Parque De Los Pies Descalzos

Take of your shoes and feel the planet's energy

On Saturday, after five days of going to school and doing little else, Matt and I had a chance to do some exploring with a friend.  We'd heard about Parque De Los Pies Descalzos, or Barefoot Park, from a few people and decided to check it out - primarily interested to know it it's name was literal or not (it is!).  Located in the middle of the city center, the park is surrounded by highways and administrative buildings.  The grounds themselves are spread out in a plaza directly in front of the headquarters of EPM - a public/private utilities service that has a hand in almost all of the public works projects in Medellin.  They have built many of the cities libraries, invested in the renovation of dilapidated public areas, and are also involved in many other environmental action projects.  This is their main office building.

With the help of companies like EPM, Medellin has created some really incredible (and free!) public places.  And the citizens of Medellin seem to take advantage of them.  The park was packed with families, couples on dates, and even a few tourists (though we were definitely in the minority).  At first the park was a bit underwhelming - just a scattered section of wading pools and sandy areas.  

After wandering aimlessly for a bit we saw what looked like a guided tour of the place.  We invited ourselves into the group and our whole experience of the park was changed.  The tour led us though each space of the park and asked us to focus on different sensations and senses.  At our first stop, we were all asked to make observations about this tree, smell its leaves and finally touch the tree (whose bark ended up being as soft as tissue paper).  Finally, our guide asked that everyone hug the tree.  The miraculous part was that everyone did - from the grandma and her grandchildren, to the young couple on a date, to us - the intrusive foreigners.  

Next, we were taken to a labyrinth and asked to think on a problem that we were having.  We were then told to close our eyes and walk through, trying to find our way to the other side.

This exercise provoked a lot of nervous laughter and genuine enjoyment as we fumbled our way through the maze, bumping into each other and the blocks as we went.  At the end of the exercise our tour guide drew a parallel between our problems and wandering around a maze with our eyes closed, explaining that the easiest way to solve the maze, like our own problems, is from outside.  Each station has a similarly didactic/motivational component.  

We left the sand pits to wading pools.  Here is our group, waiting for permission to get in the water.  

At this pool, our guide led us through a foot massage, asking us to note the difference in weight and color of our feet after the massage.  The next "station" focused on sound - the sound of the water vs. the sounds of a city, and the way the sounds changed as we moved into the center of the pool.  This is our wonderful guide explaining how we should move through the station.   

These guided tours are completely free and occur hourly each day.  We were so impressed, not only by their existence, but also by their quality.  This woman had 13 barefooted adults, in a crowded park in the middle of the city, closing their eyes, hugging trees, and giggling like children.  It was a really special experience.