Colombia’s beautiful seaside city of Cartagena is as rich in vibrant hues as it is in history. The country being torn apart for years by drug wars and political conflicts played a huge role in the Colombian drug lord depictions that I watched on Miami Vice as a kid. Sofia Vergara came on the Hollywood scene and totally shook up the images of 1980’s Colombia being fed to me for years through the media and American TV shows. The 2 conflicting images also made me more curious about the Colombia/South America that I didn’t see on TV, but read about in JA Rogers’ “Sex & Race” (one of the many books that I would read on my own during my high school English class – read more about the here).
Located in the northern part of South America, the flight time to Rafael Núñez International Airport from New York City was just under 5 hours. I loved that our hotel was inside the ancient-walled city, a section of Cartagena overflowing with palm-filled plazas, brightly painted colonial buildings and fabulous floral archways. Everything within Cartagena’s Old Town is within walking distance, but exploring the narrow cobblestone streets by horse and carriage is a must. If the year-round tropical climate and yummy food doesn’t captivate your heart, taking a step back in time during an evening ride through the colonial passageways will. While Alma Restaurant was one of my favorite places to eat in Old Town; the vibe and views at Townhouse Rooftop offered the perfect backdrop for dancing the night away under the stars.
Outside of the walled city is where the teal blue ocean meets dark grey volcanic sand. While we did enjoy people watching as the locals frolicked in the waves until the sun fell behind the horizon; we preferred to explore the white sand beaches at Playa Blanca in Isla Baru (90 minutes outside of the city).
As for its local population, 30% of Cartagena and the surrounding regions identify as Black or Afro-Latino. Many Black people in Colombia live in palenques, communities that were created as Black Colombians sought refuge from slavery in the city limits. We hired a car to take us about an hour outside of the city to visit San Basilio de Palenque, one of the largest and most popular palenques. A local teenager, Pedro, was more than happy to tell us all about the long and still-existing Afro-Colombian history where many locals speak a language that is rooted in Bantu (a language spoken in several central and west African countries), practice traditional ceremonies, dance, religions and more.
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” - Marcel Proust