Cartagena de Indias

I planned my flight from Bogota to Cartagena during the middle of the day so that I can take my time to checkout, take a taxi to the airport, and relax at the lounge.  I was going to either asked the hotel to call me a taxi or go out to the street and hail one.  Then I found out that I can use Uber and I have some Uber credit.  It worked perfectly.  The Uber was on the street near the Hotel de la Opera in about 10 minutes, giving me enough time to gather my luggage and wait at the curb.  In spite of not speaking any Spanish I was able to communicate with the driver that I was flying LATAM and going to Cartagena, which means a domestic flight.  The fare to the airport?  31,800 pesos or about $7.19.  The maximum tip I could give him on the app was 1,500 pesos or about 34 cents.  The hotel would've charge me US$25 to call a taxi for me.

I checked into security without realizing that there are two security entrances.  One is to LATAM, and the other to Avianca.  Two major airlines operating in South America.  My goal was to find the Priority Pass Lounge, so I can kick back and relax.  After walking around and asking several people, one LATAM staffer told me that the VIP Lounge is on the Avianca side.  So I had to exit LATAM security and re-enter Avianca security to go to the lounge.  After about an hour I went to the restroom in the lounge.  When I was leaving I found out that the door does not have a knob.  There was no way I would be able to open the heavy door with my bare hands.  I banged on the door very hard because I feared that I'd get locked in for hours.  After about 5 minutes a staff came and open the door from the outside. I complained to her (in hand signal) that there is no door know.  She just smiled and walked away.  That was a scary moment.

In spite of the delay for about an hour the flight from Bogota to Cartagena was quite smooth.  I landed at the airport, went to the taxi counter and and asked for a taxi.  It's important that when you go to any airport that you go to the official taxi counter.  Some will let you prepay a taxi ride and some will direct you to their taxis.  This gives them some form of traceability in case anything happens.  The ride to the Hotel Casa de la Fe in the historic old town area took about 20 minutes and costs 20,000 pesos or about US$5.

Why stay in the historic old town area?  That's where a lot of Cartagena's history started and where many of the historic buildings and squares are.  Different people come to Cartagena for different reasons.  Some come to hang out at the beach and some came to drink and party.  Cartagena faces the Caribbean Sea.  There are a few beautiful islands off its coast.  I saw many tourist shops selling packages to go to those islands.

Before I came I booked a Free Walking Tour (FWT) with a company called Beyond Colombia.  FWTs' are not free.  They depend on donations after the tour.  How much you donate depends how much you like the tour.  The group can be very small or very big, depending on the interest they generate.  They usually offer them at hostels where young travelers are attracted to these tours because they don't have a fix amount that they charge.  The guide usually mentions a recommended amount but ultimately, it is up to you how much you donate.

Our FWT Guide, Kayla

Our guide is Kayla, who has spent some time teaching in Minnesota and speaks perfect English.  She is a very energetic young woman and there were about 20 in her group.  We met near the Monumento Torrej del Reloj, otherwise known as the Clock Gate.  This is a popular gathering square for both tourists and locals.

Puerta Del Reloj, or Clock Gate

We walked for 3 hours through various statues, monuments, churches, squares, buildings, etc.  She gave us  the history and background of all these places.  Click here for a more complete history of Cartagena.

Metal Sculture at Plaza de San Pedro Claver

Statue of Priest and his Slave

One of the Streets in Downtown Cartagena

Models posing with color clothes and fruits

Mujer Reclinada or Reclining Woman, sculpture by Ferdinand Bortero

Catedral de Santa Catalina de Alejandría or Cartagena Cathedral

Vendor selling cold coconut

Beautiful Panamanian Hat

A Hearty Lunch at Restaurante Espiritu de Santo

Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas

Vendors selling hats at the Castle

Buildings in the Plaza de la Aduana Square

Convento de Santo Domingo, built between 1565 and 1630

Statue of Simon Bolivar, Liberator of most of South America

A Local Street Vendor

Iglesia de San Pedro Claver, built between 1580 and 1654

It's an amazing and diverse city.  There are many blacks and mixed races, descendants of slaves who were brought to the Caribbean to work in sugar cane plantations.  Over the years and through generations and mixed marriages, the skin color of many of the locals vary from light tan to dark skin.  These are called Mulattos.  Many of them live in this area called Getsamani, which will be the next post.

On the second day I took a hop-on hop-off bus.  It costs about 45,000 Colombian pesos or slightly more than US$10.  I find this is an easy way to quickly visit different parts of the city without driving or taking local buses.  Of course, it's cheaper if you take local buses but you have to know where you are going.  The city is spread out to some of the coastal areas.  They are obviously newer parts of Cartagena.  I don't find that interesting.  It's just like any modern city with modern high-rises and shopping malls.