Cartagena, Colombia

Cartagena in a nutshell?

Now that’s not an easy ask.

It’s a magical Colombian city with the Caribbean Sea lapping at its shores. Full of its own particular, vibrant character Cartagena, if you let it, will provide your senses with moments of unrelenting pleasure.

To write what will only fit in a nutshell wouldn’t be supplying it with the justice it so deserves.

I spent seventeen days under this city’s canopy of color. Time enough to amass knowledge encroaching somewhere nearer to its reality. The time plonked me somewhere on the span that extends between tourist and expat. An enjoyable place to be although I also happily took advantage of the touristic experiences on offer.

I stayed in a suburb called Crespo. My AirBnB accommodation, a single room with en suite, was only a 3 minute walk from the airport. I hired a bicycle to get around. Navigating my way through the slightly chaotic traffic for the short 15 min bike ride into Centro Historico and Getsemani. Preferring the choice of whether or not to visit the tourist area rather than to be inside it.

Crespo

Here there’s an abundance of local food places and supermarkets but not much in the way of coffee shops. For coffee and wifi I would go and sit in Juan Valdez Cafe (a Colombian coffee shop chain) at the airport.

Although I had great wifi at my AirBnB I always feel a need to go out. Maybe it’s to remind myself I am in a new location. But I also prefer the feeling of sitting in a coffee shop surrounded by people while I gather my thoughts and write. Especially at an airport which has its own special kind of vibe.

The beach was only 7 minutes’ walk from my accommodation. It’s sand might not be as white as on the islands. But it has gentle waves, hardly any people and no hawkers. Planes occasionally carry their passengers into the clouds and their muted drones are the only break in the peaceful bliss.

Sunday Baseball

In my ‘rubbing shoulders’ with the locals’ mindset, I rocked up to a baseball park 5 minutes’ walk from my accommodation. Timing it perfectly, as luck would have it, I got to watch a game. It’s a good many years since I played as a kid (in New Zealand it’s called Softball) and it was great fun tripping down memory lane. The walloping clunk as the bat made contact and the thwunk as the ball struck the glove.

Crespo, Cartagena baseball comes with its own personal sounds. I could hear planes taxiing down the runway. But more loudly, Latino beats pumping from a truck parked at the gates selling beer (cerveza).

It was easy to be drawn up in the competitive vibe of the game.  I showed my respect of the great skills being displayed by each team, clapping accordingly. Thankful that my clapping wasn’t offending any staunch supporters. It seemed like a fairly minor league, if the size of the bellies on 80% of the players but not their staunch enthusiasm, was any indication.

There was no charge and anyone, like me, could wander in.

There were families, taking turns at juggling the baby and elderly people enjoying an ice cream. Banter and cajoling, the boys get to be active and pump up their adrenaline. A great Sunday activity shared by the community.

Getsemani

I stayed only one night here on arrival in Cartagena but visited many times. (See below for hostel recommendations) My first impressions that night were of a really picturesque neighborhood with a relaxed fun vibe. That impression continued the more I visited it. It’s most definitely a tourist area but is also full of locals, either visiting like you, or who call it home.

You should most definitely take the time to wander around its very narrow streets without any goal of getting from ‘a to b.’ Let the sites lead you even if it feels like you’re getting lost. This way you’ll discover so much more and as it’s actually a small area you’ll never really be far from your accommodation. The locals are super helpful and will gladly assist you back onto the right track if you need it.

Every two steps you’ll want to stop to take photos of the colors. Color is everywhere, in the street art, on the boldly painted walls of homes and businesses and in the bougainvillea cascading down the balconies.

And for every other few steps you’ll find plenty of places for cooling drinks, a coffee or a beer. Or, restaurants, food carts and convenience stores for something to eat.

Centro Historico

Did someone mention history? Cartagenas’ is like its appearance, full of vibrancy and color.

Spanish conquistadors, gold plundering, Spanish trade gateway, major slave trading hub, pirate attacks, and a heroic city (so named by Simon Bolivar – The Liberator) are terms that touch on just some of that colorful past.

In order to preserve that history Cartagena was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984.

