Cartagena de las Indias: Arrival

Upon making several plane transfers, we (one of my colleagues and I) finally arrived to the beautiful Cartagena. Right away we could feel the intense heat even though it was nearly dusk. Our hotel turned out to be a lovely bed and breakfast with a gorgeous courtyard full of flowers and tropical vegetation and an extremely nice owner. The house was restored to its original colonial look so all the rooms look like a old-time room: very simple, with one stone wall, dark wood, a desk, and a big chest with a lock for personal belongings. Upon settling in, we went out in the dusk to walk around the city. Cartagena is an absolutely gorgeous old-timey colonial city: even in the dark, we could see all the flowered balconies of houses on narrow streets, which made it appear straight out of the history books.

The part of the city we are staying in is called Cuidad Amurallada, literally a Walled City, which is also a part of the old colonial structure. For the colonial history geeks like myself, Cartagena used to be an important city for the Spanish Americas: since there was no Panama Canal, all the gold from Peru used to be land-carried to Cartagena, and then, twice a year, shipped to Spain (Colombia also had large quantities of gold, which were also transported to Spain through Cartagena (Caribbean Sea) since the Pacific was at the time unknown to the Europeans). For that reason, Cartagena’s center and bay area were a site for numerous forts, part of which is the wall that surrounds the historic center of the city where we are.

Cartagena is also a witness to the many ethnicities that live in Colombia. Since many of the indigenous populations were wiped out by the diseases brought in by the Europeans during the conquest, the Spaniards had to ship African-born slaves to its American territories to work in the fields, build forts, and labor in the gold mines; Cartagena used to be a major hub of slave trade (also due to its strategic location). Therefore, the city is inhabited by people of all people of shades and colors and has a strong Caribbean flavor.

The area inside the Walled City is rather quiet, but full of nice restaurants and amazing souvenir shopping (finally!). The food, of course, is absolutely delicious. Im continuing my beef-eating streak!