Welcome to my 127th Visit and 122nd Run UN Country and Antonia’s 33rd Visit UN Country out of a total of 193. This is the 9th and last country of our trip out of a total of 9.
First set of text and photos in this post are dedicated to the Old Town of Cartagena and the second to the beaches and islands of Rosaria down the coast.
It was strange walking up to no group and no program. We were alone. Solo. We caught an Uber to Panama City International Airport at 8am for our 1216pm flight to Cartagena in Colombia. Ubers here are terrific. Cleaner, cheaper and more reliable than taxis. The airport is extremely modern and could be anywhere in the USA or Europe. Check-in and customs were a breeze and soon we were relaxing at our gate with coffee and croissants in hand. The 45min flight was also a breeze on a new 737-800MAX, which Copa Airlines flies exclusively. You can tell when you are close to Cartagena. Nothing but milky green sea spotted with coral islands. The customs queue was long and we were relieved to be sitting in a clean air-conditioned Uber on the way to our coastal apartment. Yes indeed. Our unit was in a residential complex only 20min walk from the Old Town and on the coast opposite the Caribbean – you can see it all from our window. Jackie and her sister were there to meet us – very courteous with ample English. Jackie was in fact a Chemical Engineer turned data analyst for a market research firm based in New Zealand !!! She works remotely for half a world away. That’s the working world for you since COVID. It was now about 4pm so we decided to walk to the largest supermarket at the entrance to the Old Town to recreate our “kitchen” since we had to leave our Intrepid kitchen in Panama due to flight food and drinks restrictions. The supermarket was great and equipped with hot local dishes so we decided to eat in today given our journey. We decided to catch an Uber back due to a heavy new kitchen and searing heat and humidity of Cartagena – worse than any other place on our trip to date. It is so hot here that most households do not have hot water – you do not need it. Even the cold water is warm due to the heat in the pipes. It was a lovely evening with our ocean window and front door wide open creating the most cooling draft ever. Nice food. Nice movie to end our first night in Colombia.
Colombia (Pop 52,085,168) is the second biggest country we visited behind Mexico. Colombia is almost 17 Tasmanias and very mountainous topping 5,730 given it is the start of the titanic Andes Mountain chain going all the way down to the tip of South America in Chile. Colombia has been home to many indigenous peoples and cultures since at least 12,000 BC. The Spanish first landed in La Guajira in 1499, and by the mid-16th century, they had colonized much of present-day Colombia and established the New Kingdom of Granada. Independence from the Spanish Empire was achieved in 1819 emerging as the United Provinces of New Granada. Complete independence as a Republic came later in 1886. With the backing of the United States and France, Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903, resulting in Colombia's present borders. Beginning in the 1960s, the country has suffered from armed conflict and political violence, both of which escalated in the 1990s. Since 2005, there has been significant improvement in security, stability, and rule of law, as well as unprecedented economic growth and development. Colombia is recognized for its healthcare system, being the best healthcare in Latin America according to the World Health Organization and 22nd in the world. Its diversified economy is the third largest in South America, with macroeconomic stability and favourable long-term growth prospects. Colombia is the world’s leading source of emeralds. It is also the third largest exporter of coffee in the world after Brazil and Vietnam. The Mestizo Ethnic Group and Catholism dominate just like in all countries in Central America.
Here are some interesting facts about Colombia:
1. Has More Than 4,000 Species of Orchids (1,500 only found here).
2. Is the Second Most Biodiverse Country on the Planet behind Brazil (almost 60,000 species of plants and animals).
3. Has 60 National Parks.
4. More People Speak Spanish Than Spain.
5. Home to the “Liquid Rainbow” Cano Cristales River, the only river in the world to change into 5 colours during the year.
