Everything had been going all too smoothly on this trip, until last night that is. As I was changing for dinner, I glanced down at my right leg which was also itchy. I knew quite well what it was, having had cellulitis in Paris some 14 years ago. I also knew how important it was to start treatment quickly. So after dinner we asked the hotel to call a doctor. Dr. Diego Cardoza came to my room around 11 PM. He looked to be about 26 years old, fresh out of medical school and he did not speak English. He quickly confirmed my diagnosis and prescribed 2 medications, which the guy at the hotel desk went out to fill. So by midnight I could go to sleep knowing I was on the mend. We didn't have to pay for the doctor's services and the meds cost all of $15. Quite a contrast to health care in the US.
it turns out I didn't need to go snorkeling on Sunday, but instead I just needed to go to the aquarium at the Parque Explora. A few more fish pictures:
This was one of the best designed parks I have ever seen. There were numerous hands-on things, like this sand drawing device.
And this harp with invisible strings:
The entrance was filled with things that taught the idea of simple machines while having fun.
We then headed up the mountains surrounding Medellin on cable cars, crossing some very poor parts of the city on our way.
At Arvi, our final destination, I had the most delicious warm pork tamale for lunch, partly consumed before I thought to take a picture.
On the way down we talked to others in our cable car (from The Netherlands, Canada, and Colombia). This is a city where people just want to talk to each other.
As if we hadn't walked enough, once back down from the mountain we set out to find the house where drug lord Pablo Escobar met his end in 1993. It turned out not to be so easy to locate, but we finally prevailed and confirmed it with a passerby. I am sure the neighbors in this quiet residential area were shocked when the gun battle broke out, leaving Escobar's bullet-riddled body on the roof of one of these houses. Things seem so quiet and sane in this town, which existed under his terror for years. The Colombians we have met all seem like peace-loving people.
Tomorrow we head off with a guide to visit a coffee plantation. This is our first big splurge, but I am sure it will be a great trip out into the countryside.