We’d not left Medellín for a while and I was getting itchy feet. Throbbing feet to be exact. I can’t explain it. My feet felt like they had volts of electricity pumping through them. Apparently, a tingling sensation in the ball of your foot is something to do with your root chakra.
“The tingling sensation that you experience at your root chakra location is the awakening of kundalini energy. Kundalini energy is primordial life-force energy that is associated with higher consciousness and enlightenment. It rests at the base of the spine at the location of the root chakra.”
I bloody hoped it was my Kundalini energy and not something more serious.
Anyway, I was sure a trip to Salto de Tequendamita (a big ol’ waterfall 1 hour from Medellin) would sort it out.
Leaving Medellín by bus
The waterfall is near the super cute pueblo Retiro. You can get there by bus from terminal del norte. I guessed we could grab a taxi from Retiro to Salto del Tequendamita. I’m sure you can get to the waterfall directly, but it was a Sunday and the pueblo plazas are extra cute on Sundays.
We made the 11 am bus. The lady at contra (window 18) told us the buses leave every 20 minutes until 8 pm. Ida y vuelta (there and back) 14 mil pesos.
The journey out of the city is long. Even after leaving the bus terminal, we sat outside the metro station exposciones for 20 minutes. At least I had a perfect people-watching view of the station exit. I watched the dribs and drabs of people going about their Sunday business.
One elderly gentleman, perhaps nearing his 70’s, was selling mangoes from an off-white polystyrene box. He didn’t make a sale while we waited. I felt sad. No one should have to work at that age. And then we pulled away. I should have bought something from him, I thought.
Pit-stop in cute town: Retiro
We crawled into the town. I handed the driver our ticket stubs and jumped off the bus. The sky was grey and the tarmac damp from a typical passing biblical downpour. The clean air rushed my lungs. They needed it. As much as I love Medellín, the air quality must be on par with London’s during the industrial revolution.
Retiro’s a classy pueblo. It’s like a smaller, less European-looking La Ceja. The buildings are white and colonial. And the streets are clean and tidy. In fact, I hear many foreigners buy homes here. Perhaps that’s why? Because my favorite Antioquean pueblos (San Carlos and San Rafael), have, let’s say, a well-worn charm.
We ate Pizza from a small restaurant looking onto the Plaza. It made for more good people watching. One family looked as if they were off to a baptism or something. The adults were chinwagging away. And then the kids joined them in their posh dark grey suits or pink dresses…and cartoon dog facemasks.
We masked up ourselves and went in search of a taxi to Tequendamita.
Arriving to Salto de Tequendamita
Our taxi driver approached the bend a little too fast. I put my hand on the back of the aged leather seat in front to counter the force. The universal sign for “eh take it easy will ya pal’. I looked at the road ahead. It was not what I was expecting.
Just off the main road were golden arches. And I’m not talking about McDonald’s. These were the golden arches of Aguila — Colombia’s 2nd best beer (Club Colombia is numero uno for me…). But between them, perfectly framed was el salto de Tequendamita.
I couldn’t believe it. There it was. A humongous waterfall just off the main road. I felt as if we were approaching one of those random attractions in the US. One of those farms in the middle of nowhere that claims to have the world’s biggest chicken.
We paid 2 mil each to enter on foot and headed straight for the waterfall.
The grass was sodden and judging by some skid marks, some people were walking around with muddy bottoms. Droves of families and couples were snapping selfies at the waterfall edge. On one side, by some steps, a queue was forming. The steps took you almost halfway up the waterfall to a small viewpoint. Prime real-estate for a selfie. We waited a little too long for a double-date photoshoot to finish and made our way into the spray.
En fin.
What a great place to spend the afternoon, I thought. There were huts to have a picnic, a nice restaurant, and a kiosk selling snacks and ice cream. It was on the pricier side by Colombian standards (we paid 20mil for 2 ice creams), but well worth it. We didn’t eat at the restaurant but it looked like a great option if you don’t feel like stopping at Retiro. I nipped to the loo and had good look inside. The smokey smell of bonfire hit me as I walked past the kitchen. They must have a hell of a parilla in there.
After a few hours, we headed back to the main road to catch a bus back to Medellín. There’s no shortage of ‘em. We flagged down a Transunidos bus. In about an hour and a half, we got back to Medellín’s north terminal.
Well worth a visit. Although, if you want to take some decent snaps, you’d be better off going during the week. Either way, it’s a cute day out.
