Oso settles into her berth in Cartagena, and the crew settles into a few weeks of city life.
At a population of 1M people, Cartagena is one of the two largest coastal cities in Colombia. The largest industry by far is tourism – in addition to the regular stream of large cruise ships calling at the nearby pier, the city is a destination for Colombians from elsewhere in the country who come to enjoy the beaches, the narrow streets of the old walled city, and the warm weather.
Colombian culture includes an appreciation for socializing with friends and family, and any self-respecting get-together in Cartagena typically includes music – the louder the better. There’s a broad selection of genres – local salsa, Colombian rap, what sounds like mariachi songs, and the occasional Top 40 pop tune in English – but the common theme is volume. Local tourist boats on the ubiquitous harbor tour typically have 4-8 huge speakers mounted around the rails, and the group of 10-20 customers onboard are often a bouncing, dancing mass, singing along to the music. It’s a festive atmosphere, and it seems to be enjoyed 7 days a week.
The infrastructure around town is mixed – sidewalks are uneven with random holes and occasional protruding lengths of rebar demanding attention while walking, and the warm, humid tropical weather makes it difficult to keep buildings looking nice. And like in many large cities outside the US and Europe, traffic rules seem to be interpreted as guidelines, at best. The key feature of any vehicle in Cartagena, car or moped, is the horn, and they get a lot of use – it is not a quiet city. Crossing the street on foot requires matching the aggression of the drivers – disconcerting the first few times.
In our experience so far, Colombians are friendly, welcoming, proud of the natural beauty of their country, and very patient with our halting Spanish. It’s nice to be here.
