Carribean, History, South America

Colombia’s Rare Gem: Cartagena

December 20, 2015 • By

I arrived in Cartagena, Colombia after an hour plane ride from Bogotá. There are three climates in Cartagena: Hot, Hotter and Hottest with an occasional gust of wind. Immediately, I conjured notions of melting like the Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz. The thermostat reached 80 something but with 90 percent humidity sweat dripped from my face and other crevices of my body I won’t admit. The locals blame Global Warming. I fault Mother Nature in need of hormone regulation.

Kelly on a wall with tower in background, Cartagena, Colombia, Fantasy Aisle Travel

Old city Cartagena, look out gate

Cartagena de Indias was founded in 1533 and named after Cartagena, Spain. It’s a city of approximately 1.2 million people nestled conveniently on the Caribbean Sea. It’s known for its active port, tourism and oil. Cartagena served as a valuable port to the Spanish for nearly 300 years and was repeatedly attacked and destroyed by pirates wanting access to riches. Goods along with gold, emeralds and silver traveled by road throughout Peru and Ecuador and then by ship from Cartagena to Panama to Puerto Rico or via Havana and to Spain until the 1800s. It wasn’t until Colombia fully gained its independence that Cartagena’s economy declined greatly and people abandoned the city.

Staying in the old city is a must. While Cartagena is a gentle mix of old and new, the brightly colored restored colonial mansions, convents and narrow alleyways suggest a rich history filled with hardships and sacrifice yet wealth and opportunity. The wall, which separates Cartagena’s past from its present took more than 208 years to build and was approximately 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) around the city. Today, much of the original wall stands. I spent hours walking along the wall admiring sea views, church towers and radiant sunsets.

Old church towers, Cartagena, Colombia, Fantasy Aisle travel

old city in Cartagena with wall in foreground

Wandering through the old city can be done on foot or horse carriage. There are distinct plazas dividing the town each marked with a church and filled with statues and beautiful gardens. Locals peddle artwork, purses and shoes on the street and restaurants cater to tourists serving the typical specialty of coconut rice, ceviche (raw seafood salad) and sugarcane water. I sampled mojitos (take note Cuba, the Colombians do it right) and thoroughly loved the ceviche since it’s made fresh and prepared without onions. Find a restaurant with live music. It’s worth the effort. If you prefer shopping, plenty of stores will cater to your desires for emeralds or crafts.

Kelly under a guillotine, Cartagena, Colombia, Fantasy Aisle Travel

I admit I am a witch!

I recommend hiring a guide and walking the old city on day one. It provided me with a sense of Cartagena’s history and allowed me to make a mental note of the churches and museums I wanted to see more in depth. I’ve always had a soft spot for witches and the Palace of Inquisition delivered my aspiration to live a former life of sorts. Locals say Cartagena is a place of myth and legend and burning people at the stake or execution by guillotine adds to the allure. Cartagena served as the third in the Spanish empire to have a Holy Office of the Inquisition. It tried all non-Catholics and others who practiced “black magic” from roughly 16th century until independence from Spain in 1811.

Outside of the old city sits the neighborhood of Getsemaní, which is still strangely within the original fortification and about a 5-10 minute walk from the clock tower or focal point of the old city. Getsemaní served as the servant quarters in colonial times and is now enjoying a rebirth with new restaurants and music clubs popping up on every corner. While the old city provides a handful of 4-5 star hotels, Getsemaní advances the cause of backpackers who can be found hunched over on sidewalks in the morning and frequenting drinking establishments in the evening.

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New friends in Cartagena

Whether you are alone or with a group of friends of all ages, Cafe Havana on the main drag is not to be missed. The $5 cover charge includes a tasty and strong mojito and a mix of locals and tourists dance until the early morning. Getsemaní also is home to the Miss Colombia Pageant, a source of pride for the entire country. Pictures of former contestants grace billboards and decorate walls in many restaurants in Cartagena.