The Historic Centre is an easy 10 minute walk from Getsemani. Covering a much bigger area, Centro Historico is full of historical landmarks and picture perfect facades of colonial architecture. You can spend days discovering its many streets, monuments, shopping or online-working options.

Site Seeing Activity

For a different perspective, walk along the top of the city’s fortification parapets. Stop off for sunset and a drink at Café del Mar. Or buy drinks off the street sellers for a fraction of the price and find your own piece of masonry to sit on at no charge.

Shopping

Shop for those little keepsakes from the mobile-sellers you’ll find wandering about or laid out on the ground, in and around various plazas and landmarks. Or, if you like to do your shopping all in one spot, try Las Bovedas (The Vaults).

Each shop sits within its own piece of history, dungeon cells no less. Originally built to house munitions, during the many battles for independence these vaults housed prisoners. Prisoners who apparently had to stand in the sea water up to their knees during high tide.

Chilling and People Watching

People watch or be entertained by musicians and dancers at the plentiful plazas dotted around this area. Indeed, plazas are a lovely part of the culture all over South America. The provision of many benches is a true indication that you are more than welcome to come, sit and relax. In particular Plaza Bolivar is a great shady spot that occasionally has performances.

Working Online

If you’re a digital nomad like me and need decent wifi to work from, this was a nice quiet place close to the clock tower: Folklore Colombian Café. It wasn’t too pricey considering its location. The food choices were nice and the coffee was, well Colombian. Plus they’re ok with you occupying a seat for longer than it takes to consume your purchase/s.

I also found Juan Valdez Cafe to have good coffee (not too sweet and really strong) and great wifi. On one occasion, I got stuck in the Centro Historico on a public holiday. I raced into JVC to have a video class with a student. Luckily it was fairly quiet and even better, the connection was great. They only allow you an hour online, however.

Touristic Spots

As previously mentioned there are numerous touristic sites to check out and pose in front of, these are just a few of them:

Puerta del Reloj

The Door of the Clock, this lovely four-sided watch tower sits at what was the main gate into the walled city.

Palacio de la Inquision

Here, for about 200 years, from the early 1600s, people were tried for heresy.  If the accused were found guilty of the (as dictated by beliefs at the time) serious crimes like blasphemy or witchcraft they were executed by being burnt at the stake.

Plaza de la Coches

This Plaza of the Cars was the marketplace for the African slaves. It’s the area where you’ll also find Puerto del Reloj (The Clock Door) as per the photo above. And also El Portal del los Roches (The Door of the Rocks). The later is where you can satisfy your sweet tooth with stall after stall of confectionery delights.

Café/Restaurant Suggestions

Now I have Peru as a comparison, Cartagena falls a tad short on providing great food at a decent price. My experience of the street food, supermarkets and restaurants was almost all the same, the food looked and tasted like it had sat for too long. In truth it might actually be fresh but it certainly didn’t give my senses that indication.

However, I did find a couple of places I returned to or would consider visiting more than once:

• For a nice thin crusted pizza with loads of cheese in Getsemani: Colombitalia Pizzera.

• For great valued local dishes with juice and soup included in a leafy little setting in the San Diego barrio, La Vieja Guardia Fish and Beer

• Pa Antojarte right next door to Colombitalia Pizzera in Getsemani has a small menu of sandwiches, waffles, great coffee and pastries. For about $3-4$ you can get a toasted sandwich (filled with thick ham and cheese) with coffee and juice.

Most places have wifi.

Accommodation, Getsemani Suggestions

• Swimming pool, air-conditioning, female only dorms, El Arsenal Hostel
• Quiet street, helpful staff, Espiritu Santo by Maos a friend stayed here for 3 nights

To cap off, here is what I saw as the positives and negatives of Cartagena:

Positives

• Vibrant colors
• The preserved history
• Helpful friendly people
• Ocean and beaches everywhere
• No cold, except for the drinks
• The I’m ALIVE vibe

Negatives

• Customer service that leaves a bit to be desired
• Coffee that only seems to come with sweet or sweeter milk
• Ability of the beach sellers to destroy your peace
• Inability or no desire to think outside the box – things seem to be very black and white. This coming from someone who loves to hover in the gray.
• Lack of fresh vegetables