Pablo Vive!!! I think not and you can tell Elvis I said so.

It's hard to know if, as a tourist, you should even mention Pablo Escobar's name to Paisas (locals from Medellin).

People remain pretty passionate about the impact this infamous cocaine king pin had on their city and country but as you'd expect there are those who do want to share the story and make a few bucks in the process so there is no shortage of Pablo tours in the city.

The tour company we picked had creatively inserted the FBI symbol on their flyers and in fine print wrote "Find the Best Information" underneath. I appreciated the creativity so they had my vote. 

The tour lasts about 2.5 hours and had us driving around the city in circles so they could tell the life story of Pablo in sequence starting with how he originally became a petty drug (weed... does that REALLY count???) dealer and gravestone seller (stealing stones from the cemetery with his cousin, rubbing off the carvings and reselling them) because he was kicked out of school for stealing the answers to a test and selling them to his fellow classmates. Hmmm, I feel like I know someone with a similar school 'prank' story and they didn't become a massive drug dealer and/or murderer. Anywhoots to each their own and yes I am aware that I am oversimplifying.      



Our first stop was outside one of Pablo's homes. We learned that he had all of his homes built in white, to  honour the powder that was funding it all. This towering building was home to a total of five family members. Seems like overkill to me and it isn't even pretty. He should have called B's designer Karen.

The locals seem to think that his desire to be loved by the people and therefore to enter politics is what brought him and subsequently the Medellin cartel down.  Insane fact: The Colombian government allowed him to design his own prison and be in charge of the security when he finally did get "caught". 


We later came to the building where Pablo's life ended after escaping from "jail".  His aunt's home in a less affluent neighbourhood where he though he'd be safe.

There are three versions of the story on how he was killed, including one where he killed himself when he realized he was cornered. Then of course there are those who believe he is actually still alive. I don't think it matters who made the fatal blow but I am going to wager that he's not currently on an island with Marilyn or Elvis.

Last stop was his grave. Said to be the second most visited grave site in South America after Evita in Argentina, which I visited at the start of my trip. Brutal. I am SUCH a TOURIST.

Second Fun Fact: 2 years ago someone stole Pablo's tombstone. This is the replacement.   I guess it's true ... what goes around, comes around.  

xo b