Cartagena de Indias, or Cartagena, was once a strategic port on the Caribbean Coast for colonial Spain - from here they would ship goods (mainly gold, silver, and slaves) between the Americas and Europe. Because of its economic and strategic importance, it was constantly attacked by pirates. The charming walled city and fortress of the old town, built by the Spanish in the 1500's as protection against French and British buccaneers, is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Cartagena was also the site of one of the battles of the War of Jenkin’s Ear – a fight between the British and Spanish in the 1740’s after Captain Robert Jenkins’ ear was severed by the Spanish Coast Guard while they were looking for loot. The insulted British used it as an excuse to wage war, since they wanted to gather power in the Caribbean for the slave trade. Most notably, soldier Lawrence Washington returned home from that war and named his estate after his commanding officer, Admiral Edward Vernon. After Lawrence Washington's death from tuberculosis, Mount Vernon became the home of his younger brother – the future President George Washington.
We boarded the National Geographic Quest after a short bus tour around the city. It’s a luxury ship with room for around 100 passengers, but there were only around 50 of us – making it comfortable yet interesting. I shared a room with Lisa, a retired teacher from Iowa, which was nice since we have similar travel styles. (But honestly, I spent very little time in the room!)
After settling in, we had dinner on board and explored the ship. As we sailed out of Cartagena, the seas started getting rocky so we all went to bed early.
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Early the next morning, we loaded onto the Zodiacs for our first excursion. We were stopped in the Gulf of Morrosquillo at the Reserva Natural Sanguaré. A former livestock farm, the reserve has been reforested and is dedicated to conservation and education. It was raining when we reached the reserve, which unfortunately meant most of the birds we were hoping to see were hiding out.
But luckily it also meant fewer mosquitoes and sand flies, and after an hour, the rain stopped and several interesting species showed themselves. The chestnut-winged chachalaca is endemic to the area - meaning it is only found in this area of Colombia and nowhere else in the world - and we saw several as we toured the grounds.
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| Look at that crimson crest! |
We also saw, among others, a red crowned woodpecker, crimson-crested woodpecker, russet-throated puffbird, and several dangling oropendula nests.
The excursion ended with a local music and dance presentation, and an explanation of the different influences of various cultures on Colombian music. Drums came from the African slaves, the wooden flutes and maracas from the indigenous tribes, and the flowing dresses from the Spanish.
After lunch, we loaded back onto the Zodiacs and headed into the Bay of Cispatá. There, we transferred into panga boats to explore the mangrove estuary at the mouth of the Sinú River. Local fishermen accompanied us and helped to spot the various wildlife.
The mangroves, with their extensive root system, is an important part of the ecosystem - they help to protect the land from erosion, as well as providing shelter for many types of wildlife. We saw several blue heron, tricolored heron, egrets, white ibis, pelicans, and frigate birds.
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| GO, little guy, GO! |
The locals are trying to help the American Crocodile population, so they raise them and brought a baby for us to release back into the wild. I got do the release!
Because of its location on the Caribbean, Colombia has had many foreign influences and waves of immigration. This is reflected not only in the music, food, and dress, but in the culture and architecture seen throughout the region. The next day, we went to see Santa Cruz de Lorica, a town on the Sinú River that was influenced by people from France, Belgium, England, Syria, and Lebanon.
Just outside the market flows the Sinú, with fishermen casting their nets while large white herons lurk overhead, waiting to steal a fish.
We walked through the Mercado Publico, where the pungent aroma of different spices hung thickly in the air. The building is a mix of Republican and Arabic architecture, and is the most iconic building in this heritage town.
We also visited an Arabic influenced home, seeing the geometric tiles, arches, high ceilings, and ventilation common in the Middle East. In the central square, along with visiting the main cathedral, we saw the mural honoring Colombian writer Manuel Zapata Olivella.
Trying to cross the streets in town, we could see how prevalent motorcycles are. In Colombia, motorcycles and motorbikes are really popular – this started during an economic downturn, since motorcycles are cheaper than cars and an easy form transport. People would also use them as a quick taxi service. With so many motorbikes, the government decided to make a law that people could only bring their bikes out every other day, depending on their license plate number. But this just caused people to buy a second bike. In Lorica, there is an average 5 bikes per household!
