My hair is sweeping from left to right, my clothes are wet and I hold on to my camera and the seat in front of me as if they are all I have left. But my eyes are sparkling while I look up to the huge cargo ships that pass by our little speed boat. Off to tropical outer Cartagena, where I drink coconuts and spot pelicans on the idyllic Isla Barú, watch one of the most beautiful golden sunsets at the Miami-like beach of Bocagrande, drink rum and do some rumba in a Chiva Rumbera driving along the old city wall of Cartagena and dance the limbo and salsa with friends and strangers in a club until dawn. Oh my God, you crazy, tropical gem!
After exploring the beautiful centre of Cartagena, we decide to see what is outside of the city walls. It’s the perfect region to appreciate the tropical and laid back city, as you will find beaches and busses here like nowhere else in the world!
Idyllic little Isla Barú
Not so early in the morning, we are in Colombia, we take the speed boat to visit idyllic little Isla Barú. At the harbour just outside of the old city walls of Cartagena you can buy a ticket and wait for your boat to arrive. After tightening your life jacket, putting your camera and phone in a plastic bag and making sure you use plenty of sunblock, you are good to go! The ride takes about 60 minutes and will bring you from the calm harbour to the rougher, open sea. Here, enormous cargo ships will pass you by as if you are just a tiny fly on the water surface. The waves will get a bit higher and you really have to hold on to your belongings and the seat sometimes. But if you don’t have a too sensitive stomach, don’t mind getting wet and like adventure, you will manage to enjoy the bumpy ride!
Leaving the grey and rough ocean behind, we enter an azure and green blue bay. Some of the passengers in our boat have a different destination than ours, so only half of us get out at Isla Barú. We have to leave our life jackets behind and wade the last part to get on shore. The sand is so white and the sky is so blue! We decide to lay down on the beach chairs which come with a parasol and order lunch. As a vegetarian I must admit that it wasn’t too special. Do order a cocoloco here though! It has all the best amounts of coconuts and alcohol and is just the perfect drink here on the idyllic white sands. The water is lovely for swimming and you are guaranteed to see the pelicans flying over the coast and gracefully descend onto the surface.
We enjoy the weather for a while, get annoyed a bit by all the vendors and forget about all the worries we might have had before. After a tropical thunderstorm, some fine beers and a good talk under the sailcloth put up by the kind bar boys, the sun arrives again, as does our speed boat.
Golden sunset at Bocagrande
In the evening we take the taxi from our hostel to Bocagrande, which is the Miami-like area on the peninsula of Cartagena. Here, we witness the most beautiful, golden-orange sunset ever! It’s a perfect place to experience a bit of the jetset of this city, enjoy some drinks and music and admire the view.
Craziness and fun in a Chiva Rumbera
“Colombians are crazy! You will see..”, they told me the first day we met. My Colombian friends keep their promise and show me what Colombian craziness is like. After watching the sunset on the beach, we walk down the boulevard and meet up with a guy. They start discussing things in Spanish while I wait and have no idea what is happening. I want to say I soon find out, but to be honest, the whole night stays one big, crazy adventure! An open bus filled with Colombian musicians arrives and we get in together with a bunch of Colombian and Chinese tourists. I drink Colombian rum in that bus. I dance the rumba on a bench in that bus. I accidentally hit my head against the ceiling while doing so in that bus.
The Chiva Rumbera’s are one of the crazy things from Colombia. These old city busses do not only bring you from one place to the other, but they also host a group of traditional musicians, serve Colombian alcoholic beverages and its driver acts as an MC and encourages its passengers to dance on the benches. Usually there is a discoball and a small laser show as well. The bus drives between the ocean and the city wall, while the MC either tries to get you to sing or dance or explains something about the surroundings. It was all about the ride, but our final destination is a beloved Salsa Club in Cartagena. Some others are taken back to their hotel, but a couple of us get out. Here, I learn how to dance like a Colombian, I do the limbo with a tall Chinese guy and dance until the club is empty and dawn has arrived.
After Cartagena, I go on to explore a bit more of Bogotá and see the pelgrimage destination Monserrate and the artistic La Candelaria.
