Cartagena: The Old City

January 7, 2012

I am still wondering why we had to fly from Panama to Bogota to get a connection to Cartagena.  But some things, I’ve discovered, remain a mystery.  Until today we have consistently flown on TACA airlines.  Other than two fairly large Jets, we’ve been on mostly prop planes.  Today was a different story.  Today we flew on a Brazilian based airline called Avianca; sounds more like a fancy water, doesn’t it??  Avianca doesn’t have any class but economy.  However, the seats are plush, the leg room ample and they even have foot-rests and personal video monitors.  A little like Southwest, but better.   The Avianca personnel could not have been more helpful or courteous.  We had very little time between connections for our flight to Cartagena out of Bogota.  That meant going through customs, getting on a bus and getting to the correct gate all within about 20 minutes. Impossible, you think???  Not with Avianca.  Their guides met us as we got off the plane, ran us through a private custom service and we literally ran with them to the bus.  As we were running, personnel along the way kept yelling in Spanish run, run, run! I worried that Michael wouldn’t be able to keep up, but he said the altitude did not bother him, and running was easier than walking fast.  When it comes to shopping, he always runs out of breath or has chest pain!  But when he is late for something, or wants to eat, he is fine and outruns me! 

The walled city of Cartagena is a five dollar (tiny) Hyundai cab ride from the international airport along a beach not unlike LA’s Playa del Rey.  The city is indeed enclosed by an ancient wall that was built in the 1500’s.  Unlike Panama’s old city, Cartagena’s old city is completely restored and very much alive and lived in.  Cars park on one side of the narrow cobblestone streets, leaving only enough room for horse drawn carriages or the smallest of cars or cabs.  It reminds me of something between Barcelona, Venice and the downtown garment district of LA.  In 1987 “Old Town” was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.  With beautifully preserved and restored colonial-era mansions and churches, it is easy to understand the distinction.  Our hotel, Casa del Curato, is a small B&B built in the 1800’s with just eleven very small rooms.  Exposed stone facades and simulated brick floors add to the charm. Travel deeper into the hotel and there is a pool perhaps twice the size of the average American Jacuzzi.  But it too has some charm, with a waterfall, exposed rock walls on two sides open to the blue Cartagena sky.  I imagine it would be refreshing in the heat of a Columbian afternoon. 

As we waited to check into the hotel, I discovered that the Columbian mosquitos loved us!  The hotel lobby has windows open to the street that are only protected by wooden bars.  It wasn’t long before the cruel biters got word we were there for lunch and began to enjoy their feast.  The pain from the bites is quite impressive.  These guys are not playing around!!  I find if I keep moving, they leave me alone.  So I dragged Michael into the streets to investigate our surroundings and perhaps find a nice place to enjoy a meal.  In our wanderings we ended up in a large open square at the edge of one part of the city.  Here there are dozens of vendors selling nothing but traditional, local homemade candy, each booth carrying similar sweet treats.  This particular square is historically significant for having once been a place where 200,000 slaves were once traded and sold.  Today, only the tradition of selling sweets continues.   While sampling some of the delicious coconut candy, we were entertained by some local dancers putting on a show.  We also found out that there is a world renowned classical music festival in town this week with venues scattered throughout the walled city, and some are free to attend.  This accounts for the scarcity of hotel rooms and large crowds. 

Tonight we had a wonderfully delicious dinner in a restaurant named Patagonia, serving traditional Argentinean food.  Tango music filled the small space, begging for someone to take the floor.  If I had any clue how to Tango, I would have pushed the tables aside, grabbed a waiter and given it a try.  This makes the pull to visit Argentina and take tango lessons even more compelling!

It is easy to be charmed by this city with flowered covered balconies, pastel colored buildings, multiple churches and small, park-like town squares.  It is also easy to get lost wandering the narrow streets at night as we have done.  Colorful twinkling lights and old street lamps add an air of mystery.  Intermittently, music is heard coming from various pubs and street-side restaurants which entice you to go inside.  Each street and sidewalk is crowded with street vendors selling homemade fried concoctions, grilled garlic infused provolone cheese, and skewered meat cooked on homemade grills made of what appears to be former gallon sized cooking oil tins.  Adding to the congested sidewalks are people selling hats, art work, homemade jewelry and souvenirs.   It is a feast for all the senses, and we intend to sample as much as we can in the short week that we are here.