I have fond memories of walking Rusty around Key West on my nights off. I’d wake up around three in the morning at our home on Cudjoe and we’d creep out to the car and drive in to Key West, find somewhere to park, Mallory Square, Eaton at Simonton or New Town and off we’d go.
Old Town Cartagena has its similarities. The three of us spent almost two hours criss crossing the lanes out to the city’s 17th century walls and back.
Because she’s a tiny bit more organized than me Layne had some small bills to buy a 75 cent cup of coffee from one of the many street vendors loaded with Thermos flasks serving the workers and early risers. This one was strong and sweet, more like a Cuban coffee than most I’ve tasted.
I’ll tell you what, I got a sudden and pronounced mental shift back to Key West on this cool breezy morning promising another hot sticky Caribbean day. I could taste Five brothers or Cuban Coffee Queen as we strolled. I wasn’t in Cartagena de las Indias for a few minutes, I was in Old Town Key West on my day off.
Colombian cuisine for working people is heavy on the frying. Fashion corn meal into a pancake, call it an arepa and stuff it with a fried egg and you have breakfast on the go. Fried empanadas and fried yucca balls with a ground beef center just like the Cuban balls at Five Brothers in Southard Street…
Cartagena claims it’s total war on holes as the city languidly tries to clean up tourist central.
There is work going on but you need to watch where you put your feet as you wander around.
The core of the waterfront city is astonishing 19th century architecture enclosed with huge stone walls on the waterfront. The poverty and drug addiction and trash so prevalent in New Town where industry works is miles from here - actually 15 minutes by Uber - but you can get anything done in Cartagena.
No one speaks English in Colombia. I grant you that is a broad generalization but don’t expect most people to be able to speak English. But as you can see below they are trying to get ready for you and your dollars.
I spoke with our landlord about Colombia’s emerging role as a tourist destination and he is envious of Mexico. I think he’s right too, Mexico is light years ahead of Colombia in attracting tourists. I’m not talking about how we travel in our van but in terms of mass tourism, the stuff that brings foreign currency.
Which explains why this magnificent city probably has more visitors from Eastern Europe right now than it’s ever had Americans. You can see handfuls of youngsters the hip travelers no doubt seek new destinations walking the streets in the evening when the whole world is out enjoying the cool night air.
I feel lucky to be here now in the infancy of mass tourism.
Even the few bums remind me of Duval Street before the work day begins.
Imagine buying up some real estate like this and restoring these magnificent buildings. Not for me, I’m a nomad but I’m surprised Americans haven’t figured the possibilities out here, less than three hours from Miami.
Like Key West Cartagena loves its poets, probably more so and these plaques reminded of the poems set in cement on various sidewalks around Key West extolling the virtues of the town.
And then you get to the walls, built in the 1600s and as thick and massive as ever, now a backdrop to endless screaming honking impatient traffic.
As you look at these photos notice how there are no handrails, no warning signs, no cautions. You are free to be as stupid as you want up here. Just remember you are responsible for yourself and there are non liability laws here or lawyers ready to take your damage case. The fact that we Americans notice these things shows how conditioned we are.
Rusty rather enthusiastically jumped up into the embrasure on the wall and I grabbed him by the scruff to keep him from checking the edge. He got the message.
You are free to step into space if you feel the need:
What a fascinating city. I also walked the Castillo de San Felipe site of one of Spain’s few resounding victories against the English.
And there’s the gold museum. The product of mines across Spanish South America was shipped from Portobello in Panama ( Colombia ‘s former province) to Havana for shipment to Cadiz by convoy. Cartagena de las Indias (Carthage of the Indies) was just an outpost on the Spanish Main, a safe harbor, but they took it seriously with all the work they did here.
We have moved across town to the middle class neighborhood of Manga where we have a courtyard to park GANNET2 and where hopefully today the air conditioner will be installed and we shall soon be free to drive away. This is a pretty nice spot though, a quiet neighborhood close by the city and the apartment has all middle class amenities.
Always full of surprises, Cartagena.
