Panama, The Canal and Beyond
Day Nine – 15 Nov 2014
Weather: Shoot me now…32 with 39 humidex.
I slept a good solid 8 hours but still have sinuses and a slight cough. Gotta wonder which customs is going to quarantine me – the US or Canada. One other girl was sick coming from Panama and they asked her where she had travelled.
I had been woken by what sounded like gunshots in the middle of the night. Given that I’m on the interior courtyard, it really sounded like they came from inside the hotel but I later heard they were celebrating in the street and that it was either gunshots or fire crackers.
I got back to sleep and rolled out of bed by 7 am and went down to breakfast. It’s a pretty cool setup. Not much in the way of eggs but there cereal, fruit, coffee, toast and that. There are like ten tables in the room.
We met up with David at 9 am and he gave us each a water and we started the walking tour of old town Cartagena. How he manages this heat in a black shirt, I’ll never know. And the humidity is only 70%. Can’t comprehend 90%.
David started by saying Cartagena is the friendliest city in Colombia. The old town was originally settled by escaped slaves and they remained after slavery was abolished. Their dialect, Bantu, is what the hotel is named for. The women made money by carrying fruit on their heads and many around will pose with the fruit up there and colorful dresses. David pointed out the braids in their hair and said that prior to the abolition of slavery, they used to braid their hair with the directions to the free settlement in Cartagena.
Cartagena is a mere 11 degrees above the equator so it gets pretty well equal daylight and night. David said the cartels are no longer a problem as the leaders have been jailed or killed. He says there is still a drug issue but that it’s small time compared to the cartels. There are 47 million people in Colombia and 1.2 million in Cartagena.
Many of the buildings in the old town are former convents or monasteries converted into hotels. The government gives them 30 years tax free on new hotels. The area was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1984.
Our first stop is the Heredia Theatre which is no longer used as a theatre but can be rented for any occasion.
After a few photos, we moved on to walk the streets and David pointed out the Inquisition Museum, the Cartagena supreme court and noted that Colonial balconies are wooden whereas those from the Republic are concrete. He said they can choose their own colour.
David said many people drink coconut water as a home remedy. Apparently it’s good for kidney stones, heart burn and can be an aphrodisiac. In large quantities, it’s a natural laxative. He suggests we not go swimming if we drink too much.
The doors all around the old town have elaborate door knockers. Think I could spend a day taking pics of all the doors. LOL
We move passed the old customs building that is now city hall and end up at San Pedro Claver Church. Claver (1580-1654) was a Spaniard who came to Colombia and saw the poor treatment of the slaves. He became a priest and committed his life to help the slaves. He baptized more than 100,000 during his tenure.
David said 85% of Colombians are Catholic. Many from other religions were killed during the Inquisition when you were either Catholic or Catholic….if one was thinking ahead. Since the church is so strict with divorce, many get a civil marriage then show up at the church for show.
We walked back the hotel by 12 noon and I went out to get a coke and an ice cream. The heat just kills the appetite and all I want to do is drink water. I had a granola bar and spent two hours in my room soaking up the AC.
At 2 pm, we met up with David for our driving tour outside the old town. En route, he pointed out the motorcycles that one can take instead of a taxi. The drivers will offer you a ride with or without AC.
The AC one means riding at 100 kph.
David said there are few traffic lights in Cartagena and not many stop signs. Even if there were stop signs, no one stops. He said the larger the vehicle, the more likely it has right of way.
For pedestrians, he recommends we look left and right then run like hell.
We’ve figured that out. Granted, in the old city, they can’t get their speed up very high.
Our first stop is to La Popa, Convent of La Candelaria where you can get a great view of Cartagena. The word Popa refers to the stern of a ship as in a reflection, the hill looks like the stern of a ship.
This was built in 1606 after a priest had a dream where they saw the virgin of the candles and was told to build the convent on the highest point. He found freed slaves who were worshipping goats and he took the gold statue of the goat and threw it over the side of the hill.
We took some pics of the great view and proceeded to San Felipe Fort.
This was built inland from the old town in order to protect the walled city from land based invaders. Cartagena was the port from which the Spaniards shipped a lot of gold, so it had built the walls to protect the gold. It was only manned in daylight hours while the soldiers watched with their backs to the sea. It was the site of at least two battles. It was eventually abandoned and later restored. It is also a UNESCO heritage site.
From here, we headed to the peninsula to visit an Emerald factory. (The gold factory was closed for renovations). We got a short tour. The emeralds are always green and was first worn by Cleopatra. That mine in Egypt is long since closed. It is considered a precious stone and the factory has the largest rock with emeralds in Colombia at 276 lbs.
We went into the shop and two tourmates spent over $3000 for a ring and necklace.
We went back to the bus and drove along the beach towards the old town. It goes on for miles. David said there are no private beaches in Colombia.
We made a short stop at the artisans market which I had seen the day before. I picked up my obligatory t-shirt and headed back to the hotel. My allergies are holding their own, so I take a long shower and settle in for the evening with cough drops and Fanta.
Tomorrow, it’s a visit to the local archipelago.
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