Pueblito Paisa - Medellin, Colombia

Day 1 continued...

Enough antique cars, time to hit some touristy stuff in Medellin - first stop is Pueblito Paisa.  It's a miniature version of what a historic Antioquian township would be.  Giraffe gives us a ride but the parking lot is full so we have to walk up a mountain - ok, it's not a mountain but pretty darn close and with the higher altitude, Mr. Piglet and I are huffing once we get to the top.  That was rough!  

So what does Pueblito Paisa look like??  It's nice.  It's hard to see though since the whole place is packed with people and vendors.  To my left is a fruit stand, to my right is a sweets stand, in the middle is a tent selling t-shirts and various vendors on either side selling all sorts of knick-knacks.  

Making some marshmallow-like goodies flavored with condensed cane sugar.... I was told it was made from hooves - isn't all gelatin-like goodies made from hooves of some sort?  Anyways, time for some fruit!

Green Mango

Very sour mangoes!  Here, they are cut into long strips and some chunks and then plopped into a cup.  You can either add pepper or lemon juice - we went with lemon juice.  So sour!!!  But tasty...  We also got a cup of guava slices.  Mmmm...  tropical fruit just tastes so much better when it's so fresh and hasn't been left in a plane or truck to ripen.  Fruit is good but I'm here for the food!

Blood Sausage - $2.50

Called "morcilla" and it's just super good.  Basically blood is mixed with rice and spices, shoved into a casing and then grilled.  It's got a soft consistency with a slightly crunchy exterior.  I don't know what spices they use but it's absolutely delicious.  This was Mr. Piglet's favourite.  The sides are a piece of deep-fried yuca (WAY better than fries - it's starchier and lighter with a tad of sweetness and doesn't need any salt), deep-fried whole mini yellow potatoes and "salad".  I use the word "salad" loosely because it's more of a coleslaw since it consists of cabbage and carrots and that's it.  There is no such thing as leafy greens in Colombia as I will continue to discover later on in our culinary adventures.

Pork Sausage - $2.50

Always a pig in tube form anywhere in the world (I guess except where eating pig is not allowed).  There's a nice view of the fried yuca here which I have come to love (and miss now that I'm home).  The fried potatoes are not crispy but super soft and with a bit of salt is super tasty.

Chicken Sausage - $2.50

For once, chicken tastes better than pork!  We all loved this sausage better as it reminded us of a smokie dog from home.  It also comes with faux salad, potatoes, yuca and arrepa.  As you can see, every plate comes with a white tortilla looking corn item.  Well, my friends, this is an arrepa and it's served ALL OF THE TIME.  Arrepas are made of corn rather than flour and slightly grilled before being served.  A nice filler but rather tasteless without the other items.  

Pig Ear - $2.50

There are some good bits in there - the thinner smaller ones are crispy and super tasty but those larger bits are harder to eat since they're chewy and tastes fatty/greasy...  Definitely not for the faint of heart but if you think about it, it's just skin and cartilage.  It comes with an arrepa (of course) and some fried potatoes.  Burro is all for the ear but his brother, Lovebird, is not so receptive and stays away.  

After a delicious meal from the food court, it's time for the view.  Outstanding views of the city from here...  The lower income housing is located on the hillside whereas the higher income housing is in the highrises closer to downtown Medellin.  Later in the evening, the crowd gets even denser as people come up here to look at the view (everyone here loves views and lookout points), eat various desserts and fly kites.  What a fabulous end to a beautiful first day...  Good night Medellin!