Colombia, Part 2 (Cartagena)

Alright, as promised I'm back quickly with another blog update from our trip to Colombia. After Marianella and I spent a long weekend in Bogota, we took a short flight to the northern coast of Colombia and the city of Cartagena. If you had asked me where Cartagena was before we began planning this trip, I would have responded with a blank stare. However, the five day trip to this city has made a permanent mark on my memory, due to the beauty, history, and heat of the area.

A brief history lesson about Cartagena-when the Spaniards conquered much of South America, Cartagena became their most important shipping port and therefore became the target of pirates due to the great wealth and currency that passed through the city. As a result, the Spaniards built many fortifications around Cartagena and actually enclosed the entire old city with massive stone walls to keep out the uninvited. After Spain's colonization fell apart, the city of Cartagena also struggled for many years (The literary classic Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez was set in Cartagena during that time period), but within the last twenty years or so, Cartagena has been booming, due to the tourist/cruise ship trade. The combination of great beaches and interesting history has made it a much desired locale for tourists seeking a bit of both.

The Old City
Cartagena is divided by a bridge between the "Old City" and new part of town, although to be accurate a significant part of the old city is not encircled by the stone walls. Of course the most interesting part of the old city is behind those walls, and Marianella and I spent a lot of time wandering through the narrow streets, tree-shaded squares, never very far away from the walls that once kept out the pirates. Our wandering was done very slowly-temperatures pushed 90 degrees or beyond every day, the humidity was equally high, and the intense sun from near the equator conspired to make our pace glacial (and for those concerned about my history with the sun, copious amounts of sunscreen in concert with a protective floppy hat kept me out of the burn unit).

While we wandered in and out of shops, a couple museums, and the squares, much of our time in Cartagena was focused upon just relaxing. The beauty of the old city is apparent, from the flowers that seemingly spill over each balcony to the well maintained parks and streets that invite you to sit and rest awhile. And when the heat got to be too much, we could always retreat to our air-conditioned hotel for a mid-day siesta.
Marianella waiting on her fruit salad:
A father and daughter feeding the pigeons in Bolivar Square:
Under attack from the pigeons in the same square:

San Felipe Fort

Even while relaxtion was the primary motive for the trip to Cartagena, we could not let this piece of history go unvisited. This fortification was the largest built by the Spaniards on South American land and never was overtaken. Situated on a hill overlooking the Old City and the bays that surround Cartagena, we spent a very interesting morning walking through the underground tunnels, peering out of the guard towers, and positioning ourselves by the cannons as we imagined the battles fought in defense of Cartagena. Needless to say, it made a mockery of the forts I built in my youth.

Playa Blanca
I never associated South America with the Caribbean Sea, but it turns out that Colombia is the only country that borders the Caribbean and on one of our days, we spent a wonderfully tranquil time on one of the more pristine of these beaches, just a half hour away from Cartagena by speedboat. What can I tell you that the pictures won't describe? After fending off the initial wave of vendors, we spent a lazy day on the beach, occasionally stepping into the water and walking along the white sandy beach. The return trip to Cartagena did increase our heart rates though when the tranquil, sea green waters turned choppy and made the boat ride back a fully drenched, white knuckle affair. At one point when I peered from under my floppy hat and looked out to the sea, the movie A Perfect Storm flashed through my mind, so I decided to focus on the captain of our ship-I figured if he remained on board, we should survive (and it also took my mind off the fact that the life jacket I was wearing was probably designed for a small child and the reality that my swimming abilities are slightly better than fifty pound rocks). Since I'm writing this blog and you're viewing the pictures, you can see we arrived safely back on shore.
Rumba Chiva

After our adventure in the afternoon, Marianella and I celebrated life by climbing onto one of the Rumba Chiva buses that are a popular mainstay of Cartagena's tourism. The colorful buses pack a band in the back playing traditional Colombian music while the driver and tour guide take us around the city for a pretty informal tour. With vendors available at every stop selling the necessities (maracas & beer), the festivities don't take long to get going, and Marianella and I did our part to contribute to the obnoxious tourists shaking maracas and screaming out the windows as we progressed along the route.
With my little buddy, a lazy bear:
The Beach to Ourselves
On our last full day on the coast, Marianella and I chose to head out to a nearby island and stay at the hotel run by the same people as the hotel we were staying at in Cartagena. We didn't quite know what to expect when we chose this option, we just thought it sounded interesting, particularly since it was the same cost as staying in-town. What we discovered was a great little beach and hotel all to ourselves. As we rode the boat out on the morning run to the beach, we arrived to find that just one other person was currently at the hotel and she was leaving on the afternoon run. So, for a few hours we shared the entire beach and hotel with one other guest and then for the rest of the day and night it was all ours. While it did not have the beautiful water we waded in at Playa Blanca, it did provide a beach all to ourselves-no other tourists, no vendors, no jet skis, just the waves lapping against the shore. I have to admit, it gave me grandiose notions that I am now the type of person who goes on vacations and has the whole island to myself, but by the next time you see me I'm sure my ego will return to Earth.
Our private beach:
Okay, that covers Colombia. . .by the end of the week, I plan on updating you once more from the weekend getaway that Marianella and I just experienced. Take care everyone and you'll hear from me soon~Tim