Regular readers may have noticed that we’re rather fascinated by abandoned and reclaimed spaces here at Flavorpill. Imagine our delight, then, when we discovered that the abandoned mansion of late drug overlord Pablo Escobar has been turned into a theme park. The place is documented in a series of photos that we spotted at Laughing Squid, and the images document a world both surreal — there’s a private bullring and a giant pink hippo statue rearing up out of a field for no apparent reason — and vaguely terrifying, from the guard towers and private airstrip to the fact that Escobar’s first drug-running plane proudly adorns the entry gates. Imagine living in a place like this, for Chrissakes. On the whole, the place looks to be right up there with as Mike Tyson’s abandoned mansion as far as modern day equivalents to Ozymandias’s statue go, and if we were anywhere near Colombia, we’d be going there immediately. Click through to check out some of the pictures.
Photo credit: Pete Hottelet
Photo credit: Pete Hottelet
Photo credit: Pete Hottelet
Photo credit: Pete Hottelet
Photo credit: Pete Hottelet
Photo credit: Pete Hottelet
Photo credit: Pete Hottelet
Photo credit: Pete Hottelet
Photo credit: Pete Hottelet
Photo credit: Pete Hottelet