MOON Parque Lleras, Medellin Colombia Clubs and Discos

M

OON in Parque Lleras, Medellin Colombia is one of the more popular Zona Rosa Disco/Clubs. It is small by Medellin standards. In fact, you could probably put 10-15 Moons in Mangos, Palmahias or Universal but do not let it’s size dissuade you from considering a visit.It was a special promo night and a friend managed to get us passes and management approval to take videos. We are finding that the Medellin Clubs are actually quite video/photo friendly as are the patrons.

Moon could best be described as a shotgun architecture 3 times as long as it is wide. The front part of the disco/club has leather sofas lining the entry for patrons to sit, relax and enjoy the “blaring music” that eminates from the rear of the club. It is the same music that you hear in many other discos and clubs in Medellin, the dancing is the same, the patrons dress the same, the cost of drinks on par with other Medellin Discos and Clubs, dark, loud music, flashy light shows yadda, yadda, yadda!

So, what was different about MOON? It was the young upscale Parque Lleras crowd, much like Cienaga was the young Envigado/Sabaneta Crowd. Many seemed to know each other, danced with many partners, hung out in small groups and partied big time together. Is this a pattern? Possibly.

At Mangos, Palmahias, Universal, Circus, Carnival and the other larger clubs, there seems to be a cross section of people from all over Medellin. At the smaller clubs there seems to be more of a neighborhood, High School, College grouping effect in place; and, They move from club to club, week to week depending on who has some kind of special or promotion.

Well, never let it be said that young people are not resourceful! Young Paisas are down right crafty in how to stretch their party pesos!

Crowded would be an understatement. Any self deserving Fire Marshall in the US would have fainted at the sight. If there had been a fire the chaos and pandemonium would have left hundreds dead. As it was, they seemed to be in their element and did not mind the closeness of being with their friends. It was impossible to move amongst the crowd without becoming “very familiar” with the people you were trying to get past. Very few girls breasts went unscathed by elbows, chests or shoulders but they really did not seem to be bothered by the fact. They were partying, dancing, drinking and enjoying a night out with their friends.

Even though it was crowded and filming was difficult, MTG still gives this very upscale, popular Parque Lleras Club a resounding two thums up as a place to visit while you are in Medellin.

 

 

 

Medellin

Thanks to all of you that sent me PM’s about my glowing review of life in Medellin.

Yes, it is a great place to live!

For those of you that asked, “what are the downsides”, I guess that is a fair question and deserves a direct and honest response;

 

1) If you suffer from any type of bronchial problem, asthma, or other respiratory problems, then you probably do not want to visit or consider living in Medellin.  Medellin is in a valley, a bowl if you want a comparison.  Not unlike L.A., Mexico City, Santiago Chile and other cities where a large population exists and pollution is trapped between mountains. The pollution created by the factories in the valley floor, the automobile exhaust emissions and burning of trash and debris can remain trapped in the valley until a swift breeze or tranquil rain can clean it out of the valley. It can be hours, it can be days.  If you are at higher elevations up in the mountains, it will not be as prevalent as if you were in the lower valley.

2. There is a wide disparity of wealth in Medellin.  There are a number of very wealthy and affluent while there are many very poor people.  The middle class is growing in numbers as more and more take advantage of low cost educational and expanding job opportunities but the poverty will still send many reeling.  There is no Social Security (except for career military), few if any assistance programs for people with disabilities, minimum wage is just slightly over $220 per month and many people displaced by the 4 decade old civil war are left to beg, sell chewing gum, fruit and other oddities on street corners. Like many Latin American countries, a large percentage of the wealth is in a small percentage of the populations hands but a visible tide is turning as security is improved, more investment into the country is taking place which creates jobs and more people are able to move above Maslows basics of food, shelter and clothing. 

3. Being a foreigner in Medellin increases the price of just about everything that does not have a price tag on it.  Almost everyone who is “doing you a favor” or introducing you to someone that “can help you” is making a commission for doing it.  These people have learned to live by their wits, cunning and ability to sell you on an idea.  Very few have long term plans and goals.  Most live for today and do not worry about tomorrow.

