Talking about location of course! From safety and public transportation to neighborhoods and addresses, there is a lot to know to get you from point A to B. Here are 6 main ways to get you on the move, along with some helpful tips to get you where you need to be!
Before we begin, we first need to understand how to read an address in Colombia. If you are used to addresses in the United States, it is a one stop shop to get you to your destination. You have a street name, a number, a zip code and WaBam, you made it. In Colombia however, it always feels like the addresses have too many dang numbers. However, when you know how to break it down, it is simple enough to understand. Every address in Colombia gives:
- 1st- The street number
- 2nd-The referencing cross street
- 3rd- The building number
The most common types of roads are cra or kra for carrera, cl for calle and tv for tranversal. It is helpful to know that ‘Calle’ and ‘Carrera’ are perpendicular to each other and tranversal is a diagonal between the two. Every address gives a reference to the street and nearest cross street.
So let’s say you are trying to get to EAFIT University and they give you the address: Carrera 49, número 7 sur 50, Medellín, Antioquia- you can break it apart and know:
- Carrera 49 is the street number
- Número 7 sur is the referencing cross street
- 50 is the the building number
But WAIT there is more! The second most IMPORTANT part of an address, or quite possibly the first most important part is knowing what neighborhood/ municipio your address is located. For example, there may literally be 44 different streets named carrera 44 in the Medellin Valley, so unless you specify the municipio/ barrio, you may find yourself with one expensive taxi ride. Medellin is located in the Aburra valley where many of the neighboring local towns such as Sabaneta and Bello have grown to a point where these different municipios started to connect, making one large conglomerate of people that is informally all referred to as Medellin. So when asking your friends where you are meeting, first find out the neighborhood of Medellin and then of course the address.
Ok so now that you know how to navigate, lets find you the best way to your destination. Below, I have outlined 6 common ways of transportation in the city.
Taxi- So the first most obvious form of transportation are taxis. I have taken many taxis here and the locals seem to have many do’s and don’ts attached to taxis. While I have not had a problem safety-wise here in Colombia, this is still a developing country and parts are still very much like the wild west. If you are leaving your apartment or leaving a restaurant it is recommended to ask the ‘portero’ or someone working at that location to call a taxi for you. Businesses usually have an affiliation with certain taxi cab companies so you can be sure your driver is someone reputable. Almost anyone can rent or buy a taxi car so in order to screen drivers for safety, you can have your restaurant or hotel order a taxi to pick you up and put you at peace knowing your driver came from a creditable source.
The cost of a taxi in the city starts their meter at $3,500 COP (about $1.10 USD) and goes up from their. To get to my work, about a 1/2 hour walk usually costs me 10,000 Cop ($3.13 USD). It is also worth noting that the majority of the streets in Medellin are one-way. Therefore, due to the creativity of quaint, winding roads and the abundance of hills and abnormal city streets, if you miss your exit, circling around the block may not be an option. I say this because it may seem that your taxi driver is trying to exploit money from you by driving the most round-about-way to get you to your destination. On one hand he could be, but more often than not, he is taking the fastest route which may involve a few ‘U’ turns that seem counterproductive. To put this in perspective, there is only one way to get to my apartment and if you don’t start on the right street, it is a 15 minute loop (without traffic) to get back.
Uber- Everyone knows Uber. Uber is great because it is hooked up to your credit card, therefore you don’t need to carry cash -however not carrying cash has never been advised, EVER by my father 😉 With Uber, you are also able to check out the reviews of the driver who is coming to get you and order a pick-up from wherever you are.
While Uber has many great qualities, it also has a few drawbacks, the first of which to know- it is illegal. That’s right, Uber is illegal in Colombia. The Colombian government invested in their taxi services and want the shuttle money going back to their local drivers so they have banned Uber. However, just because it is illegal, does not mean it does not exist. Uber is quite big here, it just means when your ride shows up, you pretend like you know the driver and they will ask that you sit in the front seat to not raise suspicion. The second downside to Uber is best understood through Murphy’s law which states, “Anytime you need phone data, you will probably run out of data to call your Uber”. So I paraphrased, but basically it is common to run out of data when out and about, making it impossible to send for a pick up, making things quite confusing and frustrating.
The third difficulty with Uber is communication in regards to the exact pick-up location. More often then not, it is difficult to know what parking garage exit you are close to in the mall, what block you are on, or which one-way street you should meet at to have Uber locate you. On top of that, English is not common here, so you will need to defend yourself in Spanish. Trying to navigate this in Spanish is basically the bonus level in the video game ‘Colombia’ which simply tests how much patience you think you really have in life.
