Cartagena: It’s Colombia, Not Columbia!

After eleven days in Antarctica I found myself in Cartagena, Colombia, a coastal city along the Caribbean Sea.  From very cold to very hot and humid.  I needed to thaw out and it was a perfect place to relax.

HISTORIC WALLED CITY

I stayed in an AirBNB condo in the historic Old Town where the city still retains a fortified wall that once protected the city from invaders.  The view was spectacular from the seventh floor with an overlook of the entire historic district.  I could also see the modern high rise buildings off in the distance along the coast.  However, all of the great restaurants and city charm are located in the old town so I would recommend finding a place in the historic center. The old town has many beautiful small, intimate streets with small shops and restaurants at the street level.  Many places had beautiful flowers hanging from the second story balcony which made the street views very colorful.  It only took a couple hours to around the entire old town.

NO HOT WATER

Since the historic district is very old, most places do not have hot water.  It is very humid and warm in Cartagena so there isn’t much of a need for hot water.  It is certainly a small shock when you first get wet in the shower but your body adjusts.  Having just jumped into the Antarctic waters earlier in the week, I could easily withstand the cool water (but it wasn’t that cold).

WORKING ON MY SPANISH

Learning the local language or finding a way to communicate is key when traveling.  While most people around the world in major tourist destinations speak English, I find that in less known destinations for English speakers that local people speak English much less.  Very few people in Cartagena spoke English so it was necessary that I spoke Spanish. Plus, I find it rude to just start speaking English with a local person when their primary language is not English.

TRY NEW THINGS WHEN TRAVELING

It became quickly apparent that not knowing the language was a barrier at times. Especially to go out to dinner or to lunch at a local restaurant because I knew I would have to step out of my comfort zone to try to speak Spanish which then creates an awkward moment for the interaction.  But traveling has been a great lesson to push through moments that aren’t comfortable.  Traveling helps push you to try new things which then creates growth.  I felt empowered after I interacted with others in Spanish and was able to accomplish what I needed to accomplish (like eat)!

BOAT ACROSS EMERALD WATERS

The city of Cartagena is not known for its beaches even though it sits along the Caribbean coast.  I decided to take a boat with a Colombian friend that I met to Baru Island which was west of Cartagena.  The ride took about 40 minutes across the emerald water and dropped us off at Playa Blanca (White Beach). There was no dock at the island so we just jumped out onto the white sand beach. It was Sunday and a very hot day so the beach was packed with locals and tourists alike.  The beach didn’t extend too far inland so every piece of sand was occupied even up to where the waves came in.  It was a beautiful, tropical beach, however it didn’t feel relaxing as I had hoped.

SELLING DOMINO SETS ON THE BEACH

Many local people came up to us to try to sell us something: fresh fruit, oysters, ice cream, massage, inflatable water toys, homemade desserts, a domino set, cervezas, water, bracelets, coco loco (pina colada), mangos.  It was one seller after another. We couldn’t get three minutes of peace before another person came to try to sell us something.  It was overwhelming.  My recommendation would be to visit the beaches during a weekday when it is less crowded.  I did hear that certain areas of the beach that were difficult to walk to were less crowded but we didn’t have much time to wander before our boat took us back to Cartagena.

BIRDS, BIRDS, BIRDS

One of the highlights of my trip to Cartagena was the National Aviary of Colombia on Baru Island.  It is the largest aviary in Colombia and filled with many local birds.  The aviary was set up as one continuous, winding walking path so you had to pass through each section.  But it was beautiful and the birds were magnificent.  We had to find a local taxi near the beach to take us to the aviary.  It had rained very hard the previous day so the dirt road to the aviary was soupy mud.  Thank goodness we took a taxi instead of walked (since we thought about walking).  The taxi was caked in mud once we arrived.

FLAPPING, FROLICKING FLAMINGOS

But once we were at the aviary, the chaos of the beach had quickly faded.  The aviary was not busy and we felt that we had the entire place to ourselves.  It was extremely relaxing to walk through the park and be close to the birds.  My favorite spot was the flamingo area where hundreds of flamingos flapped and frolicked.  The edge of the decking bordered the pond where the flamingos were so I just sat on the edge and observed the birds for a while.  They made loud noises and constantly moved around. Even though the air smelled like bird poo, it was relaxing to just sit and watch the beautiful pink birds move around.  I took a deep breath and meditated for a moment.  A much needed reprieve from the chaotic beach.

CARTAGENA IS A GREAT GETAWAY

Three days was a good amount of time in Cartagena. It is a beautiful city in a very tropical climate.  And I know the destination allows for nonstop flights from some cities in the United States.  It was only four hours to New York.  Overall, Cartagena was an excellent place to “thaw” out from my trip to Antarctica before heading back to New York.

WOULD YOU GO TO CARTAGENA?

I would love to hear your thoughts on Cartagena.  Would you visit? Have you visited before?  If so, what recommendations do you have?