Connie's Post_Comuna 13 Part two

Experiencing the steep streets of Comuna 13 together was cool. And, due to an untimely ankle fracture, one of our group got to experience Comuna 13 from the perspective of a wheelchair. 

In the late 1990's through 2011,
government projects to improve 
living conditions in Comuna 13 
culminated in the completion 
of las escaleras eléctricas, 
a 1260 foot long escalator 
with six sections. 

This escalator was
inaugurated on 26 December 2011. Its purpose is to ease residents daily trek up and down the steep mountainsides.  In the picture to the right, you can see the orange edges of the six sections of the escalera.   

Prior to 2011, 350 narrow concrete steps and small streets too steep to drive a car up provided access to the narrow alleys. We did dodge motorcycles roaring up the streets on the day we visited, December 31.

Residents are constantly benefitting from this innovative outdoor escalator. It has made the Comuna accessible,  increased community pride, and is now a tourist attraction as well. 

When we got to the top of las escaleras, we found a big crowd gathered.  There was a holiday atmosphere in the streets.  We and many others watched some skilled break dancers / rap artists put on a show. 

We arrived at the top and found a large crowd gathered
 and loud music playing 

Black and White C 13

They had a constant dialogue going and were constantly in motion. 
Later we saw some 6 or 7 year old boys doing pretty good break dancing with rap by themselves.

The break dancers had a collection jar; people were very generous. They also had T-shirts and other items for sale.  And there were many beautiful T-shirts and other memorabilia.

Further along in the streets of C13, graffiti recognizing individuals and groups appeared.

Many different animals are painted into this lion's head image: a lion, a penguin, an octopus, and about 8 more animals.

We had our picture taken at the
 'Wall of Love'

Some guy we didn't know took over pushing
the wheelchair

 As we concluded our visit, it began to rain -- hard.  All the buses returning to the San Javier Metro stop were full to overflowing.  We decided to walk back, downhill. All along the way through the streets, people helped us over and over with the wheelchair. 








         End of Comuna 13 Post