It’s important to mention luxury hotels have sprouted up along the coast in the neighborhoods of Bocagrande and Castillogrande. The guides refer to the area down the peninsula as the Miami Beach of South America because of the high-rise apartments and expensive boutiques but to me the area is a fine example of modernization. If you are visiting Cartagena for the weather and want to stay at a fancy hotel, walk to Juan Valdez for coffee and hear lots of traffic, then it’s possible Bocagrande/Castillogrande is the place for you.  I admit the area provides incredible views of the Caribbean but possesses little character.

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The beach at Majagua- Rosario Islands

Since I was celebrating my birthday in Cartagena, I chose to spend the day on the high seas. I booked a tour to the Rosario Islands about a 45-minute boat ride from Cartagena’s port. As the boat neared the dock at Majagua, white sandy beaches and a colorful spectrum of Caribbean Sea greeted me. Layers of turquoise and aqua colors blanketed the ocean’s surface and darkened as the shallow floor gave way to deeper waters. The salt water stung my freshly burned skin but with a soft silky touch, the water’s temperature warm and inviting. Birds circled and waves crashed. Locals hustled jewelry and fresh lobster (or not so fresh as I was warned). My gracious hosts prepared a local birthday dessert consisting of fruits and jelly. They must have noticed the disappointment on my face and quickly returned with a brownie with ice cream and a Spanish version of Happy Birthday. I eaves dropped on my fellow tourists, attempted to read my travel magazines and relaxed with an open-air massage. My only advice is to bring an extra towel. Towels are for “el cuerpo solo” (the body only) and I learned with rapid hand gestures legs and feet are not part of the equation.

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Another Birthday Cake at the Charleston

When I arrived back to the hotel, Charleston Santa Teresa, my lovely tour operator surprised me with another birthday dessert. A chocolate cake lined with real whipped cream and filled with a sweat fruit layer. It looked big enough for two people but I didn’t want to disappoint anyone so I ate it all. I really need to stop telling people it’s my birthday! Eating three desserts might be over the top.

I finished the celebration dining at Cuzco Cocina with my new friend Zoe from New York City via Australia, dancing, eating and drinking (damn mojitos) the night away. At 2:00 AM, I confidently swerved back to my hotel taking selfies in various parts of the old city. It may seem I am a better photographer under the influence.

 

What to see and do in Cartagena

Whether you spend a long weekend or two weeks in Cartagena, make the most of your trip to this vibrant and historic city.

*Walk in the rain. Watch the drops beat against the sea and the old wall. Nature’s sprinkler greeted me on a morning walk and I was thrilled.

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Sunset at Café del Mar

*Grab a seat at Café del Mar for sunset.

*Visit the Gold Museum (if you missed Bogotá)

*Book a day trip to Islas del Rosario (Rosario Islands) or stay a week

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The old city wall overlooking the Caribbean from the San Diego neighborhood

*Saunter through the old city or wander through its many churches

*Tour the Castillo San Felipe de Barajas about a 15-minute walk from the old town

*Eat to your hearts content for lunch or dinner at Santa Clara (Sofitel Hotel)

*Bargain for emeralds

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Enjoying Ceviche @ Cuzco Cocina

*Taste test the city’s best ceviche at Boliche Cebichería or La Cevichería

*Savor every lick of an ice cream bar or cup of gelato – it will melt quickly so try two your waistline won’t mind

*Travel by horse and carriage through the old town – take the 30 minute loop around old city or spend a leisurely hour taking in more sights

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The traditional bags of the Wayúu

*Haggle for Tejido Wayuú purses – (The Wayúu are indigenous people who weave hammocks, backpacks and purses.  They are beautifully designed, colorful and handmade treasures

*Explore the various neighborhoods of Cartagena

*Dance the night away sipping mojitos, drinking beer and learning the salsa.  Colombian music is fantastic.

