A futbol game in Medellin

We did the coolest thing today! We navigated our way to a futbol stadium in a suburb just south of Medellin for a semi final game! It took a few blunders but we finally arrived at the stadium with plenty of time for lunch before the match. We are all in very good spirits today after a few dark days surrounding our journey into and out of Mompos.


So for dinner Maya ordered a hot dog, but Colombian hotdogs are not what you might think they would be. There are 4 or 5 kinds of sauces, shoestring potatoes, cheese, onions....and on this version a little hard boiled egg.



It's so sloppy and huge that it comes with plastic gloves. But getting plastic gloves with your meal isn't really anything unusual here, it's pretty common. By the look on her face you can tell that she isn't really into this hotdog, she took a bite and gave up. She shared my dinner.


So we get to the stadium by using the metro, which is a very modern and efficient above ground train. It runs the entire length of the city of Medellin and is super easy to use. We loved it! Also interesting on the subway, not only is it spotless and orderly, but there is a police officer stationed every 25 feet, and a metro employee ready to help everywhere you look.


We were super proud of ourselves for having figured out how to get to a game so we got our pic taken with our tickets.


Our view of the field from the stands was beautiful, worth every penny and minute spent to get here.


The teams line up before the game.


A grandfather brings his three little fans to the game. You can also see a police officer standing by. There was so much security at the stadium you'd think it was....I don't know, the Olympics or the final game of the world cup. We counted no less that 50 officers, 12 paramedics, 6 firefighters, and a dozen red cross volunteers.


Also stationed outside we're mounted police. For all the bad press that Colombia gets I will say without hesitation that except for seedy Mangangue, we felt perfectly safe and comfortable at all times. Not only are there a jillion armed officers absolutely everywhere, but the people here are genuinely kind and helpful.


We were some of the first people there. There are no assigned seats, just one general admission price of about 6 usd gets you a seat anywhere on the concrete bleachers. Of course there are snacks being hawked everywhere so we enjoyed 50 cent cups of coffee, lime flavored chips, and freshly cut mango for our athletic event snacks.


Back at the hostel we made a simple birthday dinner for Luis of fruit, bread, and cheese.


And afterward enjoyed some fantastic chocolate birthday cake. What a great way to spend a birthday! Over the past 3 years Luis has celebrated his birthday in the jungles of costa rica, the Andes mountains in Peru, on a tropical beach in the Dominican republic, and now here in the city of eternal spring.....Medellin Colombia!!!!!