Getting to Know the City, Cyclepaths

I´ve been living in Medellín, Colombia, for five months, but I still feel like I a tourist. I have spent as much time as I can, roaming through the city. However, I still get surprised with all the things it has to offer.
I´ve been to museums, restaurants, I have ridden the metro, and all the things a tourist would do. That said, one of the things that has pleased me most is the cyclepath.
Every Sunday the main highway is closed for cars in order to allow people on bicycles, rollerblades, skates or walking, to have a break for recreation. Last weekend, I rode on it.
The cyclepath, contrary to what people might think, is one of the best ways to get to know the city. It goes from the southernmost to the northernmost point of Medellín. It allows you, in a slow pace, to discover the area.
I can get lost in the atmosphere, the people, the culture, the smells, the clothes and the food. At the side of the highway, I not only found myself watching people pedaling, but also found hawkers, entire families having fun, old people doing aerobics and a variety of food you can only find in Colombia.
Guarapo, chorizo, orange juice, pineapple, bananas, borojó, chontaduros, buñuelos and pandebonos are some of the scents you may smell, or tastes you may try while riding a bicycle in this Colombian city.
However, food is not the only smell your senses will enjoy. The trees around the Stadium give you something new to discover. For example, the orange flowers of the African tulip tree give a strange scent which we call “witches pee”; and, if you continue, you will find the sweet aroma of the pink flowers of the oleander tree.
If you, as me, are not one of those people who always have the bicycle with them, you may also rent one in the cyclepath for U$1.5 an hour. There are also people selling cycling outfits and all -- that you could possibly need for doing maintenance on the bike.
If you are one of those people who love cycling, or love city traveling, I definitely recommend you to go to the cyclepath. Changing the fast pace of the car, for a slower one, allows you to discover a different side of the city. You may well enjoy it more than you think!
Sometimes, you may prefer not to be outside because of the heat, or maybe you prefer not being in the city. However, if you are disposed to put off with a bit of heat-, you may discover a whole new city, not only a city of museums, and parks, but also a city of people, of food, of nature… of cyclepath.