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Culture, South America

Bogotá and beyond part 2

December 15, 2015 • By

Before traveling to Colombia, everyone warned me to be careful. Former residents claimed it’s “not dangerous anymore,” while the Internet stated to “use extreme caution.” I don’t like money belts. They make me sweaty and I end up emptying the contents out in the open anyway so I decided to embrace an alternative method of safety—My underwear. I stuffed my nearly expired driver’s license (tomorrow) in my underpants along with some money and a credit card. I took the remaining money and my current driver’s license and stashed them in more visible outside pockets.

Unfortunately, I did not foresee a drawback to this plan until the waiter delivered the bill at the fancy restaurant in Bogotá and I could not seem to find my credit card in my purse. When the light bulb went off, I sheepishly dug down there to find my girl, Capital One. I laughed and the waiter seemed to understand my dilemma briefly turning away. It only got worse when I went to the bathroom minutes later and the driver’s license and the equivalent of $20 fell into the toilet. Safety first!

Colombia today is a thriving diverse country. It borders Panama to the northwest, Venezuela and Brazil to the east, Ecuador and Peru to the south and it enjoys access to both the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. There are approximately 48 million people in Colombia making it the third largest in Latin America behind Brazil and Mexico. Bogota is the capital of Colombia with a population of roughly 8 million people. It’s crowded but somewhat pleasantly. The traffic is horrendous and everyone seems to own a car or two but with spring like temperatures year round and stunning views of the Cordillera Oriental (foothills of the Andes) it makes it bearable.

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Bogotá Brewery

Bogotános appreciate dance, food and art. They blast music in their cars and on the streets (take ear plugs), they consume breads, fruits and specialty dishes on every corner and museums welcome as many locals as tourists. The city closes streets on Sunday’s for bicycling and markets with handmade crafts fill parks on weekends.

Colombians are a mix of native tribes, Spanish conquerors and African slaves. Locals claim their shorter friends and neighbors are native, while taller lighter skinned people more European. I witnessed combinations of both but the differences only striking when side-by-side.

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Chivas, the party bus with booze and music

Young adults (or old adults) celebrate life nightly on colorful party buses called Chivas. Imagine trolley buses for bachelorette and bachelor parties around big cities in the USA. What could be a better way to view the city at night but with liquor and salsa music? It seems a bit wild for my taste but I’m all for a magic party bus.

People in Bogotá make jeans and t-shirts sophisticated and salt in their food a necessity. They brag about possessing 90 percent of the world’s supply of emeralds and exporting 70 percent of their cut flowers to the United States. They consider themselves American. I am not an American and I am a United Statesian or something like that. Don’t bother arguing. You will lose.

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aquaspanela & cheese

For breakfast, Bogatános sip aguapanela (sugarcane tea) accompanied with cheese for dunking or maybe they will choose a papaya or guava juice. They eat ajiaco (soup) for breakfast, lunch and dinner and its ingredients include yellow potatoes chicken, an ear of corn and avocado. The avocados are the size of a cantaloupe and the fruits as exotic and as tasty as they come. You must try curuba, a banana “passion fruit” or uchuva, a small cherry tomato sized yellow fruit tasting like a cross between a grape and a cherry. The fruit excites me more than Juan Valdez.

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Salt Cathedral located in a salt mine in Zipaquirá

On a side trip to Zipaquirá, my guide ensured I feasted on Parilla, a hearty serving of grilled steak, pork, chicken and most of Colombia’s traditional dishes at Brasas del Llano. I may or may not have thrown up in my mouth and then passed out on the car ride back to the city but I’ll leave you to ponder. Zipaquirá is worth the hour drive north of Bogotá to visit the colonial city still very much intact. I also suggest a tour of the Cathedral de Sal, a former active salt mine. Miners and artists carved out enormous Stations of the Cross and designed a baptism and sanctuary complete with pews for mass on Sunday.   It’s believed the oceans created the halite deposits some 250 million years ago and the area has been mined since the 13th century. If you are traveling with kids or more ambitious, there is an old-fashioned train that departs Usaquen for Ziparuirá on Sundays. I pulled up right as it was departing the station in Zipaquirá.

Old-Fashioned train departing Zipaquirá

 

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