Saturday Night In Sabaneta

Horses parked outside a bar in Sabaneta

I met Milena from Couchsurfing at the Juan Valdez Cafe in Parque Lleras. We walked across the street to Thaico for dinner and drinks. Like many of the restaurants in the Zona Rosa, special deals were available. Two for one entrees, and three for one cocktails were available most of the day and we took advantage.

The open-air restaurant soon filled up, and combined with the music and darkness of early evening, the ambiance was great. I choose caipirinhas for our drink, since I would not be making it to Brazil. My chicken curry was not quite the authentic Thai style I was expecting, but good nonetheless. Milena's English was good, so we had little trouble communicating.

Couchsurfing's Medellin Group

Around 8:30pm, we headed down to the metro and rode it to Itagui where we then hopped on a bus to Sabaneta, which was more town than city in atmosphere. We passed more than one bar with groups of horses roped up outside on the street. We picked up a few beers and walked to the apartment complex where the Couchsurfing party was being held in a common room. Nacho, a clearly beloved member of the community, was going away and Colombians never seem to miss a chance to party!

Jeff and Mark from California

I thought the room looked bleak – small, white walls, a jukebox, but as more people arrived, and the music got pumping, and the Aguardiente (anise-flavored liquor) flowing, it turned out fine. I ran into the two Asian American guys, Jeff and Mark, who recognized me back at the hostel from this blog. They last read it four months ago before beginning their own year long Latin American adventure. You can follow their exploits at DefinitelyCasual.com.

Where in the world am I?

When the time came to vacate the apartment social space, we cleaned up and walked a few blocks to a bar at the edge of a park. There were about thirty people still with us at that point, and the atmosphere was perfect. Around 2am, Diane and her friend offered me a ride back to the hostel, dropping off two others along the way as well.

Diana smiles for the camera

Dave Lee

Dave is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Go Backpacking and Feastio. He’s been to 66 countries and lived in Colombia and Peru. Read the full story of how he became a travel blogger.