Today is a Colombian National Holiday celebrating their independence when the people took to the streets to protest against Spanish rule.

I’m not sure if it is celebrated more so in Bogota, because in Medellin today at least, it was very quiet. This was probably due to the torrential rain and thunder which has blanketed down on the city in recent days.

Aside from celebrating with a few paisas in Parque Lleras on Friday night, the weekend has passed without incident.

Others have written extensively about the charming city I find myself in right now, most notably over at the excellent medellinliving.com website so I won’t rehash that here.

First time I visited the city some 18 months ago, I set aside six weeks and managed to cram in the Pablo Escobar tour, City Walking Tour, Skyline Tour, Guatepe, aswell as watching the local football team play – ticking all the tourist boxes and totting up a disgusting amount of aguardiente fuelled drunken nights out.

If truth be told, the main reason I came to the city originally was because of the open secret that travelled up and down the length of the continent that the most beautiful girls in the entire Americas, if not the world were crammed into the city of Medellin.

Being a single man, I had to check it out and haven’t been disappointed either by the outward physical beauty or the incredible kindness and generosity that the women (and men) display here especially in welcoming gringos like myself into their city.

My voyage this time hasn’t had the same wanderlust as the last occasion maybe because it’s become familiar and the shine has faded a little. As snobbish as it might sound, I’ve also veered away from the backpackers and hostels because they grew tiresome and I had my fill for the nine months I travelled last year. This time I wanted to make a concerted effort to meet new people – local people, and I’ve managed that by meeting an incredible paisa girl who has opened my eyes to the city.

My friend and I have rented a fully furnished 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment for a very reasonable price near Envigado for $2,300,000 COP per month which is around £275 each which is great value with 24 hour security and a supermarket annexed.

I had assumed that I’d be more productive here than I had been back in Ireland. It’s funny how the Devil makes work for idle hands. This blog is testimony to that with this being my first post in weeks.

I’ve spent most of my time reading books, learning Spanish, eating steaks most nights and watching an unhealthy amount of telenovelas – The ridiculously trashy “Asi es la vida” being my current favourite.

I still can’t believe how much skin they’re allowed to show on screen here before the watershed. You wouldn’t even catch Dot Cotton sorting through her frillies in the launderette until after 8pm. (A glimpse of the show can be found below)

That being said, I am eager to escape the spell in weather here as it’s gotten very stormy and I’m heading toward warmer climes with Cartagena for a beach holiday to finally bronze up. While my Farmer’s tan might go unnoticed in Ireland, it’s only going to make me stand out more here!