Colombia… Emeralds, coffee and a rich history

Cartagena

We wrestled with stopping in Colombia for a visit. Our insurance company would not cover us there and we’d heard a mix of horror stories and awesome experiences from varied sources, including fellow cruisers. We opted to go and though we only visited the city of Cartagena, we’re glad we did. We loved it!

We arrived in Cartagena, Colombia at dawn on 18 May 2003 after a 74 hour, 455 nautical mile trip from Santa Cruz, Curacao. We sailed downwind with 25-30 knot winds and 8-10’ following seas and averaged 6+ knots. This route is known as the ‘sleigh ride’ for a reason. As we approached the city in the early morning mist, we could barely make out La Popa, the citadel hill behind the city and the cityscape of old buildings mixed with new. Arrival in Cartagena signified the end of another passage: Trinidad to Colombia.

There are two entrances to Baia Cartagena. One is used by the big cruise ships and freighters and is called “Boca Chica”. It’s about a 2 mile longer passage. The other entrance is for smaller boats and is called Boca Grande. The Spanish built a submerged wall across this opening to keep out foreign invaders. A small cut has been made in the wall now and is marked by navigational buoys, but it’s very narrow (less than 50’) and if you miss it, you hit the wall. We held our breath going through, but we never saw less than 10 feet on the depth meter. Once through the narrow Boca Grande cut into the bay, we were told to head for the Madonna. We weren’t sure what that meant until we spotted her in the middle of the harbor… just waiting for us.

Cartagena de Indias (Cartagena of the Indies), not to be confused with the city of Cartagena, Spain for which it was named, was founded in 1533 by Pedro de Heredia. In 1552, the city was reduced to ashes after a devastating fire. Subsequently, Heredia, the governor, prohibited building with materials other than bricks, roof tiles, stone, masonry and rocks.

A Walking Tour of Cartagena… put on some comfy shoes and let’s go!

Las Murallas - The walls encircling the old city of Cartagena were originally begun in 1586, however nature and war destroyed them and they were rebuilt several times. The walls in place today were constructed in the 1700s to protect the city. At least 10 feet thick and as much as 30 feet thick in parts, and ranging from 20-30 feet high, they provide a formidable barrier to entry at other than the gates. Ramps and stairs around the city allow one to climb to the top and walk the ramparts for an unsurpassed view of the city streets and buildings. The area inside the walled city is called ‘Corralito de Piedra’. The walled city itself is referred to as ‘Ciudad Amarullada’. Below the city walls are the old dungeons, Las Bóvedas (below, far right). They were also used to store munitions, but are now used as stalls for vendors selling souvenirs and Colombian crafts.

Los Balcons - There is color and beauty everywhere you turn in this city. Most houses in the old city have balconies which are lush with bright flowering plants and trees. They are enchanting to view and take your breath away with their astounding vibrant colors and contrast.

Some great knockers... We spied these distinctive bronze doorknockers and thought they were so very distinctive and added a classy flair to entry doors.

Plaza Santo Domingo
Iglesia Santo Domingo (St. Dominic’s Church) is the oldest church in the city, constructed at the end of the 16th century. It faces the Plaza Santo Domingo, a hotspot for open air restaurants, antique shops and emerald factory stores. The entire center of the plaza is open air restaurants with any number and variety of street vendors and buskers. Vendors sell hats, sunglasses, jewelry, watches, coconut shell combs and trinkets, t-shirts,
paintings. You name it, it's for sale.

A mariachi band serenaded us as we sipped cold beers and Guillermo the Victrola Man walked from table to table offering to play his one 78 rpm record on the ancient wind-up Victrola perched on his shoulder. We compared trying to make our way into the plaza past all the street hawkers as similar to running the gauntlet… but much more entertaining.

Wandering around Cartagena’s city streets, we felt as safe as we would in any city. There was always something new to discover. People were friendly and welcoming. Where else would you find statues of old shoes and have a chance to snuggle with a sloth or handle a caiman?

Excerpt from a letter home:
“The heat… oh the heat… let me try to describe it to you since it’s not like any heat I’ve known before. It is stifling, steamy and suffocating in its intensity and thickness. Yes, thickness… it’s hard to breathe sometimes, it is so hot. Just sucking in air is a chore and it burns your nostrils. We drink
tons of water. David takes salt tablets if he’s working outside for any length of time. Our bodies are constantly covered with a sheen of sweat. Our clothes are always marked with large wet sweat patches. Stepping into or out of the shower renders no difference… we are just as wet in or out and attempting to towel dry is a farce. We wear bandanas around our foreheads when we work so that the sweat doesn’t drip into our eyes and sting. David wears his like a pirate so that he keeps his pate from getting burned as well. We watched an Indiana Jones movie the other night. Indiana was in this part of the world hacking his way through the dense jungle wearing a leather jacket. I don’t think so!

I’ll take mine black

We can’t leave Colombia without at least mentioning coffee, one of Colombia’s major exports. Here are some coffee facts!

• The United States ranks as the world’s largest consumer of coffee. Americans drink about 400 million cups every day. More than a hundred kinds of coffee are sold in the United States, divided into three general groups-- Brazils, milds and robustas.
  

• According to legend, coffee was discovered in Ethiopia when goatherders noticed that their flocks stayed awake all night after feeding on coffee leaves and berries. Coffee reached Arabia in the 1200s. The word ‘coffee’ derives from the Arabic word qahwah.
  

• Before its use as a beverage 700 years ago, coffee was used as a food, then a wine, and then a medicine. Coffee moved from Arabia to Turkey during the 1500s, and to Italy in the early 1600s. Coffee houses sprang up throughout Europe in the 1600s and people met there for serious discussions. Coffee probably came to America in the 1660s.

• The coffee fruit is called a berry. It begins to grow while the plant is blossoming and
  ripens from green to yellow to red. The average plant produces enough berries each
  year to make about 1½ pounds (0.7 kilogram) of roasted coffee.
  

• Juan Valdez is a fictional character who represents more than 300,000 small coffee growers whose lifework is to cultivate each individual coffee tree.

Emeralds… the world’s most popular green gem for the past 5,000 years

That’s esmeraldas in Spanish.

• Colombia supplies 90% of world’s emeralds (and, yes, I got my share!).

• The emerald is a rich green gemstone that is a variety of the mineral beryl. It owes its color to minute amounts of chromium in the crystals.
  

• The value of an emerald lies in its color and its freedom from flaws and inclusions (other substances enclosed in the crystals). High-quality emeralds can be more valuable than diamonds.
  

• There’s an emerald store on every corner in downtown Cartagena and street hawkers entice you to buy.

We hope you enjoyed your tour of Cartagena, Colombia. If you have the opportunity to visit, we highly recommend it. It remains one of our favorite cities of the world.

From here, we headed on to Panama. Join us as we visit the extraordinary Kuna Indians, transit the Panama Canal and experience a host of other adventures.