Birthday Shenanigans in Cartagena
After traveling to Guadeloupe for my 41st birthday, I decided I would be away for my birthday every year after that if possible. I knew I would be traveling alone so I wanted to find a spot I would feel comfortable. After seeing all the pictures and reading so much about Cartagena I knew exactly what I wanted to do and felt confident that I could have a good time by myself.
I chose Cartagene because I was intrigued by the large population of Black people that lived there, it actually has the 4th largest population of Blacks outside of Africa, and wanted to learn more about them and their experiences. I spent 5 days on the ground and had a packed schedule. I took a red eye to Cartagena and arrived at 8:30 in the morning ready to go. I got some Colombian Pesos out of the ATM and jumped in a taxi to my hotel, the Getsemani Cartagena Luxury Hotel.
The Colombian Pesos were mad confusing to me and in hindsight I should have read up on the money before I left. The only research I did was to know that the exchange rate was really good. What was I thinking? I forget what the fare was to my hotel, but I know I gave the taxi driver enough money to get change and he tried not to give me any. Once I told him he owed me some money he gave me some change, but I can’t be sure I still didn’t get cheated. It was still breakfast time when I arrived at the hotel so I wasn’t able to check into my room. I freshened up in the bathroom, put on the change of clothes I had in my carry on and stored my luggage at the front desk. I then ate some breakfast and waited for my ride to head to Palenque. I told you I had a packed schedule!
Palenque is a village about an hour outside of Cartagena that was 1 of the 28 villages inhabited by former slaves. It was considered the most important of the villages and the other villages known as maroon guards were there to protect it. Palenque is referred to as Africa in America or Africa outside of Africa. The people speak Bantu, Spanish, Swahili and Yoruba. There are three basic studies in Palenque: biology, nature and history of the community. After you finish school in Palenque you are expected to complete your education elsewhere and then come back as a teacher, doctor or lawyer to pass on the knowledge to the next generation. The Palenquians take the preservation of their community very seriously and only allow Palenquians to live there. If a Palenquian marries a non Palenquian, they live in an area outside of Palenque called Palenquito – Little Palenque.
Although I’ve only been to North Africa, Palenque was exactly what I imagine villages in Africa to be Iike. I was amazed and in love at the same time. Who knew such a place like this was still in existence and in the Americas nonetheless. The people were friendly, inviting and happy to share their culture with us. I was there in February, which is the middle of the summer, and it was HOT. Since Palenque is inland it’s about 10 degrees hotter than Cartagena. Our tour guide warned us and I didn’t believe him, but he wasn’t lying. I didn’t check the temperature while in Palenque, but it felt like it was at least 100F.
While in Cartagena I also visited El Totumo, the mud volcano, which I was on the fence about, but actually enjoyed. The volcano itself is not very big, but there are a set of steep wooden steps that you have to climb in order to get to the top. I don’t know how I thought I was going to get to the top of the volcano, but I was kind of surprised to see all those steps. There is a facility where you can change your clothes and store your things. The facilities are generally shared by 1 tour group or company at a time so you can feel somewhat secure in knowing your stuff is safe. You are assigned a representative from the volcano that will take pictures for you at cost, while in the volcano. You can also opt to pay for a massage given by a couple of men while in the mud. They vigorously put the mud all over your body and for the most part they are mindful not to touch your private areas. After the massage you are allowed to spend time wading in the mud.
Wading in the mud quickly turns into a balancing act because you can’t touch the bottom of the volcano. You will find yourself constantly trying to adjust so that you don’t flip over. You also are not in the volcano alone and personal space is hard to find. Be prepared to be touched by other people randomly also trying to keep their balance. You stay in the volcano probably about 20 mins and then walk back down the steps to a lake where you can wash off the mud. There are women there who can help scrub you clean and wash the mud off with buckets of water. Please know they are also looking to get paid. I don’t remember how much everything cost, but it’s fairly cheap like $5 for the massage, $5 for pictures and $2 or $3 to clean you off. All in all it’s an experience that I think you should try at least once. Tip – Wear an old bathing suit or swim trunks that you don’t care about. The mud is hard to get off and could stain or ruin your bathing suit.
I also did the Real Cartagena tour where they take you through the neighborhoods of Cartagena and give you a local’s view into life. Neighborhoods in Cartagena are broken up into levels; the higher the level the nicer the neighborhood. Technically there are 6 levels but some locals refer to the Castillo Grande neighborhood as Level 7. As you travel the city, trees and water divide the level 5 neighborhoods from the level 3 neighborhoods. Neighborhoods can have more than one level in them and most locals live in neighborhoods that have levels 1-3. If you see a baseball field you know you are in a level 1-3 neighborhood. Residents of level 1-3 neighborhoods must also read a book a month with the reading time designated from 6-10 am everyday. Just like everywhere else Cartagenians are subjected to gentrification and the neighborhoods around them are changing rapidly. Because of this home renewals are mandated every 2 months. Can you imagine? Through it all the people are still hopeful and show their pride every Saturday by decorating their neighborhoods.
On my last day I visited Playa Blanca in Isla Baru and the Rosario Islands which were beautiful. It was a day trip that starts at Playa Blanca and then you catch a small boat to the Rosario islands where you island hop for a few hours. I will say that boat had me shook. It was very small and old and required the captain to determine where people would sit in order to balance the weight in the boat. The water also came up pretty high on the sides of the boat. Nevertheless our captain knew what he was doing and we made it safely with no issues. At one of the islands I went snorkeling which actually had some really beautiful fish. One of the women on my tour said the snorkeling was only second to Roatan, Honduras. I wish I had an underwater camera to capture all the beauty I saw. After you finish island hopping, the boat brings you back to Playa Blanca to have lunch and hang out for the rest of the day. If you want beach time I highly recommend this day trip. It was a perfect way to end my vacation.
Recommendations:
Where To Stay – Getsemani or the San Diego neighborhood in The Walled City
Where to Eat – Restaurante Interno, Caffe Linatico, El Bistro and Cande (I only made it to Interno, but the others came recommended from my tour guide.)
Beaches to Visit – Playa Blanca and Rosario Islands
Things to Do – Visit Palenque, do the Real Cartagena tour, rum and chocolate tasting at El Arsenal, go to Cafe Havana, Bazurto Social Club, and Plaza Trinidad in Getsemani at night for food and dancing.