The Wandering Paisa

A little background as to why Colombia was even on my radar when it came to picking the next country to explore . . .

Miles and his brother Brent were traveling Colombia in January when they decided to try their hands at business by opening a backpacker’s hostel in Medellin. Colombia is only recently beginning to attract more culture conscious travelers as opposed to the traditional drug tourists and this is the new market that Miles and Brent intend to tap into. Their hostel, called The Wandering Paisa, is the first hostel in the local (as opposed to tourist and gringo heavy) “Zona Rosa” or bar area of the city and will focus on exposing travelers to “the OTHER side of Medellin.”

The Wandering Paisa is a two-storey house in a residential area within walking distance of supermarkets, bars, restaurants, the metro, and the city’s stadium. Miles and I are temporarily set up in one of the guest rooms while the last of the construction finishes and then we’ll move into one of the smaller rooms downstairs for the first month or so while the place gets going.

Opening is scheduled for the end of the month so the real fun should be in the next couple weeks. Although a stressful time for Miles, with construction running a bit slower than expected and having to wait on the decorating, it’s a really exciting time for me to arrive. I get to see the place in an unfinished state with minor construction left to be done and will get to be involved with the creative work in decorating. It’s the stage where the house will transform from looking like a construction site to being a full-fledged hostel.