Colombia: Cartagena and Love in the Time of Elections

Cartagena met us with heat, humidity and noisy streets.

The traffic in Cartagena is completely crazy. Everyone goes everywhere, no one follows the signs and I am sure that a working horn is a prerequisite for driving here. On the second day, I found that divers honk when:
– Is in a hurry
– Is angry at the driver in front, beside or behind him
– Wants to warn a pedestrian to stop
– Wants to make a pedestrian hurry
– Sees a beautiful woman
– Greats a friend
– Swears a colleague driver
– Taxi informs people on the sidewalk that is available
I am sure there are many more conversational functions of a horn here that I am not aware of.

Cartagena’s old city, with its colonial, Spanish buildings crammed into narrow streets is hot and charming as it can be.

All around are vibrant shades of blue, green, purple, white and pink coming from the building walls, flowers on the balconies and the flamboyant clothes of the fruit vendors. Sounds of salsa are coming from the buildings, mixed with the shouts of street sellers of drinks, hats and crafts and the constant humming from the tourists. It’s humid but relaxed, vibrant but not overwhelming.

It is the perfect place to start our adventure.
I found out quite soon that most of the time the hot shower will be a luxury and the accommodations will be more like our long-forgotten university years than our spoiled Canadian life.

But so far, so good. I feel young again in this city containing colonial charm and futuristic skyline, Caribbean vibrant colors and aluminum, glass and steel.

Cartagena, we love you.

People of Cartagena:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Cartagena

This slideshow requires JavaScript.