We are back in Medellin and visiting the Comuna 13 District of the city. It is one of 16 districts in Medellin. It's located in the western hills and has had an interesting recent history. We visited here because this was one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Colombia, particularly in the 1980's and 1990's but the government didn't really get it going again until 2002.

The neighborhood was started by displaced farmers trying to escape violence in the 1940's but then had waves of migration, poverty, and unrest. Because of its hillside location on the edge of the city, it was a hotspot for paramilitaries, guerrilla groups, drug trafficking, and armed conflicts.

The government did Operation Orion in 2002 which was a military offensive with helicopters and tanks to try and clear up the area. It had some bad results for some locals, but in the end, it appears to have started this area back on the upswing.

The neighborhood is on steep slopes and has densely packed brick and cement housing. Part of the government's efforts to help the area included improving the mobility of the area so that people could get into town easier for jobs. This involved installing escalators, a Metro system with buses and trains, and also a cable car system. We rode all four of these. They also established libraries, community centers, and other cultural and social supports.

Today, Comuna 13 is a vibrant area with lots of street art, culture, music, dance, murals, and plenty of food and drinks, including some ice juice drinks which we tried. I would add that this neighborhood seems to be on the young side, age-wise, and it's a good thing, because the streets and stairs are very steep here.

The next photo is not a great rendering of the neighborhood, but it will give you a good idea of just how steep the streets are and how densely packed the houses are, and no escalators on this street.

This is just another look at the neighborhood to see the layout. It's hard to see any streets. You can also see that it's on the edge of the mountains.

What do people do here for a living? We stopped and paid a hip-hop group for some entertainment. This is what these guys do for a living. Their studio is right on a small street. I wished that I had these guys energy.

I stopped dead at the next guy. I turned to our guide, Ernesto, and said, "I can't believe that you've got a guy selling cocaine, right here on the street!" He laughed and said, "Well, since you like it, I'll buy you some," and he did. The joke was on me. The guy was selling giant homemade marshmallows. The better news was that they were really delicious!

Both our main guide and our local guide stressed to us how safe this neighborhood is today. I'm sure that it is, compared to its recent past. But I had to challenge them on one count. On those very narrow and winding and crowded streets, the motorcyclists were a genuine safety hazard! The cars were no picnic to dodge either.