The residents of Medellín have developed a type of community that’s visible in the example of the metro, but also in the little corner stores that, for most of the day, sell bottles of water or energy drinks, but at around 5pm turn into hangouts for local folks to drink beer and catch up. Everyone seems to know each other and, more often than not, by 6:30 or 7:00 someone has brought out a grill and is cooking hot dogs in the street. It’s the atmosphere of a backyard Saturday barbecue in the States, but here it’s on the sidewalk where everyone is welcome, including a pair of gringos watching from the periphery.

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