Bienvenido a Colombia.
Conflicted – The more you travel the more one feels a sense of ambivalence. On the one hand, the world shrinks, one place blurs into another, the customs, food, language, music, indeed the atmosphere of cities and countries becomes familiar, almost nostalgic. In short, the world shrinks. On the other hand, the more one travels the more we come to the realization that seeing everything is impossible, and that leaves me feeling small, submerged into the infinitude of the human meta-experience. A bit of both washes over you upon arrival in Gran Colombia, the namesake of the former triad which once included Venezuela and Ecuador.
Boarding a Colombia bound flight from DC, NYC, Miami or elsewhere in North America is surprisingly short, just a few hours to the other side of the world. Truly, air transportation has transformed travel in the last 100 years. What was once a harrowing and fateful journey across the mischievous ocean, through treacherous jungle, or elevated mountains has become a back-to-back movie binge away from virtually anywhere, especially if you are in a neighboring hemisphere.
Bustling Bogotá
My journey began in Bogotá. Bogotá is una gran ciudad (“a big city”) with over 10 million people in the metro area, a bigger population than New York City and Miami combined. Bogotá (originally Bacata or “planted fields”) is where the Spanish Conquistadores instantiated their dominion in Colombia some 500 years ago. It is also a city that has seen a seemingly endless cycle of upheaval: violent coups and revolutions, industrial scale organized crime, persistent war and poverty. The city remains rather unpredictable depending on where you go but if you keep to the Southern Zones (Recommend: Zona T, G and Rosa) your trip should be affordable, convenient and luxuriant.
One of the standout features of Colombia is how radically different the main hubs are. Bogotá is more urbane, dressier, and the Rolos (slang for Bogotanos) – so other Colombians say – tend to be slightly colder, perhaps like the cooler weather around them. Provincial squabbles aside, Colombians in general tend to be extremely warm and friendly, and Rolos are no exception. They speak with a softer accent and embody a more business-like demeanor compared to the rest of Colombia. That said, if you want cheap food, matchless coffee, and a city decorated by green trees, city parks, shopping centers and some remarkable mountain vistas, Bogotá is worthy of a trip. Some highlights:
Checkout La Candaleria district for narrow street shopping, historical spots, and hidden restaurants with unbeatable views
In the interior you will find Avenida Shopping Center, ideal for brand name shopping and surrounded by delicious food and world-class coffee
A good place to checkout is the Cacao and Coffee House
For some top-shelf ceviche I recommend La Antichuchería
Bogotá is a city with a shadowy, violent past and one can sense that traversing the streets. Even now, the current President Gustavo Petro (former mayor of Bogotá and M-19 rebel) openly fears a coup against him and whether true or not the specter of one is ever present in Bogotá. If you venture to the Palace of Justice note that in 1985 an armed group of M-19 guerrillas launched a coup killing dozens of people including about 11 supreme court justices. Such is the volatile legacy of La Violencia, a period of brutal, Hobbesian-style violence in which nearly 200K Colombians were killed between 1948 and 1964.
Bogotá is a city with a shadowy, violent past and one can sense that traversing the streets.
It is hard to explain but the instability of life spurs a thick-skinned positivity from Bogotá’s ciudadanos (citizens). I will elaborate on this in Part 2, but Colombians (and Latinos in general) take things in stride, focusing on the good and downplaying the bad ostensibly to psycho-process the human turmoil around them. It is not a perspective born of ignorance either; ask the average Uber driver, barista or passerby and they will happily regale you with stories of street robbery, dirty politics, or cartel activity while smiling about their rich morning coffee, the latest futbol match, or Club Colombia beer. In Bogotá, as in Latin America, the velocity of life sprints ever forward so who has time to dwell upon the negative?
Next stop Cartagena
Sadly, Bogotá was just a short lily pad enroute to Cartagena. Cartagena (named after the Phoenician city of Carthage, means “new town”) is only an hour flight or so from Bogotá but worlds away. Upon arriving in Cartagena, the energy moves from second to fifth gear in about 30 seconds. The city is a bum rush that smacks you in the face: the airport is frantic, the traffic is pure anarchy, the beaches are busy, and the nightlife is Bacchanalian so be prepared. However, once you equalize the volume the way your eyes adjust to evening darkness what is left truly is the “Jewel of the Indies.”
Cartagena is layered with gorgeous cafes, restaurants, churches, hotels, and fully furnished AirBnBs equipped with rooftop pools and spectacular cityscapes. As much as I love the beach I recommend staying in the Walled City because that is where activity is centered. Bocagrande, the beachfront high rises vaguely reminiscent of Miami, is passable, though tends to be remote from Cartagena’s activity in the historic district, El Centro. If you stay just outside the walled city in Getsemani, be warned it is not for the faint of heart because the fiesta never stops, never. Except for a few hours before sunrise, happy hour in Cartagena pulses through every back alley, corner street, supermercado, historic center, even Shakira’s house.
For a week or so Cartagena has it all. It has beautiful coastal vistas, quaint Spanish architecture, an excellent (though somewhat pricey) food scene fully spiced with delicious sea food, Cuban, Jamaican, Italian, Sushi, and of course Colombian cuisine. And if I do say so myself, Colombian coffee is the best coffee in the world hands down. There is even an impressive castle fortress built by the Spanish Conquistadores called Castillo San Felipe de Barajas perched atop the San Lázaro hill to protect the port, especially from pesky pirates and English warships.
Cartagena is a synthesis with Ameridian, Hispaniola and Afro-Caribbean culture.
The island culture is strong in Cartagena. Unlike the more restrained and autumnal motif of Bogotá, Cartagena is a synthesis with Ameridian (the Tayrona), Hispaniola (Spain) and Afro-Caribbean culture. Such a racial-cultural smorgasbord gives the Cartageneros a distinct accent, spices up the food, and darkens their complexion. It also cranks up the volume and makes Cartagena a city where music, dance, food, and language blur into a thumping reggaeton mashup. If you are into nightclubs, packed plazas, hookah lounges, shouting street food vendors, and a land-based island culture Cartagena is for you.
There are a few things to note if you are considering a trip. Cartagena is extremely touristy, and since Colombia is safer today than it has been in recent decades, flocks of Americans and Europeans are traveling through, far more than you will find in Bogotá for example. To meet this demand Cartagena has a swarm of hostels, some of which can be quite nice, and I imagine very affordable. Such a staging ground generates a mere constant flow of backpackers, spring breakers, and hipsters visiting Cartagena, which can be a bit much if you don’t expect it. I also recommend checking out the nearby islands like Rosario or towns like Barranquilla.
Cartagena is a beautiful city and probably my favorite spot in Colombia for a weeklong sabbatical. It is a dynamic vacation spot with diverse offerings for the party enthusiast, backpacker, or luxury traveler. However, as much as I like beach towns like Cartagena it is the city that lures me. Perhaps the most enigmatic and trendy urban mountain experience in Latin America was my next stop, Medellin.
Why are so many Americans moving to Medellin? Is Medellin the best city in South America as so many proclaim? What adventures and dangers await you in the Antioquian Mountains? These questions and more will be explored in part 2.
For more, sign up for the MEN AND THE CITY email list, subscribe on YouTube, and follow me on Twitter and Instagram.
Comments