against virtually any European city. Instead, it has made its mark with two major annual events: the Feria de las Flores, the flower growers festival in July and August, and the alumbrados (Christmas lights) which the city’s runs from November through January. The main area for the insanely intricate and imaginative light displays runs several kilometers along the Rio Medellin, the brownish polluted river that runs through the city, its embankments hosting slums in some places and ugly factories in others, as well as a highway along its length. It’s quite astounding how they manage to turn such an unsightly venue into a place of magic where millions flock every year.
Speaking of which, it’s hard to escape the bone-crushing crowds that congregate there every night, and driving can be tricky, with many major roads into the area blocked-off, unless you’re willing to compete for scarce parking spots a long distance away and walk through dark streets. The better option is to go by Metro, the subway, which just so happens to have a line alongside the river. Another alternative is to get there by taxi, a decidedly inexpensive solution in Medellin.
In these Eco-conscious times, such a massive slurp of electrical energy might seem a little politically incorrect…but I have to admit it’s awe inspiring!
Envigado Massacre Gunmen Executed
0559 days
by Tom Germain
in News
Three weeks ago, I reported the details of the massacre in the Guru bar in Envigado, a suburb to the south of Medellin. Two gunmen had stood before the crowded venue and opened fire, killing eight patrons and leaving 13 wounded (original reports spoke of 26 injured). According to survivors, both assassins had a gun in each hand, firing them simultaneously as if in a Hollywood film. Police later confirmed that the perpetrators had used high caliber “police killer” ammunition, which can traverse bulletproof jackets. The latest news is that the killers themselves were murdered in the gritty La Sebastiana neighborhood of Envigado, only two days after the Guru shooting.
That the gunmen were eliminated is nothing surprising in the world of Colombian organized crime. In this particular case, it may have been their own bosses who ordered them disposed of, as the hit they had been sent on was botched: the intended victim, known by the nickname of El Gordo, had escaped unharmed and the large number of innocent victims were mowed down by their bullets, which has drawn heat from the Colombian government, promising to clamp down on gangs in the Medellin area. El Gordo, a member of alias Sebastian’s organization, apparently threw himself on the floor and crawled to safety among tables as bullets rained into the Guru bar.
Local reports now say that the Guru bar incident was part of a string of retaliatory murders following the interception of a cocaine shipment by authorities in the United States. The cocaine in question is said to have been the property of old Pablo Escobar era traffickers which Colombian intelligence had lost track of over the years. It was one of these traffickers, Pacho Correa, who ordered the guru hit to avenge the execution of his son for his role in the loss of the cargo. Previously, the Colombian press had said the massacre was the result of a feud between rival gang bosses, Sebastian and Valenciano.
Interestingly, the Guru bar’s owner has changed its name in an attempt to distance it from the incident, but has not closed the business. The federal government has promised to send extra police officers to patrol the streets of Envigado, but if you stroll the city’s streets now, they are as devoid of any police presence as ever! The ongoing war between major drug trafficking gangs in this area has not ended, so if you happen to be in any bar or restaurant, be mindful of who’s sitting at the next table and of any high cylinder motorcycle with two men on it that might pull up. Note that Medellin and several communities in the Aburra valley have laws prohibiting two males from riding the same motorcycle, but this seems to not have deterred assassins from using their favorite mode of transportation.
* Sebastian, aka Erick Vargas, is in prison, awaiting extradition to the USA.
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