After lunch, we traveled to TuchÃn, the small town where Colombia’s traditional cane hats – the sombrero vueltiao – originated with the indigenous Zenu people. Over 1,000 hats are produced daily in this town, and the craft is passed down from generation to generation.
We learned about each step of the process: collecting and preparing the cana flecha (the arrow grass that grows on the banks of the Sinu River), dying the fibers, and weaving them into the hats. The number of fibers in each braided strip determines the quality of the hat – the more fibers used, the finer the weave and the more expensive the hat. Even kids are part of the process.
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| The friendly faces of TuchÃn |
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Dance by the local TuchÃn children showing the importance
of weaving |
That night, we continued sailing southwest, to the border between Colombia and Panama.
On the Caribbean coast lie two remote villages, La Miel on the Panamanian side, and Sapzurro across a hill in Colombia. There are no roads getting to these villages so there is little tourism; the only access is by plane or boat. But it's a geographically interesting place, because you can easily hike over a small ridge from one country to the other.
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| Straddling the Panama/Colombia border |
We schlepped up the slick, 250-step hill to cross the international border from Panama to Colombia. (Spoiler alert, no customs or immigrations were waiting for us at the top). From the crest, there was a lovely view of the Caribbean. The path was slippery with wet moss, so I was really proud of my parents who made it without problems!
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| Panama on the left, Colombia on the right! |
Down onto the Colombian side, we hiked into Sapzurro - a tiny town settled by Afro-Colombians. Enjoying an ice cream on the unspoiled and idyllic Sapzurro beach was in intellectual contrast from our next stop - the nearby village of Capurganá. Capurganá is the jumping off point for most of the migrants headed into the thick jungle known as the Darién Gap. The Darién region is infamous – one of the most dangerous places of the world.
The Pan-American Highway, a series of roads running from Prudhoe Bay in northern Alaska to the tip of Ushuaia, is the world’s longest “motorable road” – except for a break of 66 miles between Panama and Colombia known as the Darién Gap. There is no road through the Darién, and the jungle is thick and marshy and filled with rivers that often flood. On top of that, rapes and robberies are common; dead bodies are left where they die. Even though it is considered “impassable,” thousands of migrants attempt the 6-day 66 mile trek in their attempt to reach the United States. I had no idea that most of these people come from Africa, the Middle East, and Asia – they do so because Colombia has no visa requirements, and many of these migrants are unaware of the perils of the crossing. They come unprepared. Many think the US lies just on the other side of the gap, not realizing they still need to trek through Central America and Mexico.
Journalist Richard McColl, who was one of the experts accompanying us, had spent lunchtime in town trying to talk migrants and hear their stories. The mafia running the migrant camp wouldn't let him in to talk to anyone, but he did interview two men in town who had recently arrived from Togo and who were preparing to start their journey.
As we pulled into the pier in Capurganá, we could see several boats and many migrants sitting along the waterfront. The town itself is a quaint little seaside resort, with cheerfully colored buildings and oceanside cafes. It seemed like the antithesis of what we now knew was about to be faced by the thousands of migrants passing through here.
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The interesting architecture
and vibrant buildings of Capurganá |
Boats approved by the Colombian Navy bring these desperate people from Necocli (across the bay) to Capurganá, where they bottleneck at the migrant camp while they wait to cross the Darién. While the Red Cross registers all migrants (to keep track of the numbers), the camp and access is controlled by the local mafia, Clan del Golfo. It costs between $50 to $150 for the privilege of the trip. According to Doctors without Borders, almost 500,000 people will attempt the crossing this year - including tens of thousands of children.
We walked around the town, avoiding the dangerous western side near the jungle where the migrant camp was located. We then headed to the local school where the schoolchildren gave us a performance of both traditional and ballet dance.
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| Dominoes is a very popular 'sport' in Colombia |
Hearing the stories and seeing the different aspects of Colombia gave me a much better understanding of the rich culture, fascinating history, and impossible challenges that face this country.
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