4.  Get used to everyone being late for everything.  If they tell you they will be there at 10:00AM, do not be surprised if they show up at 10:30 or 10:45 with little more than a brief apology for having kept you waiting. The only time they seem to be in a hurry is when they get behind the wheel of an automobile.  Their impatience reaches the boiling point, they speed in and out of traffic as if they were taking a relative to an emergency room, they can honk their horns when a red light changes to green in a nano second, yet, when they reach their ultimate destination, everything goes back to ”tranquilo”.  It is frustrating to many westerners.  For the locals, it is a way of life!

5.  YOU WILL HAVE TO LEARN SOME SPANISH! It is impossible to live here and not expect to become pretty conversational if not downright fluent in Spanish.  It will take years because much like the US and other western countries, they have their own use of idiomas and modismos that will take you longer than formal Spanish to learn. Think about all the local ones you use.  IE: “I am just pulling your leg”!  They say, “I am just pulling your hair”.  There will be days when you encounter people from the barrios or countryside and you can barely understand 25% of what they are saying to you.  Just think about how a Spanish speaking person would understand a deep southern drawl from Eastern Kentucky or a Bronx accent from New York if they learned formal English!

6.  Opening bank accounts, establishing credit or gaining peoples trust here is a challenge…to say the least!  One of my administrators made a comment one day, “nobody trusts anybody here”.  It shed light on a lot of frustrating moments from the past year.  Toto, you are not in Kansas anymore! Do not expect to walk into a bank, open an account and walk out with a new toaster for doing so. Do not expect to get a post paid annual cellular plan, do not expect anyone to give you Net 10 much less 30 day payment terms.  Expect COD or prepayment no matter how high your credit score in the US.

Okay, for those of you that live here or have visited here, please feel free to chime in with your observations.  I’ve only been here a year.  Who knows, a year from now I may have a totally different perspective.

MTG

 

Medellin

Wow!  I am rapidly coming up on my 1 year anniversary of living in Medellin Colombia. It has gone by really fast but has been an excellent experience.

First of all, the climate of this city just cannot be beat. I have neither an air conditioner nor a heater.  I like to tell people when it gets warm, I open my windows!  When it gets cool, I close them!  How is that for energy efficiency?  I have only worn a light windbreaker jacket twice that I can remember.  If it is raining or drizzling in the evenings, it can get chilly.

Secondly, the Paisa people are some of the friendliest on the planet.  Maybe it is because they do not get a lot of tourists here and we are an oddity but rarely a day goes by that I am not stopped by a local, asked where I am from, see their surprise when they find out I am living here and taking Spanish lessons and am genuinally welcomed as a Gringo Paisa. (that always elicits smiles).

Thirdly, the women of Medellin are perhaps some of the most stunning in the world (and I have traveled to 74 countries so that is a pretty good basis for the comment).  They are warm, friendly, very family oriented, sincere (well, most anyway), have fidelity in a relationship, love to party, dance, rarely ever go outside their home when they are not looking their finest and make wonderful girlfriends. A Medellin Girl is a great catch!

The food, well, to be honest, it is not the best.  Very bland, high in calories and fat.  These people eat more garnishments on their hamburgers and hot dogs than I have ever seen. Many times, they have to eat them with a fork.

Cost of living.  It started out pretty good but the declining value of the USD has admittedly put a dent in my spending patterns.  It is still not bad though. I rent a 1,300Sf Apt for $650 per month.  My utilities (including cable TV, HS Internet, local phone, electricity, water, sewer, garbage etc) is about $150 per month and I live in the highest strata area of the city. (Strata: They have 1-6 here.  The lowest strata pays a lower amount for their utilities.  The higher stratas pay more.  It is a way to help the poorer people and works quite well.)

Transportation? I take, taxis, buses and the metro almost everywhere I go.  Much cheaper than a car and you can get a taxi almost anywhere 24 hours per day. 

Clothing?  Haven’t had to buy any but you can spend a lot or a little, just like in the US depending on how you value shop.

Language:  It is still a barrier at times but my Spanish is coming along well.  I would say I am at an intermediate A or B level.  Learning the idomas and modismos (local slang or colloquisms) is the tough part. Some days I just look at them and shake my head.

Am I going to stay?  You betcha! More Spanish classes, more exploration of this beautiful city and it’s surrounding countryside and more posts on WordPress about living here.

If you want to know more about this gem of a city, check out my website at www.medellintravelguide.com If the info you need is not there, you probably do not need to know about it!

Chou

MTG

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