Early September 2005, Norma and I sailed in between the red and green buoys marking the low place in an underwater wall thru which a small boat can pass into the harbor in Cartagena. We had sailed 500 miles of open ocean non-stop -- around Aruba and directly from Curacao. This is said to be one of the top 5 most difficult passages in circumnavigating. Three days of wild fast ocean sailing accented by 10 - 12 foot seas and 20 – 25kn winds kept us surfing down wind and at speeds greater than Happy Ours normally goes.
First time ever Happy Our's scuppers ran almost continuously with ocean water that had forced itself into the cockpit as large furious waves were nearly abeam as we turned South. It was great fun and hats off to Norma for planning ahead with the delicious meals that kept us going.
This city is said to be the jewel of the Caribbean and certainly a centerpiece for Columbia. You immediately fall in love with its skyline, skyscrapers on one side and beautiful ancient buildings and a fort on the other. People are the friendliest we have met and they actually speak Spanish slow enough for me to understand it. (Well almost) A wall big enough to drive a car on surrounds the old part of this city. Ever so many feet along the top of this wall remains cannon, still looking out to sea. The wall is about 4 miles long and is an interesting walk. Over 100 British ships were once in the harbor here and still were unable to penetrate the city’s defenses.
The fort is gigantic with tunnels and powder rooms throughout. On a high hill overlooking the city is an ancient monastery/museum, which affords the best view, and it is breathtaking. Statues accent the narrow streets of old town, which is highlighted by the clock tower.
This tower was once the only entrance to the walled city and in the square it is said that no less than 12 million slaves were sold. The Spanish protected this city not only because of its convenient location but also because of its riches. Gold and emeralds have been a major export for centuries and still tempt anyone who wanders here. (Even Norma) There are lots of shops and restaurants to keep us busy and a beautiful old theater for concerts.
The new part of town looks like Miami with high-rise hotels and apartment buildings. These are surrounded by beaches, which are always crowded with tourist from everywhere. This seems to be the new hot destination for the well to do. There is a Hilton with all its amenities and a dozen other hotels equally expensive. We found two casinos that are fun but unfortunately can also be expensive.
Just down the beach is a military base. Several large ships share the harbor with us cruisers as well as a beautiful square-rigger similar to our Coastguard’s Eagle. We have seen a US Navy destroyer come in and anchor for supplies as well as ships from Spain and other countries. There many container ships that come and go, exchanging cargo night and day at an interesting crane dock at the beginning of the harbor.
There are plenty of tours and trips to take. One interesting trip was by bus with our friend Hernando (the guy with an eye patch in our pictures). We went to Santa Marta, the oldest city in Columbia. There is a beautiful old farm and museum here that was the place where Simon Bolivar died. People in South America get excited just mentioning his name and the monument here reflects this. There was also a strange and gory looking art exhibit by Botero who painted pictures about the death and suffering of the Colombian people. He loved to paint fat people especially with bullet holes in them.
We visited several beautiful costal cities, but we found the most interesting part was the trip itself. Of course Hernando furnished plenty of rum and colas and provided lively conversation, but there was more! Travel by buss in Columbia provided us with a panorama of beautiful deserted sea shore, jungle, mountains, really poor fishing villages (flooded by recent rain), old wooden fishing boats with large square sails, and strange little market like places along the highway where we stopped to sample some of the local cuisine.
The main highways were in good repair. To remind us we are not in the US, there were checkpoints with armed soldiers checking papers and looking for guerillas. The sun reflected on bright shiny razor wire bordering the highway in some places where the Sierra Nevada Mountains terminated near the road. We were told it is not safe to travel by road at certain times, especially for us, but Hernando took care of things ahead of time and all was well.
Cartagena is always beautiful at night but for a special experience, a tour in an open-air party bus during the Christmas season with the whole city covered in lights is magnificent.
Happy Ours is in the old Club Nautico marina and that lets us enjoy air conditioning, fresh water, and convenience while we continue to explore.
All for now.
Bob and Norma