6. The only country in South America that has coastlines on both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
7. The National Anthem Plays at 6am and 6pm every day on TV and Radio.
8. One-Third of Colombia is the Amazon Rainforest.
9. Has Pink (skinned) Dolphins called Boto.
10. Home to the World’s Tallest Palm Trees (60m).
Despite the heat and humidity of Cartagena, my 10km run was OK given my 530am rise. The sun appeared at 630am well into my run. I think running along the Caribbean coast also helped with breezes coming off the sea. Our first visit was to the cheesy but effective Cartagena sign on the coast just 300m north of our unit. Given Ubers are so cheap we decided to Uber to the gates of the walled old city from here at around 830am. Gorgeous. Cartagena (Pop 1,052,015) is really two cities in one. A modern skyscraper skyline and the Old Town. From its founding in 1544, the Old Town has always been a walled town since it was here where numerous attacks occurred by pirates and privateers from Europe, to the point of being the most robust fortress in South America and the Caribbean. But what makes it special is what is inside - narrow streets filled with colourful well-kept colonial buildings. Antonia and I could not get enough. All the churches were grand and build of stone. The plazas small and well shaded by greenery. Everything is immaculate. Buildings in excellent condition, streets clean and the highlight are the local women dressed in the national costume sporting the national colours of the Colombian Flag. Antonia’s favourite photos. Colombian locals are mix of Spanish/Indigenous Mestizo and Black African Caribbeans. Their Spanish is different from Central America. Very friendly and easy going. Antonia and I visited the following places in the Old Town: Cartagena Sign, Iglesia El Cabrero, Casa Museo Rafael Nunez, Baluarte de San Lucas, Virgen de la Candelaria, Museo De Las Fortifications, Plaza de San Diego, Iglesia de Santo Toribio, Jose Frenandez Plaza, Plaza de Santo Domingo, Iglesia de Santo Domingo, Catedral de Cartagena, Museo del Oro, Parque Museo Naval, Iglesia de San Pedro Claver, Plaza de San Pedro de Claver, Plaza de la Aduana. The highlight was dag dancing with the traditionally dressed local women !!! After the Old Town we ventured into the Central Park were Antonia picked up a few more bargains – mainly costume earrings. We then walked into the Getsemani District, which is famous for its street art and eclectic cafes, bars and music. We visited: Street Art, Iglesia de la Trinidad, Plaza de La Trinidad. The highlight was an old coloured wooden hotel / café / restaurant in the Plaza de La Trinidad with many traditionally dressed local women sitting in front – a true explosion of colour as you will see below. It was now 230pm and we were melted. Time to solidify with an Uber home followed by a cool shower. Lovely. A nap for both of us and we were ready to return to Getsemani to enjoy some rooftop drinks followed by music and dancing in Plaza de La Trinidad. Terrific. We had a ball. We picked up some street souvlakia and headed home to rest up ahead of a whole day on the Caribbean tomorrow.
In the meantime enjoy the colourful images of colonial Old Town Cartagena…
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Our 7am pick-up couldn’t have come soon enough. Only problem is that it came at 730am due to heavy traffic. A big bus with lots of locals on holiday from Bogota and Mexico City. We were the only gringos on the bus since this was a purely local tour, which we got for very cheap. This was instead of a mud tour to a local volcano which turned out to be the most gringo tour of all and we decided to forfeit it in favour of the islands. Turned out to be an excellent decision – largely driven by Antonia. After several pickups we made a brief banos and water stop at an absolutely crowded shop complex before arriving at the famous Playa Blanca (White Beach) some 41km from the Old Town. Water colour was a great milky green but it was very windy making the water murky and many places had rocks. The beach itself is very long with wooden hotels, cafes and restaurants lining it to the point where it is overcrowded and ugly look back from the water on a boat. We walked from the bus to this beach and got broken down into smaller groups for the boats. At 1030am the drama began. The 60min boat ride to the first island was murder. This tin can boat took off and slammed onto the big waves stirred up by a wicked swell urged on by high wind. By the time we got to our snorkelling spot at Isla del la Fiesta, there were two sick people, a horse-throated Antonia from constant screaming and laughing and my bruised bum bones. The only relief was the warm water of the Caribbean. Sadly the coral reef just below us (did not need flippers or snorkel) looked damaged, probably from a recent hurricane. There were small patches of colour and some fish but nothing anywhere near what we had seen in Central America – this was in fact quite disappointing. From here it was another 15min to Playa Libre on Isla El Pueblito. Basically a bunch of resorts on a long beach with breakwaters and boats. Much nicer looking than Playa Blanca and not crowded. The water was quite choppy and I only had 25min left here so I decided to skip my lone swim and let up the drone. A great decision given that the next stop was very calm with no place to let up the drone. This place was close by and called Playa Paradiso on Isla de Cholon. Far from it. The so-called beach was more like Playa Hell with hundreds of boats and gringos squashed into a small bay sitting on wooden chairs and tables in the ocean. No way. Antonia and I found a shaded area away from the crowds and I headed for my swim. It was surprisingly good since I swam to the other side of the island which was a bay surrounded by mangroves. Super calm and I even spotted 3 starfish as a swam. I only had 30min so I swam 1.6km but came out quite pleased. From here it was another 30min hell ride to Playa Tranquila back on the coast to the north of Playa Blanca. The waves were big and the butt pain and screaming to match. The beach was much the same. Overcrowded with rocky beach. We did not regret our day on the water over mud but this was a Pissweak World Tour. Not only was our boat old but we were handed off to 4 different guides. The highlight was a great fish dish at the end on Playa Tranquila. We were glad to finally be on the bus at 1530 headed back to town. We planned to be dropped off outside the Old Town instead of the Unit so I could send up the drone over the Old Town which I could not do yesterday since I required authorisation which I got online this morning. Few. The images are great as you will see. Tonight we relaxed to a home cooked mega-omelette courtesy of Antonia. The sun had taken its toll and we found it hard to stay up to enjoy a movie so we hit sleep given our early start tomorrow for Santa Marta.
Enjoy the milk green Caribbean of the Rosaria Islands of Cartagena…
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