There are a few things in life that I have come to cherish; family, love from others and travel. Such is the reason I started this blog – to share my experiences in all three blessings. This week, I decided to write about Adam and my recent visit to Cartagena, Columbia. Our visit was brief as we traveled to Cartagena on a two week Disney cruise. Honestly, six to eight hours in Cartagena was all we needed to see its beauty, experience its culture and move on to the next country with an unforgettable story.
Brief History Lesson of Cartagena, Colombia
Prior to our trip, we invested much time into research. We explored the places we might stop while in Cartagena, the history and the people. We wanted to make sure we didn’t miss a thing. During our search, we learned that Cartagena had an interesting beginning. The city was founded by Pedro de Heredia in 1533. Heredia grew up in Madrid, Spain and was the son of a nobleman. He fled Spain due to a life threatening conflict and established himself as governor of Santa Marta before he founded Cartagena.
Cartagena de Indias was built over the village of Calamari; an abandoned Amerindian village. Heredia quickly discovered that Cartagena was rich with treasure found in the coffins of the Amerindian’s that once inhabited the land and buried their dead with cherished items such as jewels and gold. Such was the reason for the Cartagena’s quick prosperity. Unfortunately, the village of Cartagena de Indias was subject to a large fire that left a great portion of the village in ashes in 1552. Thereafter, Heredia ordered all structures to be rebuilt with stone. The new structures still stand in Cartagena’s walled Old Town; a must-see location for visitors.
Cartagena’s prime location on the bay assisted in their continued prosperity. Ships made their way to Cartagena to unload cargo from Ecuador, Peru and Panama and in turn reloaded with other goods grown from the inland to be delivered to Cuba and Puerto Rico. Yes, Cartagena was a booming city with wealthy locals building beautiful homes, which still stand. However, Cartagena wasn’t exempt from threats as pirates sailed the Caribbean in search for treasures found in Cartagena. Too often, pirates made their way to the land to raid the city of gold; most of which were surprise attacks.
Over the years, Cartagena was the target for further attacks from pirates, English militants, civil war and political drama, but prosperity and expansion continued to put Cartagena on the map. Today, Cartagena attracts tourists from all over who enjoy authentic foods, original colonial architecture and a tropical atmosphere.
The Good, Bad and Ugly of Cartagena
Adam and I learned quickly that Cartagena has some good and bad qualities to it. When we arrived in Cartagena, we walked along our cruise ship to snap some photographs of the skyline. Skyscrapers lined the bay on one side and run-down homes and structures on the other. Since we decided to travel in September, the air was thick with humidity and the sky overcast with scattered showers.
We joined a tour lead by a local woman with a thick Columbian accent. She was kind and very knowledgeable of the history, culture and structures of her homeland. Our tour guide took our group to various locations around the city. During the drive alone, we experienced unfortunate living situations as there were some moderately wealthy, but most whom lived in poverty. Viewing such living situations made me, once again, grateful to have been raised in the United States. I highly recommend taking a tour in effort to travel in a group to experience Cartagena since many streets were run down and looked questionably safe to say the least. Also, carefully observe foods and drinks that you desire to try as we found many to be infested with flies and prepared with unsanitary tools; for that reason, we did not eat anything during our visit and only drank bottled water that we opened ourselves.
I do not want to deter you from visiting Cartagena, but to be mindful of what you do and where you go during your stay. Remember, Columbia is a third world country; meaning it is a developing nation. Adam and I have visited and lived in other third world countries, but we found Cartagena to be very unsanitary with much poverty making tourists a target. Just make sure you travel in a group, keep your treasures at home and your belongings close to your side and enjoy the various beautiful sights that Cartagena has to offer as there is much to see.
Naval Museum of the Caribbean
Cartagena is rich with much culture. As I mentioned before, our tour guide drove us through the city as we made our way to our first stop at the Naval Museum of the Caribbean. Our tour guide shared Cartagena’s history and walked us through the museum to a large hall where we were greeted by locals who performed a traditional dance and song for us. Thereafter, we traveled a short distance to Cartagena’s Old Town, which is beautiful on the inside and out.
