Cartagena, the Magic City
When most Americans think Colombia, many still imagine Pablo Escobar. Somehow, few are aware of the “the Magic City.” This place is far from Medellin or Bogota. The city was a historic landmark to Latin America and Colombia well before Escobar’s notoriety. After all, this city was the home of Latin mega names such as Simón Bolívar (liberator of no less than six of todays countries) and famed writer Gabriel García Márquez. But above all this city is distinctly and unmistakably Caribbean.
Cartagena offers a colonial escape with many connecting flights to nearby locations, large and small. It is both a global and regional vacation spot. Consequently, the city is filled with businesses geared towards tourism. But this city does not disappoint.
There is an abundance of independent arepa sellers, small bakeries and paleta venders ready to overwhelm your sense of smell, taste and (if you eat like me) dignity. My personal favorites are La Paleteria with the purple door located just north of Cathedral de Santa Catalina de Alejandria and the El Panqueso on Calle 34 near the Torre del Reloj. Make sure you order the cheese bread when it's hot and fresh. Naturally, the cheese bread was the highlight of Berenice's visit to Colombia.
Much like San Juan, the city of Cartagena was attacked repeatedly throughout its history and so it built walls and fortresses to defend it. These walls and fortresses still stand to this day and can be explored extensively for those who don’t mind getting a little sweaty. It’s definitely worthwhile to wander around these parts of the city for the views and connection to the past.
The old colonial walls, fortresses and colorful buildings are reminiscent of other Spanish colonial Carribean trade cities such as San Juan or New Orleans. Much like New Orleans, Cartagena offers much to the party animals. Early one morning while shooting on Calle Don Sancho, a friendly Floridian, still drunk from the night before, decided to give us a tour of his rented mansion where five of his friends were all sleeping off the festivities of the bachelor party over the weekend. The views from the balcony were incredible and definitely made up for seeing the groom groggily wander the hallways in his whitey tighties.
The fortress of San Felipe is a must visit for history lovers. Be warned that I have yet to visit a place more hot and humid than Cartagena. Plan appropriately for a short but sweaty hike and try to keep cool. Grab a lemonade to celebrate your hike on the top. It’s delicious.
For those who are more inclined to shop for jewelry but also want to say they went to a museum, there is the museum of Emeralds. This is barely an accurate description as the museum is really just a hallway with a handful of exhibits generally covering the Emerald trade and its pre Spaniard origins. Though entertaining, the real purpose is to get people like Bubz to buy some Emeralds. They were successful. I’ve never been to another museum where the gift shop was bigger than the actual exhibits. Even if emerald shopping is not in your budget, the museum is worth a visit and is completely free with no hassle or pressure to buy anything.
A word on buying esmeraldas in Cartagena: different establishments offer very different prices for extremely similar looking products. Being someone who is not good at identifying stones, buying jewels is not going to be my strong suit. The general consensus is that it is best to find a reputable jeweler if you want to buy the real deal. The Emerald trade is extremely Colombian and you would be hard pressed to find a city with so many options outside Colombia.
Most of all, enjoy the people of Cartagena. Colombia is home to an immense number of Latino pop stars and young men from Cartagena readily strive to join the ranks of other world famous musicians. Love it or hate it, prepare for young men to be rapping in the streets, trying to turn their passion into a few dollars. Whether you love it or find the sounds quite obnoxious, these young men are rapidly becoming a known fixture of the city. Enjoy it as an experience and listen carefully to what they say - many of them can be quite funny. A group of them playfully accosted a Canadian tourist and his girlfriend before likening him to Justin Bieber.
In the old town, lady’s dress in colorful outfits and carry fruit bowls atop their heads. This attire has it’s routes in a town named Palenque in the 17th and 18th centuries. A free town founded by runaway slave, Palenque’s only economic option was to walk to Cartagena and sell fruit on the streets. Somehow these iconic women, Palenqueras, have become a symbol not only of Cartagena, but the caribbean as a whole. These days they exist primarily for photos but they’re story represents a beautiful culture that has sprung from modest origins.
