I’m trying to find the perfect word to describe Cartagena Columbia. It is sweet and romantic, with its cobblestone alleys and balconies overflowing with Bougainvillea. But it is also hot and sassy, sexy and loud, with music blaring from every corner, even people walking down the street rapping.
I am staying in the walled-in old town, which is a UNESCO world heritage site. This area is teeming with peopl – it seems both day and night. I can see why people don’t wear a lot of clothing here. It is so darn hot! And humidity like we don’t even see in Charlotte.
It was early evening when I arrived and got settled into my apartment. The first thing I needed to do was get a map and go to the grocery store. After that, all I did all night was walk along the alley ways in the city. I must have looked like a complete dork because every time I turned a corner in the city my mouth dropped open and I uttered the word “wow”. There are horse-drawn carriages. And local selling their wares. And honeymooners out for a stroll. And teenagers getting drunk in the streets. It just seems like the city has so many personalities. And each one of them is pretty freaking cool! I bought a cervesa on the street and just walked around drinking beer. Every once in a while I’d pop into a boutique or check out some crafts or sit on a curb. The people watching here is amazing! I can see how people fall in love with the city and never leave.
I don’t usually take pictures of my food but…this is Filete Marinero – fish fillet with shrimp, octopus, and scallops. Served with guacamole and a banana with hot sauce on it!
Tomorrow morning I’ll take a tour and get my bearings. Then I’m off for a private salsa lesson which I can hopefully use tomorrow night and one of the many clubs
Finally…this was to be the day that I’d get pampered before returning to the real world. But first, a little splurge on typical Colombian coffee. Where else would you go but Juan Valdez, right? Anyway, I returned to my apartment to pick up some things before my massage appointment and while I was there the power went out. Apparently this happens often in the Old Town. I didn’t think too much about it – just left to get rubbed!
Las Bovedas – former dungeons that now house local vendors
I went to the old Santa Clara Hotel in Old Town which is now a Sofitel property and absolutely stunning! Here if you had a spa service you got access to the facility for the day so I planned to spend my day getting touched and pretty and then spending some time by their incredible pool.
Upon entering the ladies lounge, I made a new friend in Jess – a woman from Manhattan who was in Cartagena for an event planning conference. She’d been wined and dined all week long. She also let me know that Martha Stewart was at the hotel and I’d just missed her in the spa by 20 minutes. So I was in the company of Martha…kind of…it was going to be a great day.
I had the BEST massage I’ve ever had in my life here – and I’ve had quite a few. You know the kind? When the pressure feels so good that your eyes sort of roll back in your head and you can’t do anything but concentrate on the luscious feeling? It was one of those…oh so good. It was followed by a mini-facial and a pedicure that was long overdue. On returning to the ladies lounge, I realized that —– I did not have my credit card AND I did not have enough cash to pay for the service AND my credit card (and license and passport) where in the safe in my apartment whose power was out. It being an electronic safe, I was pretty much screwed. Oh my goodness, was I embarrassed! I immediately got in touch with both the property manager and the building manager to see if they could loan me money. And then did what I always do when I’m freaking out. I called my Mom! It was an agonizing 30 minutes or so but the property manager, Barbara, made a trip from her apartment to downtown to let me borrow enough money to pay my bill. I really needed a drink at that point! But – you can’t buy a drink with no money. It was seriously a comedy of errors all around. And I overreacted, of course, but was just so embarrassed about the whole thing. It was a little chink in the armor of what was supposed to be a picture perfect day.
The incredible pool at the Santa Clara Hotel
I do think things happen for a reason, however, because after the whole debacle, Barbara and I went to have a bite to eat and a much-needed glass of wine. We had such a nice time! She and I are very similar and it’s refreshing to see that there are other slightly crazy yet pretty cool women out there in the world. I’m very grateful I got a chance to get to know her.
I had planned on going to the Havana Club to dance with Henry, my building manager, who is a local and would show me the ropes. Unfortunately, in all the events of the day, I drank some water at the spa that definitely wasn’t agreeing with this gringo L So instead of dancing ‘til dawn, I was in bed at 10! I was also reasoning that going to bed early would be better for my day at the beach on Friday.
I woke on Friday to another HOT, HOT, HOT day and was leisurely sipping my coffee and slowly waking up when I checked my email to find that my flight was delayed. How strange – how do they know it’s delayed when it isn’t departing until tomorrow? I honestly didn’t think twice about it but thought I’d just look at my Expedia app to see what I was in for the next day. It said, very clearly, “Your flight departs in 2 hours and 36 minutes”. WHAT?!?!?! Yes, I’m a natural blonde! I had seriously thought for months that I was returning on Saturday, not Friday. Well, here we go. I put some clothes on and literally sprinted down the streets of Cartagena to an ATM because of course I didn’t have any money for a taxi! I can only imagine what people were thinking by the looks they gave me. It was absolutely hysterical. But by 7:30 I was out of the apartment and shuffling down the streets with 2 suitcases in search of a taxi. When I found one, all I had to say was “mas rapido”!!!
All is well that ends well, right? I’m hoping to be in Charlotte by day’s end. Everyone needs a little jolt of excitement on their last day of vacation, right? Just don’t hold it against me…
OK, the city is just cool! But not literally cool – it’s hotter than the Amazon here!
I woke up nice and early and had a coffee in my apartment while the rest of the world got up. This town definitely sleeps in.
