A few years ago, when my sister and I were both working as high powered, jet-setting executives (a state from which we've both recovered, thankfully), we were sitting talking about some of the places we'd visited for work. She'd just returned from a trip including several cities in South America. I asked her which she enjoyed the most.

"Caracas was pretty cool," she said. "But you know what the most beautiful city in the world is?"

"Where?"

"Medellin," she said, sighing. "It's amazing."

"Wait," I said, not without considerable skepticism. "the drug capital?"

"The very one," she replied. "it's absolutely breathtaking."

Apparently, my sister isn't the only one to think so: Travelmag.co.uk is featuring an article on Medellin, Colombia, written by a first-time traveller. According to the piece, because of Medellin's reputation, it is a city virtually untouched by outsiders -- which gives it a particular charm, not the least of which is a citizenry eager to change its city's image.

A destination to consider. If your curiosity gets the best of you, and you find yourself looking into tickets, be sure to note the travel tips at the end of the article.

[Photo: Flickr | Michael Joseph Goldstein... etc.]

Filed under: South America, Colombia