Nydailynews/TodayColombia –
A Colombian couple has taken living arrangements to a new low by using an abandoned sewer in the city of Medellin as their digs for the past 22 years.
But Miguel Restrepo, 62, and wife Maria Garcia, appear content, fixing up their modest dwelling with a little kitchen, a bed, chair and even electricity so they can watch TV.
The tunnel they live in measures a meager 64-1/2 square feet, according to Reuters. A circular opening serves as a skylight on sunny days. When it’s hot, the couple turns on a fan. Restrepo, a former drug addict, and Garcia also share the home with a dog named Blackie.
Medellin, the second-largest city in Colombia, has been plagued by drug trafficking and gang violence — once giving it the reputation as the most dangerous place in the world in large part to cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar. Gun battles between gangs and the police still occur, and innocent people are regularly in the crosshairs, according to ColombiaReports.com.
Poverty also persists, leaving some, such as Restrepo and Garcia, to seek shelter underground.
But the city has been trying to turn its image around, and has been using new buildings and public squares to enhance civic pride, The New York Times reported earlier this year.