Have I mentioned how hot it is here yet??? I left early for my tour and sweat was literally dripping from my chin within 5 minutes I had to return to my apartment and get what I’m calling toalla del sudor – the sweat towel
Welcome to Cartagena
The free walking tour started at 10 AM from the old Naval Museum in the walled in part of town. I really love the free walking tours! This tour lasted a little over two hours and our tour guide had been doing tours in Cartagena for 26 years. He didn’t have the richest of personalities but he sure did know his facts. I always learn so much about a place when I do these tours. I also get a chance to figure out where I’d like to go and spend more time. And I get to do it all for the cost of a tip which – in this case was only 5 dollars. Nice!
I’m not much of a historian but some of the history of Cartagena is absolutely fascinating. For example, the Inquisition of Cartagena. People deemed as heretics against the catholic religion were tortured and then executed in one of the city’s squares.
The Inquisition Museum and the square where the torture would ensue.
Also, the history is reflected in the architecture of the old town. It is a mix of colonial and republican architecture. The balconies of the colonial style housing have sharp pointed corners, allegedly to scare the witches away. Cartagena is 50 to 75% Catholic, and you can see that evidence in the multitude of churches within the city. Also, the doors of the houses give an indication of the wealth of its owners. They are massive – big enough for a horse to pass through – and have brass knobs on them. Legend has it that the more brass knobs, the wealthier you were.
I am much more interested, however, in the modern day secrets of the city. Like where I should go to eat! And drink! And dance! And shop! I learned that there are a few types of cuisine here. The one that I really needed to look for is called la comida corriente. This is typically what the locals eat. It is a set meal of rice, a meat, and a salad for next to nothing!
I also learned that there is a local market called Las Bovedas. It is a colonial structure that was built into the walls and used to be dungeons. It’s now a shopping destination with multiple vendors selling everything from art to magnets. I’d have to make it there.
A beautiful view of the towerThe famous fat lady sculpture in Plaza Santo DomingoOne of the wealthiest families in the city lives hereA great sign: un cafe ( a coffee) $10,000, un cafe por favor (a coffee please) $7000, buenas un cafe por favor (good morning, a coffee please) $4000
After a great tour I took the guide’s advice on a restaurant and had la comida corriente for lunch. A full dish of local food – including a plantain with hot sauce on it (GENIUS) and a local Club Colonial beer – for the dollar equivalent of $6. Awesome!
Beer!
Beer + vacation = nap in my world and after that I was off to my first private salsa lesson. It was at a local dance school called Crazy Salsa and I’d booked this lesson weeks ago. My first realization was how different it was from my lesson in Quito. There, all we really did was dance. Here, I learned the names of the moves and ways to perfect my form and footwork. My teacher was a local who grew up about 2 hours from the city – Mauricio. Perhaps the better experience had something to do with speaking the same language? Who knows; either way I learned so much and totally loved it!
I had previously asked the building manager to recommend a place where I could go for just a glass of wine – no food. I looked last night for something and had a hard time of it. He suggested Cafe del Mar, which is located on the city wall where tourists go to watch the sunset. Hated it! The view was nice but it was 20-something people and techno and neon lights…seriously not my thing.
I began to wander and found myself chatting with the manager of a spa I was inquiring about. He suggested a restaurant called La Vitrola for dinner and wine. Loved it!! It’s a Cuban restaurant with live music and an even more lively atmosphere. From the moment I stepped in I felt good. From the older gentleman hitting on me at the bar to the young waiter who said, “come with me, I’ll take care of you”. It was just what I wanted. I didn’t even look at the menu – I went on recommendations alone and enjoyed a beautiful fish, yummy white wine, sweet music and people-watching. Another great day in an amazing city 😊
Super cool doorway at La Vitrola. See the little door within the bigger door??Live Cuban music at La Vitrola
I am a travel snob. There, I’ve admitted it. That’s the first step, right?? I set such high expectations of each trip and hope that the next will be just that much more crazy, adventurous, dangerous and over-the-top than the previous one. Will it be as great as my previous journeys? Will it challenge me? Will it make me uncomfortable? Will it teach me something about me and this beautiful world? I’m hoping to answer YES to all of those questions!
A river runs through it – the Amazon
This time I’m off….to the Amazon rain forest. Woohoo! I’m going to the Ecuadorian rain forest and I chose that because of my desire to learn the Spanish language. Even though I’m not even close to being conversational, I thought that going to Brazil and being surrounded by Portuguese would completely knock me off my Spanish game.
I’m going to be spending 5 glorious days deep in the jungle with the Huaorani tribe – a tribe indigenous to the area who are focused on keeping their home – the rain forest – intact. They do this by inviting a small group of people to an Eco lodge which they created and now maintain and immersing them in their culture and customs. We’ll live like the Huaorani do – hunting and fishing, climbing trees, building fires for heat and being surrounded by rich wildlife. We’ll even spend one night sleeping under the stars – with the bugs and the snakes and the jungle animals. Soooo cool!
I’m so looking forward to learning from and learning about these people – and of course the others who will be part of the group. I think it takes a special (i.e. crazy?) group of individuals to take on this kind of tour. So I’m hoping we all have a lot in common.
A member of the Huaorani tribe
After my stay in the jungle, I’m going to pull a complete 180 and travel to Cartagena, Colombia – a place known as one of the most romantic in the world. I’m going to pamper myself there with wonderful food and wine, salsa dancing, long walks on the beach and a bunch of history about another new country.
Cartagena, Colombia
I’m excited to once again share my journey with you. This forum has definitely served as a way for me to document my crazy adventures because I don’t want to forget a moment. But I also hope it puts a smile on someone’s face or makes someone realize that they can follow their dreams or encourages a desire to learn and interact with people that are so different from us.
I hope you’ll stick with me – it’s going to be a great ride!
Stories from a newly married, adventure seeking woman looking to see the world.
