The Arepa Launch Party at Melodie Lounge

The Arepa is the new, free English-language guide to culture and nightlife in Medellin.

Robin Finley made the move from California to Colombia a few months ago, and immediately set about creating an entertaining monthly source of local information and event info.

To properly launch the guide, he hosted a party at the Melodie Lounge in Poblado last Wednesday evening.

I haven’t been hanging out in lounges much, mostly due to their high drink prices, but to my surprise, I’d been to this one  a few months earlier.

It took me a half hour to receive a mojito this time around, but it was also unusually busy for a Wednesday I’m sure.

The lounge has two floors, and like the first time I was there, the lower level was empty.

The upper level, on the other hand, was filled with people, most of them there for The Arepa party.

I took the opportunity to introduce myself to Robin, and share my feedback.  He recognized me as the guy who runs this blog.

I offered to contribute something to the July issue, an article idea for the blog I’ve had on my mind for a few months now.

Perhaps all that procrastination served a purpose – the opportunity to reach an audience via print!

The print version of The Arepa is distributed across the city, including all the hostels, and a selection of the big universities, popular hotels, and foreigner-frequented cafes and bars.

The PDF version is available online via The Arepa website.