The Wildcard dropped anchor in Cartagena at around three in the morning. Woken by the sudden stillness, I went up to the deck at 4 am where Captain Yuyu sleepily said “Welcome to South America”. I grabbed a blanket and slept on the deck in a bean bag for a while, surprised on how big the city looked. The next day the boat crew hung out on the boat all morning while our passports were stamped and the luggage was organized.
Cartagena is beautiful, but damn hot. It took me a day and half to get over my sea legs. Soon enough I was walking through the colourful and lively streets and the circumference of the wall surrounding the old city. Hanging out in Plaza Santo Domingo at night with crevezas, talking to people and taking part and/or watching whatever festivity was happening (zumba, street artists, musicians et.) was how we passed the nights. Somewhere between watching the sunset at Cafe del Mar and salsa dancing until 3 in the morning, I fell in love with Colombia.
Castillo San Felipe de Barajas in Cartagena is definitely worth checking out. I wished I had brought a hat, but despite the mild sunstroke, I was simply amazed by how vast and solid the fortress was. There is almost a kilometre of tunnels through the fortress; some of which are so small that Chris and Pietre, two of the guys that I went with, couldn’t stand up straight. The fortress just kept on going and going. The construction started in 1536, and took over 100 years to build, with mostly slave labour. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1984.
The boat family slowly left day by day until it eventually came my turn to leave. I left for Bogotá, on what was supposed to be an hour flight. Six hours later, after switching planes twice (due to a bird, and then a storm), I made it to Bogotá. I stayed with my lovely friends Freddy and Lina, who are some of the best hosts under the sun with the most wonderful kitties. We had plans to go to music festival, but because I arrived so late (damn you Arianca!), and because it was rush hour, we completely missed it.
Bogotá, Colombia’s capitol, is 2640 masl. The next day while my friends were at work, I went for a run (after cuddling with the cats) and became so sick that I had to stay inside all day. My 5 km run (half walk) was all I got to see of Bogotá because I had altitude sickness so bad that I couldn’t leave the house. The biking possibilities and the mountain views are incredible- or at least would have been incredible. There are also so many wonderful museums to see, and salsa clubs to dance at. AKA I have to go back to Bogotá! Despite being a bit sick, I really enjoyed my time there relaxing (and being completely spoiled) with friends.
The next day Freddy and Lina took me to Lina’s parents’ cabin in the mountains, that they built from the ground up. I wanted to stay there forever. The windows, the views, the weather, the cabin, the food and especially the company were amazing. We hung out all night in our ponchos, played cards, and drank rum.
Lina and her mom also took me to a salt mine, where Los 33, the movie about the 33 Chilean miners who were stuck underground for 69 days in 2010, was filmed. The salt mine, Mina de Sal de Nemocón, made me so happy. The deposits were formed 250 million years ago and during the Tertiary period, while the Andes were formed, they raised above sea level to the mountains (thanks Wiki). The salt was being mined by Muisca people since the 5th century, being their main source of trade. Later on, a German dude brought German mine engineering knowledge to further the exploitation.
I loved my time in Colombia, but it was way too short. Going back to Bogotá to visit my friends again, and seeing other parts of Colombia (Medellin, the Amazon, trek to the Lost City in the Santa Marta district, etc.), is at the top of my list. The people, the food, the culture; I’ll be back for sure. Colombia, you’re awesome.