Colombia… Emeralds, coffee and a rich history
Republica de Colombia
Capital City: Bogota
Population: 39.5 Million estimated 2003
Highest Point: Christobal Colon, 18,947' in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta range of the Andes
Area: 440,000 sq miles... about the size of the four corner states combined (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah).
Currency: Colombian Peso... in 2003, 2,800 pesos = $1 US
Language: Spanish plus 68 regional languages
Major Products: Coffee (Juan Valdez country), emeralds, gold, coal, rice, bananas, beef cattle, illegal drugs
The name Colombia was chosen in honor of Christopher Columbus.
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.
A Madonna statue in the harbor welcomed us to Cartagena.
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.
Club Nautico was our home in Cartagena. The people were friendly and the price was right… $1.85/day for anchoring out and using all of the club’s amenities including
fresh water, cold showers, laundry service, dinghy dock, bar & restaurant. Contrary to many opinions about Colombia, Cartagena was a beautiful, safe city. We walked around with minimal concern, exercising common sense as we would in any city, including the USA.
A Walking Tour of Cartagena… put on some comfy shoes and let’s go!
The downtown area was only about a 15 minute walk from the marina. Our first stop was to visit the “Muelle de los Pegasos” at the head of the city dock. This is a whole family of bronze winged horses, i.e. pegasi. The detail of these mythical creatures was incredible.
Puerta del Reloj
Cartagena is a city of spires and its clock tower gate is symbolic of the city itself. Several spires and towers can be seen from virtually anywhere in the city and the Clock Tower is one of them. An integral part of the city wall, this is the main entrance to the walled city.
Passing through its wide, shadowy portals, there were several vendors selling cigarettes, candy, books and the ubiquitous lottery tickets. The original clock was replaced in 1875. Of the three entrances to the city, this is the only original gate.
Plaza de Coches (Carriage Square). Once inside the city wall, we arrived at Plaza de los Coches, former site of the slave market. The colorful archways conceal the Portals de los dulces (Portals of Sweets) where candy vendors, ice cream parlors and sweet treat shops abound.
La Catedral - The most familiar sight in the old city of Catagena is the spire of the cathedral. We were able to wander through it, explore and had the opportunity to attend Mass one evening. Construction began in 1575 and was completed in 1586.
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.
India Catalina
This is considered a masterpiece of sculpture by Eladio Gil. The bronze Indian woman symbolizes the native people of Colombia. A smaller version of this statue in gold is also the Colombian version of the Oscar award given for excellence in films. It is said that Catalina, a beautiful and courageous warrior, was captured and sold as a slave. Don Pedro de Heredia released her and used her as an interpreter in 1533. That’s Castillo de San Felipe in the background viewed from the City Wall.
Did you know? Colombia’s boundaries once included the countries of Ecuador, Venezuela and Panama.
Castillo de San Felipe - The walk up to the fort was fairly steep and arduous considering how hot it was. We rested in the shadows of the massive walls and porticos and ducked into tunnels when we could to get out of the sun and heat. Views of the city from the fort were stupendous on this clear sunny day and the panorama laid out before us made up for the sweat expended on the way up. This massive fort, built in 1657, was constructed on a hill overlooking the old city and provided protection for the harbor and the city below it.
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?
Zapatos Viejos - This bronze sculpture was built in honor of Don Luis Lopez, a poet and native of Cartagena, who became famous for his sonnet to the “Old Shoes”.
a man asked if we wanted to hold his genuine 3-toed pet sloth from the jungles of Colombia. The sloth was A very docile little creature with huge claws and what appears to be a perpetual smile on her face. We chocked up 1,500 pesos (54 cents) to our entertainment budget under the heading “sloth handling”.
A visit to the caiman farm outside Cartagena.
My favorite Caiman picture entitled ‘Heads Up’.
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.