Cartagena’s Old Town
As I mentioned in the previous section, the original village, Old Town, has remained with original architecture and cobblestone roads and walkways. Surrounding Old Town is a beautiful stone wall installed for protection from past threats. Within walking distance of Old Town is the bay where locals often walk or dip their feet in the water.
Adam and I entered the city at San Pedro Claver Square. The beautiful architecture and sounds established an experience that we will not soon forget. Many locals gathered in the square to talk in groups and we can hear the sound of music from the San Pedro Church directly to our left. Mass was in session, but we were encouraged to tour the church along the side aisles. It was beautiful! I was shocked to find people walking in and out of mass from what appeared to be pure boredom. Many of the locals dressed in shabby clothing with dirty legs and unwashed hair.
When we left the church, we made our way deeper into Old Town. People wandered slowly through the streets without urgency. We were hounded by men and woman eager to sell us jewelry, leather bags and fly infested fruit. My suggestion is to shake your head occasionally, do not look at the merchandise and keep walking; unless you want to purchase those items.
We spent much time walking through the streets. Our guide stopped us occasionally to share some facts and history with us. There is much to see; each structure more beautiful and colorful than the next. Many small shops line the streets with various merchandise; most too expensive for the quality of goods in my opinion.
The Best View in Cartagena
After touring the city, we made our way to Convento La Popa de la Galera, which is the highest point of the city and the best view of Cartagena and beyond. The road to Convento La Popa de la Galera is a bit scary as it has very sharp turns and steep cliffs, but it is well worth the trip to the top. Along the road are unfinished homes void of glass windows, carpets and basic furniture. Children played in the streets with bare feet and few clothing and family members gathered in the front yards in an attempt to cool off from the thick humidity. Be careful in this area as it is poverty stricken and locals are known to steal items from visitors. I recommend taking a taxi or a tour bus to Convento La Popa de la Galera. We took a tour, which worked out well for us as our belongings were safe on the bus.
When we reached the top of the mountain, locals greeted us with small souvenirs and fruit infested with flies. I was very surprised to find people purchasing the food. At the top of the peak is a beautiful monastery. A short walk to the monastery brought us to a 360 view of Cartagena. We could see everything. It was interesting to see the transformation of the city as it introduced the new city, the old city (Old Town) then the poor living areas. Like the Old Town, I could have spent all day up there looking over the city, listening to the sound of people making their way to and from and the sound of music from the poor neighborhoods below. Within the monastery are beautiful rooms filled with history. Adam and I spent some time in the courtyard and the small prayer room as each was beautiful with vibrant colors and long vines lining the pillars.
Castle of San Felipe de Barajas
After enjoying a bird’s eye view of Cartagena, we made our way down to the Castle of San Felipe de Barajas. We’ve visited many castles in Europe, and this was like no other. The 17th century governor organized the build of the castle in 1656. It housed 20 soldiers at the time as it was created as a lookout to prevent militants and pirates from making their way to the Old Town. The final structure of the castle was not complete until 1769 due to multiple attacks. It’s a beautiful structure that illuminates in regality at night and silently watches over the town during the day. Be prepared to hike up some inclines to the castle.
Will We Return?
We experienced much during our short visit to Cartagena and enjoyed our time, but will we return? Let’s say that we arrived, we saw and walked away with awesome pictures and some stories to tell, but we are excited to visit new places with not expectations of returning to Colombia. Since Adam and I took some great pictures and video footage of our visit, we will post a video of Cartagena along with other locations soon via YouTube so make sure you follow me on social media and visit my blog each week to view the videos soon.
Please leave a comment below to share your traveling experiences or additional traveling tips. I enjoy hearing from my readers. Also, please share this post with your friends and family. Sharing is caring. Have a great day and enjoy your journey.