South America 2024

Today was spent mainly mooching around Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas. As castles go, it was pretty much okay. The tunnels under the fortifications look mighty worrisome. The cells look like the worst kind've solitary confinement. Lazy time the rest of the day.
Right then. As I'm leaving soon, it's time to put down a few thoughts about my time in Cartagena.
Put briefly, I've had a really great time here. The people are friendly, it's safe to walk the streets - even at night - the occasional hawker of trinkets and fruit/drinks are not too pushy, and I haven't been poisoned. However, you wouldn't choose to come here for the gastronomy.
Perhaps as a reaction to the horrendous image Colombia had for several years as the international hub for cocaine tom-foolery, the Colombians have become noticeably nice. There are lots of people in uniforms around; police, security guards in most buildings and random people regulating behaviour - at least on the surface, to the untrained European eye.
Cartagena is a fascinating place for lots of reasons. It's Colonial, often war-ravaged history is everywhere to be seen. Whilst Drake and the Spanish did their best to plunder the area until nothing was left of the original culture, that seems to be forgotten as pragmatism and just getting on with making a living has boosted the city's confidence.
There's a certain amount of wealth hereabouts: nothing like the wide disparities between the few 'haves' and the many 'have nots' I saw in Bogota. This means that some of Cartagena's areas feel a little like some parts of Spain - with a Caribbean twist. I like it a lot.
The weather feels like the Caribbean, and some of the beaches out of town confirm this. The afternoon storm showers are a hassle, but they pass.
If I could wave a magic wand and improve Cartagena with one small thing, it would be to increase the number of people doing litter collecting. It goes on, but not much. The Cartagenans (and elsewhere in Colombia) often make positive noises about their 'eco ambitions', and pride in their city's appearance, but this is probably just another example of marketing hype for the tourists but with little real action.
It's as trendy and Bohemian as anywhere I've yet been in Colombia. It's also been my favourite place so far on this trip.
Favourite ice cream? It has to be the Mojito.Read more