Metro- If you are from a small town like me, the metro is exciting! But if it is your daily commute during packed rush hour, it can be an exhausting 45 minutes. One of the greatest advantages of the Metro is that if runs the span of the Medellin Valley. From the northern tip of ‘Niquia’ to the Southern end of ‘La Estrella’, the Metro can get you to almost any part of the city, avoiding every traffic ‘taco’. (Side note- Colombians call any overcrowding of traffic a ‘taco’… When I asked why, it was explained that when you finish washing your dishes and want to drain the water, sometimes the water won’t drain because a taco got stuck at the bottom… So our favorite Mexican delight has been replaced for a mere word of traffic congestion.)
Back to the Metro- While, again, I have never experienced any problems, anytime you are in an area crowded with people, it is important to be aware of your surroundings and not let your guard down for pick-pocketing. I have never felt uncomfortable in the metro, but just be smart about your things. NEVER carry your phone in your back pocket, zip up your purse, hold your belongings in front of you, don’t flash expensive watches, and of course always wear your game face in public 😉
Bus- The bus is a whole adventure of its own. I have found long bus rides to neighboring pueblitos quite relaxing as it is about an hour drive, I don’t need to worry about directions, random people usually get on to sell me snacks, and I get a calm time to see the countryside. But before the nostalgia of countryside bus trips can take place, you need to get on one. The hardest part of the buses are knowing which ones to use, and how and where to get on and off. If you are in the city and see a bus coming, you need to read the places listed on the front windshield. Usually the destination names are written comically tiny, and the bus will drive super fast. So if you are unable to read the destination, you can always flag down the bus driver and ask if he is headed to your location. To flag down a bus, just put your arm straight out and make it apparent you want on. The driver is looking for people like you.
You pay your fair as soon as you get on the bus. Usually, around Medellin the fair is roughly $2,500 COP. It is quite helpful if you carry exact change to hand the driver when you get on. The driver is stopped in 3rd world traffic, so it helps alleviate ‘tacos’ and keep traffic flowing if you carry smaller notes. When you want to exit, stand up and make your way to the back door of the bus and hit the call button on the hand rail. If the call button doesn’t exist, and the driver doesn’t see you, just politely yell, ‘por favor parar aqui’- please stop here. Colombians are not shy, so its OK to be pushy.
If you are going to the airport in Rio Negro, the most economical way is by bus and it will cost you $10,000 COP ($3.13 Usd). For reference, a taxi to the airport will cost around $70,000 COP (roughly $23.00 USD). To take the bus, you can go to Terminal Sur in Guayabal and get on the Rio Negro bus or have a taxi take you to Hotel Nutibarra in Centro and they will shuttle you up to José María Córdova International Airport in Rio Negro (just to note- Centro is known for shady activity so stay near the hotel and don’t flash expensive things). Similarly, if you just flew in, you can walk outside the airport and there will be buses lined up. Simply ask, ‘Cual es el bus que va a Medellin?’ There are two buses that will take you to Medellin- one will take you to Centro and the other to San Diego. Look to see which is closer to your destination and plan accordingly. It is worth noting that these larger buses from the airport allow you to put baggage in the back stow away compartment so you don’t have to carry everything on your lap.
If you simply want to go for paseo to another pueblo, you can make your way to Estacion Norte– Bus station. Estacion Norte usually runs buses from 6AM to 8PM. Here you will find ticket booths with the names of destination towns where each bus is heading. Pricing will very with destination and distance. To get to Estacion Norte, you can take the metro to the stop ‘caribe’ or use any of the above methods. When traveling from this location, I should mention, I have never put baggage in stow away compartments on these buses and always carry my belongings on my lap, so plan accordingly.
Picap- Picap is like a motorcycle uber. If you don’t mind a helmet worn by many people and sitting on the back of a vespa, then this might be your favorite way to see the city. Please, use caution with this. Motorcycle accidents are quite common here, and as my dad always says, ‘he with the most lugnuts wins’. -OK- enough parental guidance, this is how it works. You first download the Picap app and use the service in a similar way as Uber. You punch in your destination and location, request a motorcycle taxi via your phone and they come pick you up. This is a cash payment service and the drivers are always quick to come pick you up. I personally love Picap, but as mentioned before, it can be more dangerous so go easy on telling (or not) your parents about this one.
Bicycle – Last, but certainly not least, wonderful method of transportation is a Bicycle! Yes, absolutely terrifying at first but an excellent form of transportation. (Visit my Bici page for the do’s and don’ts). I would say my favorite part of transportation by bicycle is navigating traffic. Your world suddenly transforms from a stressful clog of life to an exciting game of frogger that you get to blow by! You are nimble like a motorcycle except way skinnier so you can fit through crevices that motorcycles can’t. It is not however for the faint of heart, and if you are barely comfortable on a bike, I would not recommend this form of transportation to you. Colombians don’t have the same rule that ‘pedestrians have the right of way’ so you literally need to move it or lose it. To them it seems quite obvious that pedestrians need to get out of the way so if you stumble in your bike, it could be serious. They of course will not ‘try’ to hit you, but you will not be their main priority.